High-density, scalable, modular power systems solve electrification power conversion challenges
As the automotive industry rapidly moves toward fully electric vehicles with higher-voltage and higher power requirements, power system design engineers are looking for power conversion solutions that have high density, low weight and are scalable across platforms.
Vicor will present four papers at the premiere global automotive engineering event, World Congress Experience 2023 (WCX™) in Detroit on April 18 – 20, describing innovative approaches to xEV power conversion using its high-density, scalable, modular power system technology.
The Vicor papers are:
- Reducing Range Anxiety by Reducing Harness Weight Using Power Modules
Presented by: Nicolas Richard, Director Automotive Sales and Field Applications, Vicor EMEA
12V wire harnesses represent significant weight and cost in modern complex vehicles. Reducing weight frees space and increases range, which is so important today. Stepping up voltage is a more efficient approach to transferring power around the vehicle through thinner wire harnesses, which weigh less. This new innovative approach can easily be implemented with SAC ratio metric modules to step up and step down the voltage efficiently using power modules while appreciably reducing harness weight.
- Managing High-Voltage Line Ripple Rejection with High-Bandwidth DC-DC converters
Presented by: Haris Muhedinovic, Automotive Principal Field Applications Engineer, Vicor
Ranya Badawi, Power Converter Engineer, General Motors
Contributor: Steve Wybo, Technical Specialist, Power Electronics, General Motors
Inverter switching can cause high voltage/current ripple of significant magnitude on the HV bus with frequency up to 20kHz. This ripple puts demanding requirement on main DC-DC converter that supplies the 12V bus. Special concern is on design of EMI filter, whose main task is to attenuate noise caused by converter. In order to keep converter stable, system reliable and 12V bus quite, EMI filter design can lead to oversized components, too much heat dissipation and even struggle with EMC compliance. Using power modules, leveraging the Vicor Sine Amplitude Converter (SAC™), design of the filter is simplified and 12V bus is kept quiet and reliable, thanks to high bandwidth controller that manages the voltage ripple caused by inverter switching.
- The Transition to 800V Electric Vehicles: Bidirectional Conversion Between 800V and 400V
Presented by: Matt Jenks, North American Director of Automotive, Vicor
As OEMs transition from 400V to 800V HV batteries, re-use of legacy 400V subsystems and interoperability of systems will require a solution to power 400V loads and provide bi-directional capability between 400V and 800V systems.
Bi-directional power modules solutions are perfect for adapting existing proven 400V applications and infrastructure to 800V electric vehicle architectures. High density power modules are extremely efficient, light-weight and easily scalable. The bi-directionality also offers flexibility to power a wider variety of applications.
- Building Redundancy in an Electrical System that Power 400V or 800V Electric Vehicles
Presented by: Patrick Kowalyk, Automotive Principal Field Applications Engineer, Vicor
Vicor Corporation converters provide a redundant system by providing an isolated ratio metric frontend that is easily paralleled and a regulator with the built-in paralleling feature.
The traditional DC-DC Converter operating from the 800V battery, creating a 12V isolated, regulated output that is typically a single power train. If any of the power elements in the power train fails, one could lose the 12V, a chemical redundancy (battery) is required so not to disable the vehicle. The 800V battery can be split into two 400V batteries connected in series to support better redundancy.
Visit us at WCX 2023 and learn more about the Vicor presentations
Source: Vicor
