October / November 2021

www.vicorpower.com AUTOMOTIVE POWER 33 www.power-mag.com Issue 4 2021 Power Electronics Europe being implemented in vehicles while trying to keep architectural changes to a minimum. “What are we still doing at 12 volts? Twelve volts is very much a vestigial voltage, it’s certainly low,” said Elon Musk, Tesla CEO [4]. OEMs are scrambling to design better PDNs to deliver more EV range and performance. Eliminating the 12 V battery altogether is the obvious long-term solution that reduces weight and space and delivers better transient response and system performance. Vicor technology not only enables these benefits but also offers a combination of flexibility, scalability and power density. The Vicor module approach to PDNs offers building blocks to address the near-term challenge of 12 V power delivery network for next generation of xEVs. Literature [1] Charles Morris, “Refreshed Tesla Models S and X to ditch lead-acid for Li- ion 12 V battery”; Electric Vehicles Magazine, (Feb. 9, 2021) https://chargedevs.com/features/a- closer-look-at-dc-dc-converters/ [2] Bengt Halvorson, “All 2020 Hyundai hybrids have a clever 12-volt lithium-ion accessory battery”, www.greencarreports.com (Apr 28, 2020) https://www.greencarreports.com/news /1127972_all-2020-hyundai-hybrids- have-a-clever-12-volt-lithium-ion- accessory-battery [3] Jeffrey Jenkins, A closer look at DC-DC converters; Electric Vehicles Magazine (Aug. 6 2018) https://chargedevs.com/features/a- closer-look-at-dc-dc-converters/ [4] Charles Morris, “Refreshed Tesla Models S and X to ditch lead-acid for Li- ion 12 V battery”; Electric Vehicles Magazine (Feb. 9, 2021) https://chargedevs.com/features/a- closer-look-at-dc-dc-converters/ Figure 4: Functional block diagram of BCM Bus Converter. Even though it converts DC to DC, the BCM uses a transformer to convert AC to AC at high efficiency, scaling the magnitude by the K factor and using the switching blocks to convert between AC and DC. The switching is done at a high frequency, and, due to the transformer-like energy transfer the conversion, has a fast response to transient load changes and presents a low-impedance path between input and output Figure 5: E/E architecture with 12 V and 48 V battery virtualization based on BCM6135 and NBM2317 modules To receive your own copy of Power Electronics Europe subscribe today at: www.power-mag.com