Power Electronics Europe February/March 2022

Issue 1 2022 Power Electronics Europe www.power-mag.com 8 MARKET NEWS rare earths with volatile pricing and a geographically constrained supply chain. A key emerging motor technology is that of axial flux. The magnetic flux is parallel to the axis of rotation in an axial flux motor (compared to perpendicular in radial flux machines). Whilst almost the entire EV market is using a form of radial flux motor, axial flux motors present several benefits. These include increased power and torque density and a pancake form factor ideal for integration in various scenarios. Despite the previous lack of adoption, the technology has evolved to the state where we have seen significant interest. Daimler acquired key players YASA to use their motors in the upcoming AMG electric platform and Renault has partnered with WHYLOT to use axial flux motors in their hybrids starting in 2025. The axial flux market in automotive EVs is very small today but IDTechEx expects a huge increase in demand over the next 10 years, with first applications in high-performance vehicles and certain hybrid applications. IDTechEx also sees some promising applications for other alternatives to typical EV motors such as in-wheel motors and long-debated switched reluctance motors. In-wheel motors can eliminate much of the drivetrain components that would normally take up space within the cabin of the vehicle and provide benefits such as torque vectoring. Lordstown announced the use of Elaphe’s in-wheel motor for its electric trucks and other players like Protean are providing in-wheel motors to autonomous shuttles. Switched reluctance motors are by no means a new technology, but are making somewhat of a resurgence in certain segments with improvements to their design and control. Advanced Electric Machines (AEM) is providing commercial vehicles and developing a motor with Bentley. Switched reluctance machines are much simpler to manufacture than many others and utilize no rare earths, in fact, some like AEM and RETORQ motors are moving to aluminum windings in order to avoid copper. www.IDTechEx.com SiC Power Modules Reduce Energy Consumption of Streetcars Considering the coming requirements of green mobility, Infineon will launch power semiconductors with CoolSiC™ MOSFET and .XT technology in the XHP™ 2 package – tailored specifically to the requirements of rail services. The XHP 2 power module has already proven its worth in a joint field test conducted by Siemens Mobility and Stadtwerke München (SWM). An Avenio streetcar in Munich was equipped with these power modules and tested in passenger service for a year, covering around 65,000 km. Siemens Mobility concluded that this use of power semiconductors based on SiC had made it possible to reduce the energy consumption of streetcars by 10 %. and to significantly reduce engine noise during operation. “Innovative semiconductor solutions for rail technology are an important driver for green mobility. The successful field test with streetcars in Munich demonstrates the benefits of SiC technology for manufacturers, rail operators, and residents,” said Dr. Peter Wawer, President of Infineon’s Industrial Power Control Division. The tests were carried out under the European development and research project PINTA and are part of the extensive European research and innovation initiative Shift2Rail, which aims to create a sustainable European rail system through targeted investments. Implementing SiC in power modules for traction propulsion systems can also pose major challenges: In addition to an efficient and very robust SiC chip, packages that allow high switching speeds are required, as well as interconnection technologies that enable a long service life. Since trains accelerate and decelerate frequently, the power cycles for semiconductors in rail applications are very demanding. The constant temperature fluctuations stress the interconnection technology. Infineon’s .XT technology provides a solution to this challenge. The technology significantly improves the lifetime during power cycles and has been used for years in similarly challenging applications such as wind turbines. www.infineon.com/green-energy Avenio streetcar in Munich equipped with .XT SiC power modules tested in passenger service for a year Source: Infineon Technologies Owing to the EV market’s substantial demand for longer driving ranges and shorter charging times, automakers’ race towards high-voltage EV platforms has noticeably intensified, with various major automakers gradually releasing models featuring 800V charging architectures, such as the Porsche Taycan, Audi Q6 e-tron, and Hyundai Ioniq 5. According to TrendForce demand from the global automotive market for 6- inch SiC wafers is expected to reach 1.7 million units in 2025 thanks to the rising penetration rate of EVs and the trend towards high-voltage 800 V EV architecture. The 800 V charging architecture will bring about a total replacement of Si IGBT modules with SiC power devices, which will become a standard component in mainstream EV VFDs (variable frequency drives). As such, major automotive component suppliers generally favor SiC components. In particular, Tier 1 supplier Delphi has already begun mass producing 800 V SiC inverters, while others such as BorgWarner, ZF, and Vitesco are also making rapid progress with their respective solutions. EVs have become a core application of SiC power devices. For instance, SiC Electric Vehicles Drive SiC, PMIC and MLCC Demand