Fourth generation SiC MOSFETs to be used for EVs

ROHM has announced its new 4th Generation SiC MOSFETs and gate driver ICs in EV inverters from Hitachi Astemo, Ltd.

As the electrification of cars swiftly advances towards fulfilling a decarbonised society, the development of electric powertrain systems that are more efficient, compact, and lightweight continues.

Particularly for EVs, the inverter, which has a central role in the drive system, must to be made more efficient to expand the cruising range and decrease the size of the onboard battery, improving the expectations for SiC power devices.

As the first supplier globally to begin mass production of SiC MOSFETs in 2010, the company continues to develop market-leading SiC power device technologies. Among these are its latest fourth generation SiC MOSFETs that provide enhanced short-circuit withstand time together with the industry’s lowest ON-resistance, making it achievable to lengthen the cruising range of EVs by decreasing power consumption by 6% vs IGBTs (as calculated by the international standard WLTC fuel efficiency test) when installed in the main inverter.

At the same time, Hitachi Astemo, which has been devising advanced technologies for vehicle motors and inverters for a number of years in the increasingly popular EV market. However, this marks the first time SiC devices will be adopted for the main inverter circuit to improve performance still further.