PRODUCTS & SERVICES

Durable traction inverters

Power electronics with sintered semiconductors have been developed for the duty cycles
typical of electrification applications in medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles

The electromobility market

has taken off. International
electric vehicle stock – comprising
on-road battery electric and plug-in
hybrid vehicles – was in excess of
three million units during 2017 and,
in the same year, the one million
sales per year milestone was
passed for the first time.
According to management
consultant McKinsey, Norway has
already reached critical mass
on the way to all-out electric
vehicle adoption, with China
and Sweden also showing a
clear disruptive trend toward
electromobility. These
countries also joined the
30@30 campaign, which has
as its target a minimum of 30%
sales share for new electrified
vehicles by 2030.
As on-road electrification
Figure 1: The SKA12HV converter is suited for application
continues to increase, the in commercial vehicle electric powertrains, and is designed
commercial vehicle market has also to withstand medium- and heavy-duty vehicle cycles
started to electrify. The city bus
segment has taken the lead. In for medium-duty or heavy-duty more than 1.5 million vehicles Since production began in 2013,
China, this has been particularly vehicle application. Many of those for material handling, more than tens of thousands of commercial
pushed by strategic public incentive vehicles are at start of series 53,000 city buses, and in excess vehicles, especially city buses, have
programs: the OECD/IEA has production, or will be soon. of 200,000 passenger cars with been electrified using an SKAI2HV
reported a global stock figure of Compared with passenger power electronic products. converter variant. These units have
385,000 electrified buses; of these, cars, delivery trucks and city The company’s experience accumulated more than 800 million
an estimated 382,500 units buses experience much higher has been crucial to development field operating hours. Assuming
(comprising 99%) are in China. frequencies of acceleration and of the SKAI2HV converter design a typical city bus driving profile
Besides city bus electrification, deceleration during their daily (Figure 1), which is suited for of 10km/h (6mph), electrified CVs
there is a growing push (especially usage. This increases requirements applications in the electric with implemented SKAI2HV
from goods-handling companies) for power cycling capabilities of the powertrains of commercial technology have covered
to move forward with electric electric powertrain significantly. The vehicles. SKAI2HV incorporates approximately 8 billion kilometers.
delivery vehicles in urban traction inverter with its incorporated sintered power semiconductor At the recent IAA show in
environments. Fueled by the power semiconductors, for dice, which enable the inverter Hannover, multiple well-known
threat of increasing restrictions example, needs to be designed to withstand all performance manufacturers have presented
on the use of ICE vehicles within to sustain in excess of 60,000 profiles typical of medium- or electrified commercial vehicles
city limits, the established CV operating hours during its lifetime. heavy-duty vehicles. SKAI2HV using the SKAI2HV as traction
manufacturers started programs Semikron, a leading supplier converters are available with converter and brake chopper device.
to roll out electrified products. of power electronics equipment, either a cable-gland interface The power ranges of these vehicles
At the Internationale Automobil has been providing products for or high-power connectors. vary between 80kW and 300kW.
Ausstellung für Nutzfahrzeuge vehicle electrification for more Continuous motor current is
(IAA) in Hannover, Germany, in than 25 years. Starting with available up to 350Arms depending FREE READER INQUIRY SERVICE
September 2018, almost every material handling applications on conditions. The maximum To learn more about Semikron, visit:
well-known commercial vehicle (such as forklifts) in the 1990s, battery voltage can be selected www.ukimediaevents.com/info/ev
manufacturer presented products Semikron has since equipped up to 800V DC. INQUIRY NO. XXX

190 // January 2019 // www.electrichybridvehicletechnology.com