Automotive & Transportation

July 2019
Advance in Understanding of All-Solid-State Batteries

Schematic of Li metal/Li6PS5Cl interface cycled at an overall current density above the CCS.

HARWELL, UK -- All-solid-state batteries, a battery design composed of all solid components, have gained attention as the next major advance beyond lithium ion batteries because of their potential to store more energy while being safer to operate. When capable of being produced in commercial quantities, solid-state ba
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Date:
07/31/2019
Software Simplifies Automotive Ethernet Testing
BEAVERTON, Ore. -- Tektronix, Inc. released two new software packages that greatly simplify automotive ethernet testing, debug and protocol decode for use with its 5 and 6 Series mixed signal oscilloscopes (MSO). Using the new Signal Separation software, automotive engineers can now perform Automotive Ethernet
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Date:
07/26/2019
Common Mode Choke for Automotive Ethernet Applications
Pulse Electronics AE3003 100Base-T1 Power over Data Lines (PoDL) Common Mode Choke (CMC) is a 300mA single twisted pair device for automotive Ethernet applications. This CMC supports PoDL classes 0, 1, 2, 4, and 6. The AE3003 CMC reduces the need for a second twisted pair wire to power an end device and re
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Date:
07/25/2019
UnitedSiC adds 2 650V SiC FET Packages to UF3C FAST Series
Princeton, New Jersey: UnitedSiC has added two new TO220-3L package options to its growing range of hard-switching UF3C FAST series of 650V SiC FETs. The new products offer RDS(on) values of 30mohms (UF3C065030T3S) (https://unitedsic.com/datasheets/DS_UF3C065030T3S.pdf) and 80mohms (UF3C065080T3S) (https://unitedsic.com/datasheets/DS_UF3C065080T3S.pdf). The three-leaded, industry-standard
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Date:
07/24/2019
A new Concept for Self-Assembling Micromachines

Wheel mounting in seconds: as soon as a non-uniform electric field is switched on, the chassis of a microvehicle pulls its own wheels into wheel pockets. After just over a second, all the wheels are in place.

In the future, designers of micromachines can utilize a new effect. A team led by researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart have presented a concept that enables the components of microvehicles, microrotors and micropumps to assemble themselves in an electric field. The new co
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Date:
07/24/2019
Sintering Materials – Know the Differences

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Figure 1 – Illustration of Particle Size on Sintering Temperature and Density

Silver sintering is a proven technology that overcomes many of the thermal dissipation, power cycling and high temperature stability challenges associated with power module interconnects (die attach solder, wire-bonds and heat sink attach).  This has become critically important as the automotive industry em
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Date:
07/23/2019
Most of the growth in the rechargeable battery industry is expected to be from their increased use in high voltage energy systems for electric vehicles (EV) as well as in marine and home storage applications. These systems will typically employ series-connected battery packs made up of lithium-ion or nickel me
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Date:
07/23/2019
Three Quick Buck EMI Checks

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Figure 1: Simplified buck schematic (left) and waveforms (right)

Electromagnetic interference (EMI) presents constant challenges in automotive power end equipment. With the rise of mild hybrid electric vehicle (MHEV) solutions, EMI becomes even more challenging, as the battery voltage shifts from 12 V to 48 V in many electronic circuits in the system. Most engineers designing
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Date:
07/23/2019
Trends and Challenges for Electric and Hybrid Vehicles
It’s gonna be a scorcher, folks. Not the summer, though record-breaking heat is roasting the nation. I’m talking about the July/August issue, which covers one of the industry’s hottest topics, "Electric + Hybrid Vehicles." Rest assured, you’ll enjoy this heat wave. The automotive space is a broad um
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Date:
07/23/2019
Electric Scooters Taking Off and Being Left Behind in France
Welcome to the combined July/August issue of PSD. I hope you all have a relaxing break planned for over the summer to set you up for the second half of the year. I’ve been too busy myself to even stop and think about getting away. I did manage a couple of days away in Lyon after a meeting in Grenoble during the
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Date:
07/23/2019
DC-DC Conversion for 48 V – 12 V Automotive Applications

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Figure 1: Example comparison of AEC qualified Si MOSFET and eGaN FET

Recent evolution in automotive powertrain technology has motivated the use of a dual 48 V and 12 V bus in mild hybrid vehicles, which can provide an 8 − 15% fuel consumption reduction. The 48 V Li-ion battery bus furthermore supports higher power loads such as air conditioning, faster heating of the cabin, an
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Date:
07/22/2019
Optimal Motor Control with Intelligent One-Chip Solution

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Figure 1: Basic structure of an embedded drive

It is hard to imagine a world without today’s modern networking and communications. Electronics either enables or powers just about everything in today’s digital world, including automobiles. The automotive electronics market will grow to reach over USD 350 billion by 2024 for passenger cars. Today, most ne
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Date:
07/22/2019
Powering the Future of Electric Vehicles

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Figure 1. SiC Schottky diodes and MOSFETs, like these pictured from Littelfuse, lower power switching losses compared to Si devices.

Electric vehicles are poised for meteoric growth, rising from an estimated 6 million vehicles in 2019 to 16 million vehicles in 2023. New technologies are enabling this dramatic change, including more efficient power conversion and higher power density. New circuit protection strategies are also required to pr
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Date:
07/22/2019
Improving EV Safety and Reliability with Galvanic Isolation

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Figure 1. EV/HEV Major Electrical Assembly Locations

Electric and hybrid vehicles promise greater efficiency, reduced emissions, and eventual price and performance parity with gas-powered vehicles. To be competitive with existing vehicles, the batteries used in EV/HEVs must possess very high energy storage density, near zero self-leakage current, and the ability to
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Date:
07/22/2019
Will Tesla Lead the Growing EV Market by 2025?
The report firm Statistica estimates that 14% of the vehicles on the road will be electric by 2025, and Tesla leads the way. Whatever you might think of Elon Musk, I believe if it were not for him, the traditional automakers would still be telling us that, “we are researching the market and studying the technical ch
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Date:
07/22/2019
SiC Revolutionizes the Powertrain

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Figure 1 – Main components of an electric powertrain

As the automotive industry moves towards zero-emissions transportation, auto manufacturers are swiftly ramping up their electrification programmes. Most OEMs plan to be ready to supply large volumes of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) as well as hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) worldwide by 2025. To meet buye
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Date:
07/22/2019
Transient Voltage Suppression in Automotive Applications

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Figure 1: A TVS is designed to operate differently to a Zener diode, and for a shorter period

Anyone who has worked with integrated electronic devices in a design, production or repair environment will be familiar with the anti-static or electrostatic discharge (ESD) wrist strap, and knows their purpose is to protect ICs before they are inserted into or onto a PCB. Manufacturers fully understand the da
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Date:
07/22/2019
Automotive-Grade IHLP Inductors for Under the Hood Apps
MALVERN, Pa. — Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. introduced its smallest Automotive Grade IHLP low profile, high current inductors to date. Offered in the 3.3 mm by 3.3 mm 1212 case size to save space in next-generation ADAS and sensor applications, the Vishay Dale IHLP-1212AZ-A1 and IHLP-1212AB-A1 combine operating temperature
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Date:
07/22/2019
AVX Fuels Vehicle Prototyping through Deep Orange
FOUNTAIN INN, S.C. – AVX Corporation will fuel the next chapter of Clemson University's flagship vehicle prototype program Deep Orange with new equipment and lab space at the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR). The 9,000-square foot lab – named the AVX Mobility S
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Date:
07/12/2019
PSDcast - Qualifying SiC Devices to Stringent Standards

Avi Kashyap with Microchip.

In this episode of the PSDcast, we're talking to Avi Kashyap with Microchip about one of the biggest challenges for silicon carbide vendors - qualifying their SiC devices to stringent industrial, automotive, and harsh environment standards, one example being AEC- Q101, a stress test qualification for automotive-grade dis
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Date:
07/11/2019
Are you SiC of Silicon? – Part 4

Anup Bhalla, Vice President Engineering, UnitedSiC

How to Build Better EV Traction Inverters with SiC In this article, we examine the benefits of applying SiC technology to EV traction inverters. We show how the efficiency of the inverter is boosted under all loading conditions, from light to full load. Using higher operating voltages with efficient 1200V SiC
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Date:
07/08/2019
Building Trust in Artificial Intelligence
From telecommunications to road traffic, from healthcare to the workplace - digital technology is now an intrinsic part of almost every area of life. Yet how can we ensure that developments in this field, especially those that rely on artificial intelligence (AI), meet all our ethical, legal and technological co
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Date:
07/02/2019
Expanded Oscilloscopes Series Includes 13 and 16 GHz Models
BEAVERTON, Ore.-- Tektronix, Inc., announced the expansion of its scalable DPO70000SX Series Performance Oscilloscope to include new 13 GHz and 16 GHz models. The new offerings allow engineers to take advantage of the high sample rate and low noise floor of Tektronix’ highest performance family of oscillosc
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Date:
07/02/2019
PSDcast -Adopting the 48 V Battery

Vicor’s Paul Yeaman

In this episode of the PSDcast, we're chatting with Vicor about vehicle electrical requirements. The modern automobile - especially EVs and hybrids - has fostered the adoption of the 48 V battery ...
Date:
07/02/2019
Connectors Increase Current Ratings to 13A
MIDDLETOWN, Pa. – TE Connectivity (TE) introduced an extension of its VAL-U-LOK connector product line that increases the maximum current rating from 9A to 13A in the broadly accepted 4.2mm centerline spacing connector system. TE’s new 13A VAL-U-LOK connectors support high current requirements for wire
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Date:
07/01/2019
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