Ampere has unveiled a new strategy to integrate and optimize the power electronics at the heart of electric vehicles to improve performance, reduce costs and stabilize supply chains.
Power electronics: optimize the energy of electric vehicles – Ampere.cars
🟦 Renault unveils its Power Electronics Strategy
Ampere features a next-generation EV design that integrates power conversion components such as chargers and DC-DC converters. As a result, the number of parts has been reduced, while the vehicle size has been reduced and the cruising range has been extended. In addition, it is now possible to provide new power supply services that support V2G (Vehicle to Grid).
For example, the company has partnered with STMicroelectronics to introduce high-efficiency silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductors. This allows the 800V architecture to quickly charge the battery from 10% to 80% in less than 15 minutes while reducing power loss. In addition, E2CAD supports the design of electronic boards, providing strong support for cost reduction through system integration.
🟦 Background to Cost Competitiveness and Supply Chain Stabilization
Why are we focusing so much on power electronics? This is due to intensifying price competition due to the spread of EVs and supply chain vulnerabilities, including geopolitical risks. Unlike gasoline-powered vehicles, EVs are directly affected by the efficiency of electric power management, cruising range, charging speed, and safety.
In addition, next-generation materials such as SiC semiconductors have significantly lower power losses and lower thermal management loads compared to conventional silicon. This also allows the vehicle’s cooling system to be downsized, leading to overall cost savings. Semiconductor manufacturing itself consumes a lot of water and energy, but it also has the advantage of reducing environmental impact in the long term by increasing efficiency at the operational stage.
🟦 Summary
Ampere has unveiled a strategy to integrate and optimize the power electronics technologies at the core of electric vehicles to simultaneously address the challenges of improving performance, reducing costs, and stabilizing supply chains.
In the alliance with Qualcomm, ADAS and digital cockpits tended to attract attention, but I feel that it is a very logical development to step into the efficiency of the power electronics, which are the core of EVs, as is typical of Ampere, which is a subsidiary of Renault.
