Automotive & Transportation

July 2021
Climate-Neutral Fuel Cell Test with Regenerative Loads

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Figure 1 here

Figure 1. E-Mobility: Sustainable battery recycling with EA Elektro-Automatik

Fuel cells have found applications in material handling vehicles, delivery vehicles, long-haul trucks, and use as backup power systems. Government initiatives, economic incentives, and new applications are resulting in a market growth rate exceeding 30%. An individual fuel cell generates under 2V of output
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Date:
07/31/2021
Mahr Introduces New MarSurf WI White Light Interferometer
Mahr Inc., introduced its new MarSurf WI, a white light interferometer, developed in cooperation with NanoFocus, that enables high-resolution 3D measurement and maximum ease of use. The new system features evaluation technology based on artificial intelligence (AI), which allows the highest accuracy to
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Date:
07/29/2021
University of Sheffield Wins Formula Student Competition
A team of engineering students from University of Sheffield won the Formula Student 2021 racing car competition, beating off fierce competition from over 30 teams at event held at Silverstone Race Circuit at the weekend. The competition, which is organised by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, returned
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Date:
07/28/2021
Rugged Silicon Carbide Power Solutions Available at 1700V
Today’s energy-efficient electric charging systems powering commercial vehicle propulsion, as well as auxiliary power systems, solar inverters, solid-state transformers and other transportation and industrial applications all rely on high-voltage switching power devices. To meet these requirements, Microchip Te
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Date:
07/27/2021
New motor control software boosts BridgeSwitch ICs
Electric motors are responsible for using a huge portion of the electricity we generate. Some estimates put that figure almost half of global energy consumption. As such, it makes sense to have the motors driven as efficiently as possible, for the user to save costs, for the supplier who won’t face so large deman
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Date:
07/23/2021
Low-Inductance Power Inductors for Automotive Power Circuits
TDK Corporation developed new HPL505032F1 power inductors for use in automotive circuits. The inductors enable level 5 ADAS applications for cameras by offering high-current and low-inductance for power circuits in central processing units and graphic processing units, such as advanced driver-assistance systems (A
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Date:
07/20/2021
Fast Recovery Epitaxial Diodes Set Bar for Price, Performance
Taiwan Semiconductor announces the availability of the PU1xMx / PU2xMx families of fast recovery epitaxial diodes. These high-reliability (AEC-Q101 qualified) FREDs offer optimized switching speed vs. reverse recovery time. Their soft reverse recovery results in lower noise switchin
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Date:
07/20/2021
THB-Rated DC Link Capacitors Offer 50% Greater Life
Green energy and electric transportation systems have pushed explosive growth in inverter markets. Many of these applications present harsh operating environments for power electronics circuitry. Often, these applications demand a high percentage of uptime, increasing the need for highly reliable components. In
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Date:
07/19/2021
1500V Power Module Doubles Up for Both Solar and Storage Use
This is partly due to packaging requirements and partly due to the bespoke requirements for individual use cases. This drives up the cost of components for high-power applications as there is very little economy of scale. Infineon has tried to buck this trend somewhat with its new EasyPACK CoolSiC MOSFET module that
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Date:
07/16/2021
C&K Launches SAMXD Navigation Switch
C&K has developed a new navigation switch, the SAMXD (Seat Adjustment Module Dustproof). Ideal for automotive applications, the SAMXD has a multiple options for actuator position and shape. The SAMXD navigation switches are directly driving the electric motors, removing the need for relays, allowing fo
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Date:
07/15/2021
C&K's Mini Snap Acting Switch Reduces Required Component Count
C&K has developed a low to high power snap acting switch designed for automotive handles, HVAC, IoT and the medical market. The ZMV allows for actuation to occur from different angles onto the pin plunger version. This allows for less components to be used in an end product, while not sa
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Date:
07/15/2021
Reference Design Accelerates Development of Qi Transmitter
The Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) has recently released the Qi 1.3 specification that requires authentication for improved safety when transmitting up to 15W of power between a transmitter and a receiver. To meet the requirements of the specification, Microchip Technology Inc. announced a ne
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Date:
07/14/2021
Renesas Solution For Automotive Cameras Enables HD Video
Renesas Electronics Corporation introduced its new Automotive HD Link (AHL) technology that enables automotive manufacturers to deliver high-definition video over low-cost cables and connectors that currently support standard-definition video. HD video is increasingly important in car safety systems for object re
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Date:
07/14/2021
Power Disconnect Solution for Faster and Safer DC Fast Charging
Sensata Technologies announced its new power disconnect solution has been chosen by several leading charging infrastructure OEMs to enable faster and safer DC fast charging. Sensata’s unique solution combines contactors and GigaFuses from its leading Gigavac product brand to provide customers with a value-added co
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Date:
07/14/2021
Auto Backlight Driver Sustains Brightness of In-Car Displays
Maxim Integrated Products, Inc. introduces the four-channel, low-voltage MAX25512 automotive LED backlight driver with integrated boost converter. It is the only integrated solution that retains full, constant brightness of in-car displays even during extreme cold crank conditions down to 3V input vo
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Date:
07/07/2021
Würth Expands Popular Transformer Series
This series of parts can be used in a host of push-pull and pulse transformer applications, and is found on dozens of reference designs.   The four parts added to the MID-PPTI series include 750317828, 750317829, 750317830, and 750317331; all which are AEC-Q200 qualified, and include and isolation vol
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Date:
07/01/2021
Fully Integrated Doherty Power Amplifier Devices
Supplied in 50Ohm in/out packages with compact dimensions (measuring 7mm x 7mm), the company’s LGA series power amplifiers are capable of achieving industry-leading performance parameters. The high-gain devices in this series cover frequencies all the way from 700MHz through to 4.1GHz. Each features a 3-stage
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Date:
07/01/2021
ROHM’s New 80V Withstand 5A Output Power Supply ICs
Recent years have seen evolving markets of battery-driven applications and advanced industrial equipment such as 5G base stations and factory automation systems equipped with new functions utilizing IoT. This demands power supply ICs that are not only compact and operate at high efficiency, but also deliver lar
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Date:
07/01/2021
TRENCHSTOP 5 WR6 family in TO-247-3-HCC housing
The family comes in a TO-247-3-HCC package and offers a broad portfolio comprising 20 A, 30 A, 40 A, 50 A, 60 A and 70 A current ratings. The devices can easily be used for replacing previous technologies like Infineon’s TRENCHSTOP 5 WR5 and HighSpeed 3 H3 as well as competitor technologies. The family is optimi
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Date:
07/01/2021
Active Rectifier Controller w/ Ultrafast Transient Response

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Figure 1. Rectification of input ripple

Automotive standards, such as ISO 16750 or LV124, specify that automotive electronic control units (ECUs) may face a supply with a superimposed ac ripple of up to 6 V p-p at up to 30 kHz. Devices such as the LT8672’s gate driver, which controls th
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Date:
07/01/2021
Global Semiconductor Shortage Underlines U.S. Domestic Manufacturing Woes
The recent process of buying a new car was a gloomy reminder of the semiconductor shortage, with lots so empty they could host Sunday Night Football. It’s a problem that could linger for awhile – or at least until we establish a domestic chip manufacturing base. A June White House report laid out our domestic woes, and coming on the heels of a global pandemic that produced h
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Date:
07/01/2021
Increasing Energy Storage: We Can’t Take Short Cuts
The need for energy storage is growing tremendously, and battery applications are everywhere – from cell phones to handheld power tools, to electric vehicles using grids tied to alternative energy. Meanwhile, the boundaries between storage cells and supercapacitors are getting blurred. Supercapacitors are ta
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Date:
07/01/2021
Low Voltage Battery Monitor Floats into High Voltage EVs

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Figure 1. Distributed EV BMS monitoring topology using LTC6811-1s and an LTC2949

For much of the automobile’s history, innovation has focused on improving the fuel burning efficiency of the ICE to clean up emissions. However, the vast majority of recent innovations in ICE automobiles are a direct result of advancements in electronics—improvements in chassis systems, power trains, autonomous an
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Date:
07/01/2021
It's All Downhill From Here

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Compared to fossil-based fuel, electricity is clean, easily stored, and much more renewable. It is also easier to make if you have the right equipment. As it turns out, electric motors also make great generators, so why not use the momentum of your vehicle to top up your battery? That’s exactly what regenerative br
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Date:
07/01/2021
New Wide Band-gap Semiconductor Technology Increases Power Conversion Efficiency

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Figure 1: Typical EV power conversion elements

Ask any power electronics designer what they strive for and top of the list is normally conversion efficiency. It’s not just for energy savings but also the knock-on benefits of smaller, lighter and cheaper products, with options opening up for better reliability and more functionality in space that’s freed-up. So
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Date:
07/01/2021
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