Automotive & Transportation

March 2022
Module Lifetime Estimation Tool
Estimating the useable lifetime of electronic components has always been an important task for design engineers, especially for critical applications where the design might see service for several decades. Although manufacturers do specify a lifetime on datasheets, that is under ideal conditions at normal operati
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Date:
03/30/2022
Record Order From Maersk for Volvo Electric Trucks
Volvo Trucks in North America has won an order for 110 Volvo VNR Electric trucks from the global logistics company Maersk. The deal adds to a previous order of 16 vehicles of the same model and marks the single largest commercial order to date for Volvo’s electric trucks. The order was placed by Perfo
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Date:
03/29/2022
Re-Jigged Cathode Recipe Gives new Hope to Solid-State Batteries for Electric Vehicles

Researchers designed solid-state composite electrodes based on the liquid-phase sintering technique.

Solid-state batteries for electric vehicles, offering greater energy density and range than contemporary lithium-ion batteries, remain out of reach, not least due to challenges coming from the composition of the battery’s cathode. A new cathode composition and accompanying manufacturing technique looks set to
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Date:
03/28/2022
New variants for popular BMR491 quarter-brick DC/DC range
Power ratings now available are 1400 W continuous / 2400 W peak (BMR4912307/856), and 1540 W continuous / 2450 W peak (BMR4913208/857).   The new variants all feature the Flex Power Modules’ ‘Hybrid Regulated Ratio (HRR)’ technique where output voltages vary in a ratio to the input voltage but not
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Date:
03/28/2022
Electrothermal models cover MOSFET operating temperature range
Semiconductor manufacturers commonly provide simulation models for their MOSFETs, but these usually only include a limited number of device parameters which have been modelled at typical operating temperatures. Nexperia’s new advanced models capture the thermal interdependency of the complete set of device pa
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Date:
03/28/2022
 50W GaN converter enables high-efficiency power designs
With its single-switch topology and high integration, including current-sensing and protection circuitry also built-in, the VIPerGaN50 comes in a compact and low-cost 5mm x 6mm package. The speed of the integrated GaN transistor allows a high switching frequency with a small and lightweight flyback transformer
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Date:
03/28/2022
 60V, 70dB PSRR LDOs Deliver Industry-Leading Quiescent Current
The DIODES AP7387 devices are used in applications such as cordless vacuum cleaners, smoke detectors, power tools, and various other household appliances.   The devices have an input voltage range spanning from 5V to 60V, which gives them the flexibility to be connected to 5V, 9V, 12V, 24V, and 48V rai
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Date:
03/28/2022
First Multi-Port Production-Ready Fast Charger Reference Design
Silanna Semiconductor has announced its first multi-port fast charger reference design. Bringing together the company’s CO2 Smart Power families of advanced ACF controllers and high-frequency DC/DC converters, the new AnyPort RD-5 delivers a high-power-density, ultra-efficient, production-ready solution for mu
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Date:
03/28/2022
ROHM starts production of 150V GaN HEMTs
The components will ideally be applied in power supply circuits for industrial equipment such as base stations and data centers along with IoT communication devices.   In recent years – due to the rising demand for server systems in response to the growing number of IoT devices – improving powe
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Date:
03/28/2022
High-Efficiency Quasi-Resonant PFC IC with 750 V GaN Switch
Power Integrations announced the HiperPFS™-5 family of power-factor-correction (PFC) ICs with an integrated 750 V PowiGaN gallium-nitride switch. With efficiency of up to 98.3 percent, the new ICs deliver up to 240 W without a heat sink and can achieve a power factor of better than 0.98. HiperPFS-5 ICs are i
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Date:
03/28/2022
10W and 15W units added to low profile open frame power supplies
Benefiting from the latest power switching technologies, the LHA10F and LHA15F are 15% smaller and offer a leakage current 50% lower than conventional products on the market. Designed for use in a wide range of applications, the LHA10F and LHA15F are able to operate in a wide temperature range from -10 to +70 degr
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Date:
03/28/2022
Navitas Announces World’s First 20-Year Warranty for GaN ICs
Navitas Semiconductor has announced a breakthrough 20-year limited warranty for its GaNFast technology – 10x longer than typical silicon, SiC or discrete GaN power semiconductors – and a critical accelerator for GaN’s adoption in data center, solar and EV markets.   GaN is a next-generation semiconductor te
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Date:
03/28/2022
650 V MOSFETs in D²PAK for low losses and high reliability
The devices build on Infineon’s state-of-the-art SiC trench technology and come in a compact D 2PAK SMD 7-pin package with .XT interconnection technology. They target high power applications including servers, telecom, industrial SMPS, fast EV charging, motor drives, solar energy systems, energy storage, and batter
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Date:
03/28/2022
Infineon releases new EiceDRIVER 2EDN product family
Aiming at space-limited designs, the next-generation devices complement the existing 2EDN driver ICs by providing higher system-level efficiencies, excellent power density, and consistent system robustness with fewer external components. Building upon this expansion, the 2EDN family is now able to drive the power s
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Date:
03/28/2022
Infineon is launching EDT2 IGBTs in a TO247PLUS package
The devices are optimized for automotive discrete traction inverters and expand Infineon's portfolio of discrete high-voltage devices for automotive applications. Due to their high quality, the IGBTs meet and exceed the industry standard AECQ101 for automotive components. As a result, the devices can significantly increa
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Date:
03/28/2022
High-Voltage Cartridge Fuse Features AEC-Q200 Compliant Overcurrent Protection
Littelfuse, Inc. announced the new 828 Series High-Voltage Cartridge Fuses, designed and tested to meet the circuit protection needs of compact automotive electronics, specifically Electric Vehicle (EV) applications.  These robust fuses are Littelfuse internal AEC-Q200 compliant, providing a hi
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Date:
03/22/2022
 New Project Will Improve Chip Performance

University at Buffalo researchers from multiple departments will play a key role in the new $7.5 million project.

Semiconductors are vital in every area of our lives. Although in most cases, they perform as intended, often they can fail when least expected. Manufacturing them is also a very complex process with many stages that can provide lower yields than expected yields due to defects in the materials made to manufacture
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Date:
03/22/2022
Could we Make Cars out of Petroleum Residue?

Professor Jeffrey Grossman from MIT

As the world struggles to improve the efficiency of cars and other vehicles in order to curb greenhouse gas emissions and improve the range of electric vehicles, the search is on for ever-lighter materials that are strong enough to be used in the bodies of cars. Lightweight materials made from carbon fiber, si
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Date:
03/21/2022
Industry-Leading 3.3 kV SiC Power Devices Enabling New Levels of Efficiency and Reliability
System designers of traction power units (TPUs), auxiliary power units (APUs), solid-state transformers (SSTs), industrial motor drives and energy infrastructure solutions require high-voltage switching technology to increase efficiency, reduce system size and weight and enhance reliability. Microchip Technology In
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Date:
03/21/2022
Gate Driver ICs set a new Benchmark for Form-Factor
Infineon Technologies AG releases a new EiceDRIVER 2EDN product family. Aiming at space-limited designs, the next-generation devices complement the existing 2EDN driver ICs by providing higher system-level efficiencies, excellent power density, and consistent system robustness with fewer external components. Bu
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Date:
03/18/2022
PSDcast – Liability with Semi- and Fully-Autonomous Vehicles

Kevin Vincent, the Director of Coventry University’s Centre for Connected and Autonomous Automotive Research

Autonomous vehicles are continuing to progress, and as they do, some thorny issues are beginning to crop up – like liability…who pays the piper when a self-driving car causes an accident? The occupants or the manufacturer? Here to discuss these issues and several related ones is Kevin Vincent, the Director of
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Date:
03/16/2022
Next-Generation Networking Switches to Help Futureproof Industrial Automation
Moxa Inc., announced the launch of its next-generation industrial Ethernet switches, the EDS-4000/G4000 Series. The new Series includes 68 models that will help Moxa’s customers build futureproof industrial networks to strengthen operational resilience in industrial sectors such as power, transportation, marit
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Date:
03/16/2022
Silicon Carbide Makes for Smarter Semi Fab/Process Power Supplies

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Figure 1: Power supplies used in semiconductor fab equipment are essential for every task at the front and back end of the process, with power density and the ability to be as close to the tool as possible being especially critical in next-gen fabs

Semiconductor device fabrication processes have several distinct and intricate steps. Power supplies used in semiconductor fab equipment are essential for every task at the front and back end of the process. Due to its power density, reliability, and design flexibility, engineers are seeing the benefits of using
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Date:
03/15/2022
WPC Qi 1.3-Certified Reference Design for Automotive In-Cabin Wireless Charging
Renesas Electronics Corporation released a next-generation customer reference design for automotive wireless charging stations. The new P9261-3C-CRBv2 provides industry-leading features that enable automotive manufacturers to quickly and efficiently deliver premium performance and safety features for in-cabin wi
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Date:
03/15/2022
SiTime Transforms Precision Timing Market for Edge Networks
SiTime Corporation introduced the Elite X Super-TCXO for edge networks such as data centers, 5G front haul, connected cars and industrial IoT. In these applications, Elite X solves critical timing problems and enables delivery of new services.  To enable new time-sensitive services such as ADAS,
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Date:
03/15/2022
Active Front End Rectifier

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1: Introduction Battery chargers for electric vehicles require galvanic isolation between the grid connection and the batteries. Therefore, an EV charger almost always has two stages: a high power-quality rectifier that converts AC to DC, followed by a DC-DC converter utilizing a high-frequency transformer
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Date:
03/15/2022
Objects in Driverless Car Sensors may be Closer Than They Appear

Researchers have shown that a popular method to secure LiDAR sensors against "naive attacks" is still vulnerable at longer distances and only works at short distances. Here, a LiDAR system is fooled into thinking a car is somewhere else until it becomes too late to avoid a sudden and drastic course correction.

Researchers at Duke University have demonstrated the first attack strategy that can fool industry-standard autonomous vehicle sensors into believing nearby objects are closer (or further) than they appear without being detected. The research suggests that adding optical 3D capabilities or the ability to share
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Date:
03/14/2022
Offshore Charging Could Cut Marine Emissions
It is estimated that shipping carries over 90% of the world’s trade, and is currently responsible for around 3% of its carbon emissions along with the emission of other pollutants such as black carbon, nitrogen oxides and nitrous oxide. Because shipping is not part of many treaties agreed between countries an
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Date:
03/01/2022
The Super Bowl Underlines the Fact that EVs have Gone Mainstream
In case you missed it (and judging by its 112 million viewership total, few did), electric vehicles made a HUGE impact at Super Bowl – especially in the $6.5 million per 30-second commercial realm. I recently recapped the Top 5 EV ads from Super Bowl 2022 in our online blog section, and I’d rather avoid too much redundancy, but I’d
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Date:
03/01/2022
Device Packaging is the Key to Effective Thermal Management

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Figure 1: OBC design presents a number of challenges to power designers

Within the automotive industry, development and innovation continue at a rapid pace in almost all aspects of vehicle design, from the chassis to the powertrain, infotainment, connectivity, and automation. However, with the time taken to recharge electric vehicles (EVs) – especially in-journey – being cited
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Date:
03/01/2022
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