Notable & Newsworthy

July 2023
The Evolution of Low Voltage Power Distribution in Automotive Electronics – From ICE to MHEV to BEV

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Figure 1: A typical dual-bus electrical system in a mild hybrid has the addition of a bi-directional DC-DC converter to allow power to flow between the two voltages when needed

Automotive electronics have gone through several eras of evolution in the past 30 years.  The first stage was with pure internal combustion engines (ICE) that had mostly mechanical, or engine-driven systems such as power steering and air conditioning.  The second stage – mild hybrid (MHEV) – was wi
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Date:
07/28/2023
PSDcast – The First Fully-Electric City

Bill Klehm, Chairman and CEO of eBliss

Ithaca, NY wants to become the first fully-electric city, and the obvious question is “is something like that even possible?” On the line to discuss that is Bill Klehm, Chairman and CEO of eBliss.
Date:
07/19/2023
PSDcast – Energy Storage at the Beverly Hilton and the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills

Yaron Ben Nun, Nostromo founder and CTO

The Beverly Hilton and the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills, together with Nostromo Energy, announced the launch of Nostromo’s sustainable energy storage system serving the two adjacent hotels. Yaron Ben Nun, Nostromo founder and CTO, is here to discuss it.
Date:
07/05/2023
20 VIN, 8 A, High Efficiency, Tiny Package Step-Down µModule Device

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Figure 1. LTM4657, LTM4626, and LTM4638 offer different output current ratings using the same pinout. The LTM4657 and LTM4626 use lower profile inductors to reduce the overall height

The LTM4657 is part of the family of tiny, high efficiency, identical pin-out, step-down µModule® devices. The LTM4657 is designed to operate at lower switching frequencies than the LTM4626 and LTM4638 as it provides higher efficiency within its 8A output current range. The LTM4657 bridges the gap between th
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Date:
07/01/2023
UK Finally Gets a Semiconductor Strategy

Ally Winning, European Editor, PSD

The UK government has finally released its semiconductor strategy for the country. After a long delay and criticism from a concerned parliamentary committee, the government announced a £1 billion investment in technology, including £200 million for the period up until 2025. The National Semiconductor Strategy la
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Date:
07/01/2023
Battery Swapping Desperately Tries to Stay Relevant

Jason Lomberg, North American Editor, PSD

Battery swapping is that curious legacy solution that just refuses to die. And now one of the leading players, Ample, has debuted a station promising “recharge” times of 5 minutes! We previously spoke about the battery swapping phenomenon and arguably its most high-profile failure. Startup Better Place rai
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Date:
07/01/2023
Batteries and Energy Storage Devices

Kevin Parmenter, Director, Applications Engineering. TSC, America

Less than 30 years ago, not much thought was given to battery technology. Today the electrification of transportation market, as well as R&D investment in related technology, is fueling the need for batteries. Plus, the high use of uninterruptable power supplies in healthcare, process control, mission-critical IT
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Date:
07/01/2023
A Guide to Battery Fast Charging

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Figure 1. The battery fuel gauge can be implemented on the host side or in the battery pack

In this era of mobile devices, battery life is one of the primary factors that affects the user experience. While implementing power saving technology inside devices is important, it is only one part of the solution. Given the increasing capabilities—and greater power requirements—of mobile devices, original eq
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Date:
07/01/2023
Fuel Cell Versus Battery Power for Trucks

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There are two main types of electric vehicle, categorised by their power source. Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) rely on a lithium-ion battery for power. Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs) on the other hand use a fuel cell, which combines hydrogen gas with oxygen to generate electricity. Hydrogen Power Hydroge
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Date:
07/01/2023
NYC's Burning Issue - Micro-Mobility Batteries

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Figure 1. ZapBatt battery lab testing

In 2022, NYC experienced 216 fires related to these batteries, resulting in six deaths and 147 injuries. This represents a significant uptick from 2021’s 104 fires, which resulted in four deaths and 79 injuries. In the first two months of 2023, there were already 2 deaths and 40 injuries from these battery fi
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Date:
07/01/2023
Putting Batteries in Parallel? Better Watch Out for These Failure Modes

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Figure 1: A typical Battery Management System for lithium ion batteries

As the demand for increased energy storage capacity grows, engineers are frequently challenged to place multiple batteries in parallel. Using multiple batteries can offer extended runtime, enhanced reliability, and the ability to carry energy to different locations that may not have charging capabilities. With th
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Date:
07/01/2023
Pulse Current Capability of SiC FETs Quantified

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Figure 1: Transient thermal impedance of Qorvo device UJ4SC07500L8S v. pulse width and duty cycle

The race to reduce power losses in semiconductor switches is being led by wide band-gap (WBG) devices and particularly SiC FETs, cascodes of a silicon carbide JFET and co-packaged silicon MOSFET. This arrangement produces a normally-off device with an easy gate drive and a trophy cabinet of ‘figures of merit’ th
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Date:
07/01/2023
Regulatory Energy Efficiency Testing: An Introduction

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The demand for sustainable and efficient products comes from multiple stakeholders, including retailers, consumers and investors. A heightened awareness among consumers that greener products help us live safer, more secure and more sustainable lifestyles puts pressure on brands, manufacturers and retailers to fo
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Date:
07/01/2023
Non-Isolated Current Sensing Solutions

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Figure 1. Non-isolated current measurement using discrete op-amps and specialized current sense amplifiers

Many electronic devices are required to measure current, either to support one of their features or as a means of regulation for safety and control.  In the former case, energy measurement tools and power management systems are common examples, while in the latter case, inverter feedback loops and over cu
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Date:
07/01/2023
Advanced Cell Interconnect Structure for Improving Battery Performance While Maximizing Cost Efficiency

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Figure 1: A battery pack assembly featuring Interplex Cell-PLX™ interconnect technology

The battery pack is the most vital element of any electric vehicle (EV). It is through this that the electricity needed by the drivetrain is supplied. The battery also represents the most expensive part of an EV - having a major influence on its overall bill-of-materials (BoM) costs. Ensuring that it delivers pr
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Date:
07/01/2023
Time to Recharge

Ally Winning, European Editor, PSD

Welcome to the July edition of Power Systems Design Europe. I’m not sure what the weather is like where you are, but as I write this, here in Scotland the sky is blue and the temperatures are in the mid 20s Celsius. When the weather is like this, there is no better place to be. July is the start of holiday se
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Date:
07/01/2023
Managing Batteries and Expectations

Jason Lomberg, North American Editor, PSD

We’ve now passed the official start of summer, and at the risk of sounding cliché, things are about to heat up with one of – if not the – hottest topics for our publication, batteries. Batteries are uniquely critical in that they’re vital to myriad portable devices and the electric vehicles in operat
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Date:
07/01/2023
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