We will contribute to achieving greater cruising range and smaller systems in electric vehicles, both in Japan and in the rest of the world, starting in 2025
ROHM recently announced the adoption of its new 4th generation SiC MOSFETs and gate driver ICs in EV inverters from Hitachi Astemo, Ltd., a leading Japanese automotive parts manufacturer. sector.
Since the electrification of automobiles is advancing rapidly towards a decarbonized society, it is currently necessary to develop more efficient, compact and lightweight electric powertrain systems.
Especially in electric vehicles (EVs), the inverter, which plays a fundamental role in the drive system, needs to be more efficient to extend the cruising range and reduce the size of the on-board battery, raising expectations for SiC power devices.
As the world's first supplier to start mass production of SiC MOSFETs in 2010, ROHM continues to develop market-leading SiC power device technologies. Among them are ROHM's latest 4th generation SiC MOSFETs, which offer improved short-circuit withstand time along with the lowest on-resistance in the industry, allowing vehicles to be extended cruising range while reducing power consumption by 6% compared to IGBTs (as calculated using the WLTC Fuel Efficiency Test, as an international standard) when installed on the main inverter.
At the same time, Hitachi Astemo, which has been developing advanced technologies for vehicle motors and inverters for several years, already has a considerable track record in the increasingly popular EV market. However, this is the first time SiC devices have been adopted for the main inverter circuit to further improve the performance. Inverter supply to car manufacturers is scheduled to start from 2025, first in Japan and then worldwide.
In the future, as a leading provider of SiC power devices, ROHM will continue to strengthen its range and provide power solutions that contribute to technical innovation in vehicles by combining peripheral device technologies, such as control ICs, designed to maximize the performance.
