Delphi Technologies secures its second-largest power electronics business deal

[TruckElectric]

As per the release, this inverter enables electrical systems up to 800 volts, extending electric vehicle range and halving charging times when compared with today’s 400-volt systems.


The deal is with a premium European OEM to supply 800-volt inverters for its next-generation battery electric vehicles (BEVs).

New Delhi: Delphi TechnologiesPLC, a global provider of automotive propulsion systems, on Friday announced its latest deal with a premium European OEM to supply 800-volt invertersfor its next generation of batteryelectric vehicles (BEVs).

The company said that the deal is its second-largest power electronics award and strategically positions Delphi Technologies as a leading supplier of inverters and related technologies for future BEVs globally.

This announcement follows on the heels of recent business wins in China for power electronics. Combined with its 800-volt win secured in 2019, its largest business award, the company is now positioned to be the major inverter supplier to three of the top four global premium OEMs in the world, the company statement said.

“We take great pride in knowing we have earned the respect of our customers to trust us with major shares of their most important e-drivelines,” Rick Dauch, CEO, Delphi Technologies, said.

“To be an industry leader in the highly competitive electrification market is reflective of the pioneering technologies and remarkable engineering talent within our organisation. Our recent investments in electrification are starting to pay off,” he said.

This latest award is expected to launch in 2024 across the customers’ BEVs and will also be the first introduction of Delphi Technologies’ sixth generation proprietary Viper power switch.

Kevin Quinlan, senior vice president and general manager- Electrification and Electronics, Delphi Technologies, said, “We believe that securing this premium platform inverter business will allow us to capture additional volume on larger vehicle platforms to be sourced in 2021.”

As per the release, this inverter enables electrical systems up to 800 volts, extending electric vehicle range and halving charging times when compared with today’s 400-volt systems. Delphi Technologies has designed its inverter technology to simplify vehicle manufacturers’ multi-voltage strategies as they extend their electric and hybrid vehicle ranges.

Source: Auto Economics Times

 

[Crissa]

For anyone who's wondering, the inverter is what converts battery power to pulses to drive the motor. It's part of the motor controller.

It's not enough to just have a DC motor, since we want to drive at different speeds ^-^

-Crissa

 

[Luke42]

It's not enough to just have a DC motor, since we want to drive at different speeds ^-^

DC motor speed can be controlled through pulse width modulation. It works well enough for a lot of EVs.

With a variable frequency AC motor control, though, the electrical physics allows you to control both torque and speed with some degree of precision, even with an open loop control system.

I can provide a youtube video from an industrial AC motor control company which explains how it all works.

DC PWM systems (like the Zila controller and most golf carts) work well enough, and are easy to engineer -- so they're often the choice for hobbyists. But, I've been digging in to this for an "off road application" hobby-project, and it's clear why so many fully-engineered projects use variable frequency AC motors: they offer better control!

 

[Crissa]

Pulse Width Modulation is just turning it on an off really fast, and that gets bad in any long-term or high-power use. It's also energy inefficient.

It's great with low-power solid-state applications, tho.

-Criss

 

[Luke42]

Pulse Width Modulation is just turning it on an off really fast, and that gets bad in any long-term or high-power use. It's also energy inefficient.

PWM's fast switching can also create radio frequency interference.

PWM is the default motor control strategy, especially for battery powered machines -- unless you really need torque control. Hybrids and highwayworthy EVs really need torque control.

But, AC variable frequency drives (VFDs) are more expensive, and it's harder to find the right motor & controller to fit your application if you're using COTS parts. My best foray into paper-designs with these things has involved repurposing motors and controls from an industrial chillers -- and I really hope to build this design in the next year or two. The problem of finding the right motor/controller goes away if you're Tesla or GM, because you can get things manufactured to your specifications.

Most of my garage-hacking paper-designs fit within the constraints of PWM really well. For instance, converting my 7hp chipper-shredder from gasoline to electric will work just fine with a 48V battery, a PWM controller, and a golf cart motor. The difficult part of this conversion comes in with the mechanical parts.

A VFD only becomes the clear winner when you really need torque/traction control and have a truly high voltage battery.

That said, pretty much every EV and hybrid where I've looked under the hood appears to use an AC VFD (you can make an educated guess by looking for 3 equally-sized HV wires going to the motor). AC VFDs seem to be the way to go for a mass-market EV or hybrid.

You're right that AC VFDs are very good at what they do, but they come with some tradeoffs. PWMs are more widely useful than you suggested. As an engineering pedant, I feel duty-bound to point this out...

 

[Luke42]

Some readers of this forum may not know that you can make an educated guess about the AC VFDs at a glance. For instance, here's the GMT900's 2-mode hybrid inverter box:
http://www.trucktrend.com/truck-reviews/163-0712-2008-chevrolet-tahoe-hybrid-2-mode#photo-04

You can see the double 3-phase inverter wiring going off to each side of the power-split device (eCVT) on the right side of the hybrid inverter box.

You can also see the HVDC wiring coming in to the front of the inverter box.

Here's a video showing a little more:

I apologize in advance for the speaker's mouth full of chaw, but he does provide a good mechanic's view of the electrical heart of GM 2-mode hybrid system and describes the functions of the wires.

When the wires look like that group of 3, it's usually an 3-phase AC VFD under the hood.