Cleantech company Hillcrest Energy Technologies ,which develops transformative power conversion technologies and control system solutions for next-generation electrical systems, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Hercules Electric Mobility, a company aiming to bring customizable electric mobility products to market.
Under the MoU, the pair will work collaboratively to build, test and potentially commercialize a system that will use Hillcrest’s own 250kW, 800V inverter, optimized for a Hercules electric powertrain.
A series of configurations using Hillcrest’s inverter in the Hercules electric propulsion system will be tested, with the aim of demonstrating a powertrain containing an optimized Hillcrest inverter. Set to begin in October 2022, the project will run until March 2023.
Hillcrest’s inverter has been developed to be a lighter, more compact and powerful alternative to conventional inverters and is built on the company’s own control software. The software and hardware work in tandem to overcome challenges surrounding current wide bandgap devices.
The company’s inverter has proved in product-development testing that it is capable of reducing losses, while delivering increased levels of efficiency and performance for electric drive systems.
“With a shared modular design philosophy, our companies have a lot of synergies,” said Don Currie, CEO, Hillcrest. “This approach allows us both to adapt to customer needs, integrate the latest technologies into our products, and improve speed to market. The Hercules team brings an impressive depth of experience and we’re proud to join forces with them on our first development MoU.”
“We started Hercules with a vision toward customizable electric mobility products, combining high performance and efficiency. This is a vision shared by our colleagues at Hillcrest,” said James Breyer, CEO, Hercules. “We look forward to evaluating the efficiency and performance gains we expect to see in combining Hillcrest’s next-gen inverter technology with our Powered by Hercules technology platform.”