Automotive supplier Marelli has developed a new platform of 800V inverters. Equipped with silicon carbide (SiC) technology, the platform promises improvements in inverter size, weight and efficiency thanks to the material’s optimal performance at high temperature and high voltage.
The 800V inverter platform, which is the result of 10 years’ experience, also features an optimized thermal structure, deploying innovative structural and cooling channel designs that drastically reduce the thermal resistance between the SiC components and the cooling liquid.
This allows the inverter platform to extract more energy from the battery at higher efficiency and secure a significant increase in the driving range. It also ensures faster charging times and improved acceleration.
“The new platform based on our 800V SiC power module technology allows to serve applications where energy use is optimized, the performance is maximized and efficiency is dramatically improved,” said Dr Razvan Panati, head of power electronics technology in Marelli’s vehicle electrification division. “With a complete range of modular solutions, we are able to offer our customers more flexibility in terms of packaging, cooling system design and energy storage.”
Marelli’s inverter software is developed in-house by the company and is hosted by an electric control unit in the same inverter case. The software is compliant with Automotive Open System Architecture standards and is specifically customized for the diagnostic standards required by car makers. Functional safety requirements are compliant with ASIL D (Automotive Safety Integrity Level D) standard.