Technical approaches towards ultra-high power density SiC inverter in electric vehicle applications

Abstract

Along with the rapid growth in electric vehicle (EV) market, higher power density and more efficient motor drive inverters are required. It is well known that silicon carbide (SiC) has advantages of high temperature, high efficiency and high switching frequency. It is believed that the appropriate utilization of these merits can pave the way to ultra-high power density inverters. This paper presents issues about SiC chip’s current-carrying capability enhancement which is crucial for a compact inverter of tens and hundreds of kilowatts. Technical approaches towards ultra-high power density EV inverter including SiC module packaging, dc-link capacitor function analysis and system level integration are discussed. Different PWM algorithms which may improve efficiency and help to reduce the inverter volume are also studied.

Keywords

• dc-link capacitor
• electrical motor
• electric vehicle
• inverter
• silicon carbide