Traction inverters are the main consumer of battery power in electric vehicles (EVs), with power levels reaching 150 kW or higher. The efficiency and performance of traction inverters directly impact an EV’s driving range on a single charge. Therefore, to build the next generation of these systems, the industry has widely adopted silicon carbide (SiC) field-effect transistors…
Think of a passenger car as a collection of electronic control units (ECUs) that are distributed across the length and breadth of the car and that talk to each other using different networks. When adding more advanced automotive electronics for vehicle-to-everything (V2X), automated driving and vehicle electrification, the number of ECUs increases and the amount of data exchanged grows.
The domain architecture explained…
Co-authored by Kevin Stauder.
With the continued worldwide growth of hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and electric vehicles (EVs), now more than ever, automotive developers are innovating to stay ahead of the game. While differentiating HEV/EV powertrain systems has traditionally been a key focus area, market leaders now cannot afford to neglect differentiating their HEV…
Previously published on Electronic Products. Co-authored by Kishore Ramaiah.
When shopping for new cars, safety-minded consumers can review New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) ratings to see how cars compare NCAP ratings vary by region, but Euro NCAP has been driving the initiative for child presence detection inside cars as part of its roadmap.
Going into 2025 and beyond, only direct…
As electric vehicles (EVs) become more popular, the challenge for automakers is to reflect true range while making the vehicle more affordable. This translates into making the battery packs lower cost with higher energy densities. Every single watt-hour stored and retrieved from the cells is critical to extend the driving range.
The main function of a battery…
This article originally published in Electronic Products.
Electric-vehicle designers can increase the safety and reliability of traction inverter systems by monitoring the gate voltage threshold.
When a consumer purchases a vehicle, they assume that the design engineers did their due diligence to create a safe product. In order to achieve a necessary level of safety, especially in regard to International Organization…
As the demand for smart, automated and eco-friendly end-equipment continues to grow, industrial and automotive technologies are becoming increasingly electrified. With this trend also comes an increased emphasis on ensuring electronic systems not only meet standards of EV performance but safety standards as well. In the automotive space specifically,…
With increasing competition between electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers to develop models with lower cost and longer drive range, power system engineers are under pressure to reduce power losses and improve traction inverter system efficiency, which can improve driving ranges and provide a competitive advantage. Efficiency relates to lower power losses,…
As electric vehicles (EVs) become more popular, the challenge for car manufacturers is to remove drivers’ “mileage anxiety” while making the car more affordable. This translates into making the battery packs lower cost with higher energy densities. Every single watt-hour stored and retrieved from the cells is critical to extend the driving range.
Having accurate measurements of voltage, temperature and…
Unless you ride in a spacecraft, automotive power seats are probably the most complex chair in which you will ever sit. More adjustable than airplane seats – and much more comfortable than a dentist’s chair – automotive power seats provide a luxurious level of comfort, convenience and safety.
Whether you are moving the seat up and down, forward or…
Technology companies are looking to expand into more intelligent and advanced sensing in vehicle interiors. Consumers want to see applications such as child presence detection, occupant detection, vital-sign monitoring and gesture recognition. The in-cabin space currently has various camera-based and time-of-flight solutions; however, most of these are limited to only one application…
As automobile gas mileage standards continue to increase (according to the Environmental Protection Agency, up to 40 miles per gallon by 2026), the challenge for automotive audio designers is how to provide an immersive audio experience while simultaneously reducing vehicle weight and improving overall efficiency.
If you design automotive external amplifiers, you can refresh your…
If your first car was anything like mine, it probably lacked sensor modules such as cameras, radar and lidar, which make the safety features of modern advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) like blind-spot detection, park assistance and collision avoidance possible. Because the data collected by these sensor modules directly correlates with passenger safety, it’s important that they work properly over time. Unfortunately…
The Euro New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) recently updated their standards for radar to improve driver assistance features in new cars.
NCAP standards vary by region; in the U.S., our NCAP is governed by the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration a.k.a. NHTSA and the Global NCAP is a centralized organization. However, all organizations have the same goal: to set standards…
As automotive original equipment manufacturers develop vehicles with increasing autonomy, automating the act of parking continues to evolve. These parking systems include park assistance (where a driver’s participation is still necessary) and automated parking (where hands-free operation is possible).
Today’s automotive parking systems use ultrasonic and camera sensors.…
Ground projection around vehicles has made great strides in recent years with the addition of logo projectors. Auto makers have used logo projection to enable vehicle owners to customize their car while still providing some functionality by lighting the ground around the doors. However, these systems are currently only able to display a single pattern and do not support any features…
On our way to zero-emission transportation, hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) present a natural transition from internal combustion engines (ICE) to battery electric vehicle (BEV). This transition period will take years, and brings in several types of hybrid vehicles depending on the level of electrification. On one end, we have mild hybrid vehicles with typically…
With a swipe of the hand, gesture detection gives drivers a new way to control in-cabin climates, lighting, windows, infotainment systems and more. There are currently several options for adjusting various comfort and convenience functions in the cabin. However, manipulating the buttons, knobs and especially touchscreens requires drivers to divert their eyes.
Today, many automotive…
Automotive emissions standards are becoming more stringent every year, making it challenging for internal combustion engine (ICE) car manufacturers to keep up. One of their efforts to reduce emissions involves electrifying the drivetrain, either partially or fully, to improve the effective efficiency of the engine, partially disable the engine or eliminate the engine completely (see Figure 1).
Of course, this electrification…
When you can create automotive applications that do more with fewer parts, you’ll reduce both weight and cost and improve reliability. That’s the idea behind integrating electric vehicle (EV) and hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) designs.
What is powertrain integration?
Powertrain integration combines end equipment such as the onboard charger (OBC), high-voltage…
*Please note this article originally published in EDN.
Millimeter-wave (mmWave) radar is one of the primary sensing modalities for automotive and industrial applications because of its ability to detect objects from few centimeters to several hundred meters with high distance, angle and velocity accuracy, even in challenging environmental conditions.
A typical radar sensor consists…
Jürgen Belz, senior consultant, functional safety and cybersecurity at Prometo, co-authored this technical article.
The migration from internal combustion engines (ICEs) to electric vehicles (EVs) requires at least five new electrical/electronic/programmable electronic (E/E/PE) systems. Figure 1 depicts these systems within an EV.
Figure 1: Block diagram of a typical EV powertrain
In order to zero out tailpipe emissions…
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