Boosting Efficiency and Power Density in E-Mobility: The »Dauerpower« Inverter Solution
At the “Dauerpower” project, an innovative inverter for electric vehicles was developed, enhancing efficiency and performance through improved cooling management and the use of silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductors. The goal was to boost drive system performance, extend component lifespan, and reduce production costs. The entire system, including both hardware and software, was developed from the ground up.
By using SiC transistors, which offer higher temperature tolerance and lower conduction resistance compared to conventional silicon transistors, switching losses were minimized and thermal load reduced. This results in lower cooling requirements. Furthermore, the semiconductor modules were embedded using a special PCB process, enabling cost-effective mass production while improving system efficiency through reduced module inductance.
The inverter also integrates DC-Link capacitors with PolyCharge NanoLam technology, which provide more than double the energy density compared to traditional polypropylene capacitors, making the system even more compact. The advanced cooling system employs 3D-printed copper cooling elements, precisely tailored to thermal needs, ensuring consistent heat dissipation. The pressure drop of the cooling system at 10 liters of coolant per minute is only 150 mbar, highlighting the system's high efficiency.
After 15 minutes of continuous operation, the inverter showed a minimal temperature difference of less than 20 Kelvin between the housing and cooling medium, with a temperature increase of just 41 Kelvin at the cooled phase output. The measured peak efficiency of 98.7% confirms the outstanding performance of the inverter. It achieves a continuous output power of nearly 600 kW (835V / 720Arms) and a peak power of 720 kW (800V / 900Arms) with a power density of 200 kVA per liter.
The “Dauerpower” project, supported by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, was realized in collaboration with Porsche AG and Robert Bosch GmbH. It contributes to the advancement of e-mobility, optimizing the performance of electric vehicles while simultaneously reducing production costs and resource usage.
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