hofer powertrain and VisIC Technologies aim to develop gallium nitride-based power inverters for electric vehicles, achieving the breakthrough of gallium nitride technology for 800 V battery systems in the automotive industry. The German powertrain expert hofer powertrain opts for the most future-proof chip technologies and realizes new multilevel power electronics with the latest Gallium Nitride Chip Technology D3GaN (Direct Drive D-Mode), provided by the leader in gallium nitride (GaN) technology for the automotive field, VisIC Technologies Ltd. The new solution's efficiency and power density exceed silicon-based technology's capabilities – recent tests are proving successful. Gallium nitride semiconductors are the key to efficiency improvements, increasing electrified vehicles' driving range and lifetime.
"We are proud to achieve the next step in developing efficient GaN-based, high-frequency inverters for 800 V automotive applications", says Lukasz Roslaniec, an electronics expert at hofer powertrain.
Based on the guiding principle "develop fast and learn fast," the company focuses on reality-based development secured by successful customer projects, which allow early benchmarking. It accelerates the design and testing processes and helps to ensure rapid further development.
"hofer powertrain's development paves the way for a breakthrough in GaN inverter performance, which is superior to silicon and silicon-carbide-based designs for high efficiency," says Ilia Bunin, Senior Product Manager & Technical Expert at VisIC Technologies.
The system is about to undergo a series of tests in real-world conditions and is believed to exceed expectations, leading to the higher efficiency of the entire automotive powertrain.
