McLaren Applied, a pioneer in engineering and technology solutions for motorsport, automotive, and transport introduces IPG5-x, a highly flexible 800 V Silicon Carbide (SiC) inverter that can be integrated into Electric Drive Units (EDUs). The IPG5-x which has been developed to work with a variety of motors and transmissions, provides a high-performance, compact, and cost-effective solution to integrated EDUs and caters to the growing demands of OEM.
IPG5-x is an adaptation of McLaren Applied’s current award-winning 800 V SiC inverter, IPG5. IPG5-x will coexist alongside the standalone IPG5, with applications depending on customer needs. The 'x' suffix was chosen because IPG5-x is a product designed for collaboration with Tier 1 and OEM partners looking to bring EDU products to market quickly and cost-effectively. McLaren Applied is in discussions with several OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers and is working with transmission provider TREMEC to jointly develop an integrated EDU for their first customer vehicle application.
“In our discussions with customers and partners, it’s become clear that OEMs are increasingly looking for the option to source integrated EDUs that save space, cost, and speed up development time,” commented Paolo Bargiacchi, Head of Product, Automotive at McLaren Applied. “We’ve developed the IPG5-x to be highly flexible, so it’s ready to be integrated within any combination of motor and transmission. It carries over all of our standalone IPG5’s qualities - peak efficiencies over 99%, continuously variable switching, and fine motor control - building on the maturity of that product.”
Derived from decades of innovation in top-tier automotive and motorsports, McLaren Applied’s IPG5-x offers best-in-class fine motor control and high efficiency through continuously variable switching frequencies; maximizing the advantages of SiC semiconductors. The IPG5-x forms a step forward in what the automotive team at McLaren Applied describes as the ‘waves of electrification’. The first wave involved early pioneers of technology, and the second wave is denoted by the breakthrough of EVs to the mainstream. The third wave is efficiency and will see inverter technology rapidly adopt SiC semiconductors, especially in 800 V architectures, enabling vehicles to achieve longer ranges where efficient power electronics are key.
Bargiacchi added: “The immediate focus must be on achieving greater drivetrain efficiency and cost reduction, which you can do through a product like IPG5-x. The competitive landscape is ramping up significantly now that all manufacturers have established their product entry points.
“Models based on dedicated 800 V SiC architectures are leading the way, driving a virtuous cycle: an efficient drivetrain inherently has a smaller battery, which makes the vehicle cheaper, lighter, and easier to control, and offers a smaller embedded and operating carbon footprint. It also increases range and speeds up charge times, building trust in the technology.”
As competition increases, we will enter the fourth wave, where OEMs will need to differentiate the customer experience their products deliver. In anticipation of this change, McLaren Applied has developed advanced motor control software in both IPG5 and IPG5-x that enables a variety of features ranging from improved refinement to a more engaging drive.
Click here to learn more about IPG5.
