I- Introduction

II- Inverter Design

III- Current Status

IV- Future Trends

V- Conclusions

References

Abstract

Traction inverters are crucial components of modern electrified automotive powertrains. Advances in power electronics have enabled lower cost inverters with high reliability, efficiency, and power density, suitable for mass market consumer automotive applications. This paper presents an independent review of the state-of-the-art traction inverter designs from several production vehicles across multiple manufacturers. Future trends in inverter design are identified based on industry examples and academic research. Wide bandgap devices and trends in device packaging are discussed along with active gate driver implementations, current and future trends in system integration, and advanced manufacturing techniques.

INTRODUCTION

ELECTRIFIED vehicles (EVs) are continuing to show promise as more manufacturers announce plans to develop electrified models in order to improve fuel economy and remain competitive as consumer demands shift towards efficient, cleaner vehicles. These include hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), battery electric vehicles (BEVs), and fuel cell vehicles. At the heart of all electrified powertrains is one or more electric machines (EMs) which operate either in conjunction with an internal combustion engine (ICE) or replace it entirely. The EMs found in EVs today are most commonly of the AC permanent magnet (PM) or AC induction machine (IM) type [1, 2]. To drive them, a traction inverter is required to convert the direct current available from the battery pack to variable frequency alternating current. In addition to the motoring mode, the machines can also operate as generators, requiring the inverter to act as a rectifier and return energy to the battery.