Infineon Technologies AG is set to provide customized silicon carbide (SiC) power modules to Electreon, a company specializing in wireless charging solutions for electric vehicles. These power modules are integral to Electreon's dynamic in-road charging technology, known as the wireless electric road system (wERS).
The system employs copper coils buried under the road surface to transmit power to EVs such as buses and trucks while they are in motion. The wERS connects to the power grid and activates vehicles when they pass over the coils. Infineon's SiC modules efficiently convert energy from the power grid for seamless wireless battery charging, enhancing the system's performance, reliability and energy efficiency. This innovation is particularly useful in high-traffic zones such as highways, toll roads, ports, airports and other important mobility hubs.
Electreon's system boosts power transfer to an average of 200 kW, with peak levels surpassing 300 kW, achieved through Infineon's EasyPACK 3B CoolSiC 2,000-V modules. This performance was recently confirmed on France's A10 highway, noted as the first in the world to wirelessly charge trucks, buses, vans and passenger cars in motion.
The technology allows continuous on-route charging, maintaining battery levels to ensure EVs travel longer distances and use smaller battery packs, thus reducing both up-front vehicle costs and vehicle weight, which increases cargo capacity.
Electreon has already integrated Infineon's customized modules into test tracks across various countries, including the US, Germany, France, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Italy, Israel and Japan, with plans to embed this technology into longer-distance projects.
Dominik Bilo, executive vice president at Infineon Technologies, mentioned that Electreon's wireless charging system is pivotal in reducing carbon emissions in transportation. According to Bilo, Infineon's tailored SiC power modules play a crucial part in efficiently converting electrical energy for vehicle charging, aligning with the company's goal of a climate-neutral future and promoting decarbonization and digitalization.
Oren Ezer, CEO of Electreon, highlighted that wireless EV charging is already underway, with Electreon leading this transformation by utilizing Infineon's advanced SiC technology to enhance the power and efficiency of in-road charging. This development aids in reducing operational costs, lowering emissions and accelerating global EV adoption, affirming Electreon's leadership in wireless charging.
SiC-based semiconductors have made significant advancements in high-power applications such as EV charging by facilitating electricity switching at higher frequencies with reduced energy loss, which allows for more compact designs. These semiconductors show high reliability and robustness in extreme conditions and are more efficient at heat dissipation than traditional silicon semiconductors.
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