Especially in electric vehicles (EVs), the inverter, which plays a fundamental role in the drive system, needs to be more efficient to extend cruising range and reduce the size of the on-board battery, raising expectations for SiC power devices.
As the world's first supplier to begin mass production of SiC MOSFETs in 2010, ROHM continues to develop market-leading SiC power device technologies. These include ROHM's latest 4th generation SiC MOSFETs, which offer improved short-circuit withstand time along with the industry's lowest on-resistance, enabling extended electric vehicle cruising range while reducing power consumption by 6% compared to IGBTs (based on calculations using the WLTC fuel efficiency test, as an international standard) when installed in the main inverter.
At the same time, Hitachi Astemo, which has been developing advanced technologies for vehicle motors and inverters for several years, already has a considerable track record in the increasingly popular electric vehicle market. However, this is the first time that SiC devices have been adopted for the main inverter circuit to further improve performance. Supply of inverters to automakers is planned to begin in 2025, first in Japan and then worldwide.
In the future, as a leading supplier of SiC power devices, ROHM will continue to strengthen its range and provide power solutions that contribute to technical innovation in vehicles by combining peripheral device technologies, such as integrated control circuits, designed to maximize performance.
