Abstract-The objective of this paper is to provide an overview of emerging technologies for modular power converter architectures for electric vehicles. Nowadays, the most common electrical drive-train architecture exhibits one single inverter which is directly tied to the battery. As a consequence, only one high-voltage battery module can be applied and the dc-link voltage of the inverter and its apparent power rating is directly dependent on the available battery voltage. To overcome this restriction, modern power converter architectures with a higher degree of freedom have been proposed. These architectures exhibit modular dc-dc converters to allow different battery technologies to be linked to drive inverters operating independently from each other. To make this development feasible, new components and technologies are evolving which enhance the efficiency over mission cycles while ensuring further integration of the power-converter architectures.Wide-bandgap power semiconductors enable high switching frequencies and miniaturization of passive devices. Smart topology enhancements and control methods allow a significant loss reduction, in particular at light loads, resulting in a higher efficiency of the drive train over the entire driving cycle. Highly integrated bidirectional battery charger systems with intelligent charging strategies inhibit battery degradation and provide opportunities for grid stabilization. It is demonstrated how these technologies are realized and implemented to contribute to the development of future electric vehicles.
Silicon carbide (SiC) devices are considered as key enablers for the development of highly efficient and compact dc-dc converters for low-and medium-voltage applications. Besides their high temperature capability and low conduction losses, they provide superior switching characteristics. This paper emphasizes the design challenges of SiC devices in the low-and medium-voltage ranges arising from their fast switching speeds. First, detailed measurement results on the switching characteristics of 1200 V SiC devices and the different leakage inductances are presented. The results are assessed with regard to the switching losses as well as the transient voltage and current overshoots. The impact on the switching behavior as a function of leakage inductances is shown. The leakage inductances also influence the resonance frequency of the power module and dc-dc converters. The determination of the size of the EMI filters is a crucial design aspect. Its significance is demonstrated using an 800 V dc-dc converter with commercially available SiC MOSFETs. In addition, zero-voltage switching is emphasized to reduce the impact of the parasitic elements of the module on the switching behavior. However, the performance of 10 kV SiC MOSFETs in a medium-voltage dc-dc converter shows that a significant amount of commutation energy is required to ensure a successful soft-switching transition.
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