This website uses cookies primarily for visitor analytics. Certain pages will ask you to fill in contact details to receive additional information. On these pages you have the option of having the site log your details for future visits. Indicating you want the site to remember your details will place a cookie on your device. To view our full cookie policy, please click here. You can also view it at any time by going to our Contact Us page.

Consortium to develop new dc-dc technology for next generation electric and hybrid vehicles

18 June 2010

Prodrive is to lead a consortium of companies to develop a new technology for electric and electric hybrid vehicles that will reduce the weight and space taken by the electrical power system. The three year project to develop a flexible dc-dc converter is supported by investment from the government-backed Technology Strategy Board. Prodrive is joined by the University of Manchester, Raytheon Systems, SciSys, International Transformers and Tata Motors European Technical centre. The first year of the project will be devoted to fundamental research, followed by two years of application and development, leading to a driveable demonstration car by the end of year three; market introduction is said to be five to seven years away.

Current practice is to integrate dc-dc converters into the power management system to step down or step up the battery voltage to meet the needs of different devices such as traction motors, cabin electrical systems, fuel cell stacks or supercapacitors. In complex architectures this requires several converters. A single, flexible converter will save cost, weight and package space, enabling vehicle manufacturers to move more easily to the next generation of sophisticated plug-in and range-extended hybrids.

Existing hybrids, such as the Toyota Prius, need one dc-dc converter for the traction motor and another for the vehicle’s 12 volt system,” explains Pete James, Prodrive’s technical specialist. “In future, there will be further voltage steps for supercapacitors or fuel cells; it isn’t viable to keep adding extra converters for every additional voltage. Having worked hard to reduce the cost, weight and size of battery packs and motors on hybrid vehicles, manufacturers are clearly unwilling to see those gains swallowed up by growth in the power management hardware.

Solving this problem will require the development of fundamentally new technology; The flexible converter will have to be capable of handling multiple voltages simultaneously on both the input and output sides, while achieving conversion efficiencies equal to the best single-range converters currently available.


Contact Details and Archive...

Print this page | E-mail this page

MinitecLeuze