One of the drawbacks of electric vehicles is the bulky battery packs they rely on. This leaves only a little room for passengers to stretch out together with the space for the boot, gadgetry and other essentials. Not to mention, current batteries aren’t all that efficient, are very expensive and need to be charged every so often. These are a few of the hindrances that EVs are known to face, making them less popular than conventionally powered cars. But, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation may have just stumbled onto a solution that could pave the way for roomier EVs and greater energy efficiency. The company has developed a prototype EV motor system that has an inbuilt silicon carbide inverter.
It’s hoped that the new system will see manufacturers being able to develop electric cars with more passenger space and higher energy efficiency. While silicon chips have been used for inverter switching in power devices, silicon carbide is recognized as being a more suitable material. It has a breakdown electric field that’s 10 times higher than silicon chips which enables them to be made in a thinner fashion, lowering loss and electrical resistance.
Mitsubishi’s new motor has recorded over a 50 percent reduction of loss in comparison to its silicon based system. The system uses a neodymium magnet with coils wrapped around an extended core. This enables higher density while the size of the motor itself is reduced using a joint lapping technique.
The config and size of the rotator poles and stator were optimized using the company’s high level magnetic design technology. This enabled the motor’s magnetic efficiency to be increased along with the power output by five percent over previous motors.
Such innovative technologies are needed if EVs are ever to be manufactured into big vehicles. With time, it is hoped that motors like that developed by Mitsubishi will be used by a majority of green cars, making them more popular among the masses.
Via: Greencarcongress
