Related Articles from Auto Electronics.com

Editorial: Committed to improving hybrid electric cars
by Ashok Bindra Editorial Director, Power Electronics Technology & RF Design
January 1, 2007
As we usher in an era of a clean and green environment, carmakers around the world are making sincere efforts to cut emissions and pollution from vehicles they manufacture, and are racing to reduce the dependence on oil.

The power behind the performance
by Randy Frank Contributing Editor
January 1, 2007
Vehicle requirements push power semiconductors and ICs to the next level.

New Motors for Hybrid Vehicles
November 1, 2006
Siemens VDO intends to unveil its first fully hybrid demonstration vehicle. In order to provide the automotive manufacturers with the greatest possible room for maneuver with respect to the design of the electric drive, Siemens VDO is optimizing currently available electric motors, such as the asynchronous and synchronous motors....

Battery Firms Battle for Hybrid Hegemony
by John H. Day, contributing editor
November 1, 2006
Traditional battery makers and a new wave of nanotechnology firms are contending to supply lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries for next-generation hybrid vehicles....

The Future is in High-Side Drivers
by David Swanson STMicroelectronics
September 1, 2006
With so many carmakers designing in solid-state body control modules, the demand for protected drivers is increasing quite rapidly. Specifically, the...

Innovative Bipolar Plates for Fuel Cells
September 1, 2006
Together with the Physical Technology Department of the University of Applied Sciences in Wiesbaden, the mid-sized company Httenberger Produktionstechnik...

A Battery of New Challenges for Voltage Regulators
by David Morrison Editor, Power Electronics Technology
July 1, 2006
The increasing amount of electronic circuitry in new cars is influencing the development of so many integrated circuits, even humble voltage regulators....

HEVs Drive Power Components Toward Standardization
by David Morrison Editor, Power Electronics Technology
May 1, 2006
High-power dc-dc converters play a critical role in the electrical systems of hybrid electric vehicles. These complex modular components provide the link between the low-voltage bus and the high-voltage bus used in the power train....

Functional power solutions for powertrain
by Gary Wagner and Alex Craig Fairchild Semiconductor
May 1, 2006
Both advanced silicon design and packaging are required to address the technical issues in today's highly complex systems....

AUTOMOTIVE POWER CHALLENGES BENEFIT FROM ULTRACAPACITOR MODULES
by John M. Miller Maxwell Technologies Inc.
March 1, 2006
For the past several years automotive electrical and electronic functions and features have driven the vehicle power budget up by 100 W to 140 W per year....

PRODUCING SMART BATTERIES IN SOUTH KOREA
January 1, 2006
The Swiss battery producer IQ Power (www.iqpower.com) is setting up a modern battery factory in South Korea where three million smart batteries per year...

Automakers adapt new ways to control power
by Shawn Slusser
January 1, 2006
The increasing complexity of automotive electronic systems has spurred automotive companies and their electronics suppliers to explore and adapt approaches...

BATTERY TECHNOLOGY: ENABLING THE NEXT-GENERATION HYBRID VEHICLES
by Dean Bogues Valence Technology
November 1, 2005
The acceptance of hybrid vehicles by American consumers, even with a price premium over gasoline autos, has surprised many industry watchers. According...

Hybrid Power Systems: Different But the Same
by David Morrison Editor, Power Electronics Technology
November 1, 2005
Military trucks, transit buses, taxis and compact cars have different performance requirements. So you might think that designing their electrical systems...

NiMH Batteries Charge Hybrid Vehicles for Now
by John H. Day
November 1, 2005
Nickel metal hydride (NiMH), the prevailing battery technology for hybrid vehicles, is as durable as the day is long, according to Dave Hermance, executive...

Power ICs are Making the Automotive Grade
by David Morrison Editor, Power Electronics Technology
September 1, 2005
Not long ago, it seemed that many semiconductor vendors paid little or no attention to automotive applications. The reasons (or excuses) for this inattention...

Digital Power Modules: The Convergence of Power and Body Electronics
by Daniel D. Moore
July 1, 2005
Many applications are taking advantage of digital power modules to combine power and body electronics into a single module. The flexibility and scalability afforded by the DPMs also present worse-case scenarios for designers. Thus, designers must consider trade offs between cost and function /performance....

HEV Battery Technology Advances Surely but Slowly
by David Morrison Editor, Power Electronics Technology
March 1, 2005
Though forward steps are being taken, hydrogen-powered fuel-cell vehicles are still several years from entering mass production. Much closer to showroom reality are hybrid electric vehicles, which the FreedomCAR program views as an intermediate technology step to a pure hydrogen economy and hydrogen vehicles....

Power and Data Networks Redefine Automotive Electronics
By Myron Trenne, Yazaki North America
January 1, 2005
The significant growth of automotive electronics for the past 20 years was fueled by the "microprocessor era." ...

Power Management For Automotive LCDs
by George Henry Microsemi Integrated Products
Oct 1, 2004
Automobile manufacturers are increasingly using liquid crystal display (LCD) technology to differentiate their products, particularly at the luxury end...

Hybrid Vehicles Propel Increased Electronics Content
by Randy Frank, Contributing Editor
Oct 1, 2004 12:00 PM
Hybrid vehicles are expected to more than double the use of electronic components in automobiles. This report investigates the impact of hybrid vehicles on the powertrain as it probes architectural developments. It also shows how it is driving the design of power components like inverters, dc-dc converters, battery chargers, cooling systems, electric power steering and electric A/C, along with electric clutch disengage and regen braking, as well as other in hybrid designs.

Ultracapacitors Charge Ahead in Automotive
by David Morrison Editor, Power Electronics Technology
Oct 1, 2004 12:00 PM
Energy storage devices are considered enabling technologies for future automotive designs. Consequently, there are ongoing efforts to develop better performing batteries for these applications. While these battery developments should have a significant impact on automotive designs in the long run, battery technology tends to develop slowly. The same assessment cannot be made for another type of energy storage device — ultracapacitors.