Hofer powertrain lays the foundation for a new generation of electric vehicle drivetrains. German power system specialist hofer powertrain chose forward-looking chip technology to implement new multi-level power electronic components through the latest gallium nitride chip technology D3GaN (direct drive D-type) provided by VisIC Technologies, a leader in gallium nitride (GaN) technology in the automotive field. The new solution surpasses the performance of silicon-based technologies in terms of efficiency and power density, and recent tests have proven its success.
Gallium nitride semiconductors are key to improving efficiency and increasing the range and lifespan of electric vehicles. The goal of hofer powertrain and VisIC Technologies is to develop gallium nitride-based electric vehicle power inverters to achieve a breakthrough in gallium nitride technology for 800V battery systems in the automotive industry, said Lukasz Roslaniec, electronics expert at hofer powertrain: We are proud of the new progress in high-efficiency GaN high-frequency inverters."
Based on the guiding principle of "Develop Rapidly and Learn Rapidly", the company focuses on reality-based development backed by successful customer projects that enable early benchmarking. It speeds up the design and testing process and helps ensure rapid further development. "The development of the hofer power system paves the way for a breakthrough in the performance of gallium nitride inverters, outperforming silicon and silicon carbide based designs in terms of efficiency," said Ilia Bunin, senior product manager and technical expert at VisIC Technologies.
The system is about to undergo a series of tests in a real-world environment, and the results are believed to exceed expectations, improving the efficiency of the entire vehicle powertrain.
