Japanese automaker Toyota Motor in association with Denso and Toyota Central R&D Labs has developed a new silicon carbide (SiC) power semiconductor for use in automotive power control units (PCUs).
The new use of new semiconductor in the hybrid vehicles is claimed to boost fuel efficiency in the vehicles by 10% and also reduce the PCU size by 80% against the currently used traditional PCUs.
According to the company, the SiC power semiconductors have low power loss when switching on and off, allowing better current flow at higher frequencies and enables the use of smaller coil and capacitor, which take 40% size of the PCU.
Toyota engineer Kimimori Hamada said that a key way to improve fuel efficiency is to improve power semiconductor efficiency.
"The silicon carbide chip reduces the amount of current lost as heat and switches the current flow on and off more efficiently, although costs are an issue," Hamada added.
"The silicon carbide chip costs at least 10 times more than silicon."
The chips, which are made from one of the hardest materials in nature known as carbide, have superior characteristics such as one-tenth the electrical power loss and 10 times the drive frequency, the company said
The manufacturer will begin test driving vehicles fitted with the new PCUs on public roads in Japan within a year.
Image: PCU with silicon power semiconductors and PCU with SiC power semiconductors. Photo: Courtesy of TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION.
