Burn More Rubber, Fewer Electrons with Onsemi Silicon Carbide

Onsemi’s new EliteSiC silicon carbide (SiC) increases the performance and trims the weight of Kia’s traction inverters for the company’s high-performance models, starting with the EV6 GT.

At the CES show in Las Vegas, semiconductor specialist Onsemi introduced a trio of new SiC devices for its EliteSiC family of power modules. They are the 1700 V EliteSiC MOSFET and two 1700 V avalanche-rated EliteSiC Schottky diodes.

The 1700 V EliteSiC MOSFET delivers higher breakdown voltage (BV) SiC solutions, required for high-power industrial applications. The two 1700 V avalanche-rated EliteSiC Schottky diodes allow designers to achieve stable high-voltage operation at elevated temperatures while offering high efficiency enabled by SiC.

“By providing best-in-class efficiency with reduced power losses, the new 1700 V EliteSiC devices reinforce the high standards of superior performance and quality for products in our EliteSiC family as well as further expand the depth and breadth of Onsemi’s EliteSiC,” said Simon Keeton, executive vice president and general manager, Power Solutions Group, Onsemi.

In the Kia EV6 GT, Onsemi’s high-power density SiC power module minimizes parasitic losses and thermal resistance with robust package reliability using innovative interconnects. This leads to reduced power losses associated with DC-to-AC conversion along with reduced size and weight of the traction inverter. These benefits combine for a promised 5 percent increase in EV driving range.

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“Our collaboration with Hyundai Motor Corp./Kia is rooted in the superior performance of our EliteSiC technology,” said Simon Keeton, executive vice president and general manager, Power Solutions Group, Onsemi. “As important is our quickly growing, vertically integrated SiC supply chain that allows Onsemi to plan for the necessary scale to support high-volume production for EVs.”

Within the traction inverter of the EV6 GT, the EliteSiC power module enables high-efficiency power conversion from the DC 800 V of the battery to the AC drive for the rear axle. Partly thanks to the efficiency of the Onsemi SiC modules, the EV6 GT model accelerates from zero to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds and reaches top speed at 161 mph.

The EV6 GT is only the first of a line of upcoming high-performance Hyundai and Kia EVs built on Hyundai’s Electric – Global Module Platform (E-GMP), according to the companies.