Yes, the market is growing for electric vehicles, and every car or larger vehicle has an onboard charger and battery management system, both of which are power electronics. However, these alone are insufficient to create the projected $300 billion market. The new report from IDTechEx Research, "Power Electronics for Electric Vehicles 2016-2026," points to the answer. It lies in the fact that vehicles are, in a real sense, becoming power electronics. For example, suspension will no longer be mechanical but electric—active electric suspension that generates and uses electricity, in part, to manage itself, providing a better driving experience and improved fuel economy. This report analyzes all these new developments, including radical changes in the components used in power electronics and the many new forms of power electronics that are emerging and may emerge in the future, exploring why and when. For example, the wheels can become electric, the electricity generation and hybrids can have thermoelectrics in the exhaust systems and turbines, both generating kilowatt-level power, which must be managed.
The report features new infographics and recent presentations on technologies and industry leaders' demands. The emerging power electronics business is forecasted across six categories, and the electric land, water, and air vehicles that will utilize this power electronics are projected from 2016 to 2026 across no fewer than 46 categories. This level of detail is unavailable elsewhere.
Propulsion systems for electric land, water, and air vehicles are evolving rapidly, requiring power electronics to radically change their specific functions and proliferate to serve new ones. The report explains that over the next decade, by far the largest market will be for land vehicles, particularly road vehicles and especially cars, followed by buses. The report highlights the current situation: conventional vehicles with start-stop functionality are insufficient to meet the emissions legislation for 2025 and 2030.
Next come the mid-range 48V hybrids, which are modifications that keep conventional propulsion systems legal for C-size (subcompact) cars and above, and possibly some B-size cars. Early versions don't have pure electric modes, but later versions will have them thanks to integrated starter generators and more sophisticated power electronics for control, the report notes. They will thus become "electric vehicles" being "powered by electric motors some or all of the time." Most hybrids will have severely downsized engines, compensated for by the new power electronics, and performance is the same or better, while emissions are drastically reduced. The ultimate version is pure electric, where rotating electric machines (REMs) become simple motor generators, but more power electronics are needed for many other functions, such as power conditioning for multiple regeneration and multiple energy harvesting, and for exceptional propulsion system efficiency, dynamic charging, and so on. Implications for everything from motor controllers and converters to battery management systems and new electric power systems and components are explained from the perspective of IDTechEx analysts and the many experts interviewed, most of whom are currently developing such systems. The opinions gathered address key issues such as the size of the window of opportunity for SiC and GaN power components, GaAs and CIGS photovoltaics, 48V mid-hybrids and the trends toward 48V without 12V, and pure electric power, and all the different power electronics needs and solutions that emerge as a result.
By Dr. Peter Harrop, President IDTechEx www.IDTechEx.com
