researchers at the future renewable electric energy distribution and management systems center at north carolina state university have developed a new inverter device that can improve the fuel-efficiency and range of hybrid and electric vehicles, according to a report from the school’s website. the inverter, which conveys electricity from the battery to the motor, is smaller but with greater efficiency than previous iterations.

(wikimedia commons)

previous inverters had been made with silicon, but the nc state researchers saw improved results by using the semiconductor material silicon carbide. according to one of the researchers, the inverter transferred 99 percent of the energy to the motor, an increase of nearly two percent.

the new inverter conveys 12.1 kw/l, which is a sizable jup from the 4.1 kw/l that was possible in 2010 and well on its way to the u.s. department of energy’s goal of 13.4 kw/l by 2020. the next step for the nc state researchers is to remove the off-the-shelf components and replace them with silicon carbide components that should improve performance even further.

an important aspect of the development is that the new inverter is better at dissipating heat, which means that air-cooled inverters instead of those utilizing liquid cooling. this will make the packages smaller and lighter, although the researchers showed that the inverter can boost energy density even when used in conjunction with liquid cooling.

the standard air-cooled inverter is a 55-kw model but this research could lead to 35-kw models that can be used on scooters, motorcycles, and smaller hybrid vehicles.

the research was presented at the ieee energy conversion congress and exposition (ecce) in milwaukee at the end of september.

read more about the new inverter at https://news.ncsu.edu/2016/09/inverters-boost-ev-range-2016.