The future of mobility runs on electricity

Currently, transport emissions are the fastest growing source for global CO₂ emissions and are held responsible for the greenhouse effect and global warming. 75 percent of transport emissions will emerge from road vehicles worldwide in 2030. Low and zero-carbon electromobility concepts are needed to break this development. Semiconductors and microelectronics come into play as an essential part for the electrification of vehicles (EVs).

The number of electric vehicles sold has been increasing year by year. In 2019 alone, almost 8 million electric vehicles (2.3 million as pure electric cars) were registered worldwide, which is an increase of around 40 per cent compared to 2018. And the journey continues: As early as 2025, around twelve percent of all new vehicles worldwide will be powered purely by electricity, by 2040 it will be more than half.

Electromobility is essential for climate protection because it avoids tailpipe emissions. Depending on the degree of electrification, an electric vehicle equipped with semiconductor components is much more CO₂-efficient than a car with an internal combustion engine. However, the full turnaround can only be achieved in combination with renewable energies to make electric vehicles run with zero emissions. That’s why efficient renewable energy generation is at least as important as the development of electric vehicles itself.

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Power semiconductors play a key role in green mobility with zero emissions. Infineon is the world’s leading manufacturer of semiconductors for the automotive industry – and for electric vehicles in particular. Above all, our technologies ensure that the power from the battery is converted into motion as efficiently as possible: Infineon semiconductors help the car achieve the greatest possible range on a single battery charge. The more efficiently the semiconductors work, the greater the range that can be achieved.

In the area of power electronics, Infineon is the undisputed market leader for silicon-based semiconductor solutions in the automotive market. Infineon is also expanding its portfolio to include semiconductors based on silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN), which offer higher potential to improve efficiency and power density.

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And looking beyond the car, semiconductors from Infineon are also playing an important role in electric charging infrastructure. With their high-power ratings, they support ultra-fast charging. Infineon has developed battery management solutions for the efficient charging and monitoring of battery systems. In charging stations, the electricity from the grid is converted for storage in the battery. Here, particularly efficient semiconductors ensure that as much of the energy as possible reaches the car from the grid, making it available to the driver. In addition, new generations of semiconductors enable significantly faster charging than before.

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A range of over 520 kilometers, 150 kW power rating, fast charging at up to 125 kW, full functional networking and zero emissions: it’s hardly surprising that Volkswagen’s electric car ID.4 is redefining the everyday electromobility experience. The ID.4 relies on over 50 semiconductor components from Infineon, including power semiconductors, microcontrollers and driver ICs. At the heart of the drivetrain is a power module from the HybridPACK™ Drive product family for the conversion of energy between the battery and the motor.

Press release: Strategic partnership between Infineon and VW

Infineon’s semiconductor solutions are suitable for all types of electric vehicles: pure electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid vehicles and mild hybrid vehicles with 48-volt technology. Last but not least, Infineon components also cover vehicles based on emerging hydrogen technology.

Integrated Infineon components are the core building blocks of controllers and systems that are typical of electric cars: on-board charger, DC-DC converter, battery management unit, drivetrain controller, electric braking system as well as power steering, air conditioning, thermal management, rear light control, windshield wipers and window lifts. These components rely on the following product families: HybridPACK™ Drive IGBT power modules, AURIX™ microcontrollers, EiceDRIVER™ driver ICs and many other Infineon sensors, microcontrollers, power semiconductors and Wi-Fi®/Bluetooth® connectivity solutions.