VisIC and AVL forge EV GaN partnership
GaN firm VisIC Technologies and AVL, a German mobility technology company, have announced a partnership aimed at advancing high-efficiency GaN inverter technology for the EV market.
This collaboration will provide automotive OEMs with power semiconductors that exceed performance, while offering lower costs at device and system level.
In a recent test conducted at AVL’s state-of-the-art facilities in Germany, an inverter based on VisIC’s GaN-on-Silicon D³GaN components proved an outstanding performance. Mounted on AVL’s e-motor test bench and controlled by AVLs SOP eDrive controls algorithm, the system achieved a benchmark efficiency level of 99.67 percent at 10kHz, stunningly climbing to over 99.8 percent efficiency at 5kHz — which outperforms comparable SiC inverters by up to 0.5 percent and is cutting energy losses by more than 60 percent.
“With AVL, we’re making cutting-edge GaN inverter technology accessible for even more EVs, establishing a new benchmark for efficiency and cost-effectiveness in the industry,” said Gregory Bunin, CTO of VisIC Technologies. “Our partnership reflects a shared commitment to driving EV innovation that’s both impactful and accessible, bringing GaN’s unparalleled performance to a broader market.”
“Working with VisICs new GaN power module for high-power systems enables us to offer our customers cutting-edge solutions that are optimally aligned with the requirements of next-generation drive systems. These include, among other things, high power density combined with reduced overall system costs,” added Thomas Frey, head of segment E-Mobility & E-Drive System at AVL Software and Functions. “Together, we can significantly advance e-mobility and help reduce the carbon footprint.”
Looking ahead, AVL and VisIC plan to expand their GaN-on-Si platform to include 800V GaN power modules, ensuring that their technology remains scalable and adaptable to the needs of the growing BEV market.
