Infineon Technologies AG (FSE: IFX / OTCQX: IFNNY) announced that Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Motors Corporation have selected Infineon as supplier of power modules for their current hybrid car generations, the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid and Kia Optima. Hyundai and Kia, together the world’s fastest-growing and fifth-largest car manufacturer, teamed up with Infineon on the hybrid powertrain design including the Infineon HybridPACK™1 power module and the related control electronics as part of the electric motor inverter. Hyundai and Kia are ramping up production of their hybrid fleet and plan to increase their presence mainly in the North American and Korean Markets. Infineon has already started to deliver its HybridPACK 1 power module which was specifically designed for use in Hybrid Electrical Vehicle (HEV) applications for a power range of up to 30 kilowatt (kW). Typically, there are two power modules in use in full hybrid cars. Compared to a combustion engine vehicle a hybrid car with its regenerative braking and boost functionality saves about 15 to 35 percent of fuel.
Infineon’s HybridPACK 1 power module has a crucial role in controlling and powering the hybrid electrical motor being the energy bridge between the battery system and the HEV drive. The HybridPACK 1 is responsible to translate the direct current (DC) from the battery into alternating current (AC), which drives the electric motor, and from AC back to DC to charge the battery system using braking energy.
Infineon is the world’s first automotive semiconductor manufacturer capable of providing automotive quality power modules in high-volume, for hybrid and electric vehicles. The Infineon HybridPACK 1 power module helps to reduce the physical size and weight of the inverter system, achieving the required power rating of up to 30kW while using up to 30 percent less semiconductor area compared to other available solutions. The performance of the power semiconductors used in the power module also contributes to a simpler cooling system for the inverter.
“The combination of our four decades of experience in power electronics and car electronics has resulted in this highly compact and reliable HybridPACK power module,” said Mark Muenzer, Director Electric Drive Train at Infineon Technologies AG. Car manufacturers are planning to make hybrid technology a standard across their future models in order to achieve CO2 targets and to improve fuel economy.
Infineon produces its IGBT (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor) chips and emitter-controlled diodes for automotive power modules in Villach, Austria. The HybridPACK power modules are manufactured in Warstein, Germany.
Technical information on HybridPACK 1
The HybridPACK 1 is one of a family of several power modules engineered specifically for advanced vehicle applications, based on Infineon’s IGBT and emitter-controlled diode technology. Infineon’s hybrid systems consisting of microcontrollers, power modules with IGBT chips and related control electronics reduce electrical power losses by one fifth enabling simpler cooling systems. Infineon IGBTs provide several advantages for applications in HEV power systems, including lower conduction losses and reduced switching losses, with the combined effect of reducing size by up to 30 percent for equivalent output performance compared to alternatives. The current generation of Infineon IGBT is rated for a maximum junction temperature of 150 °C.
Specifically engineered for hybrid inverter applications, HybridPACK 1 uses a flat copper base-plate combined with high-performance ceramic substrate and Infineon’s enhanced wire-bonding process to improve lifespan related to thermal cycling by a factor of three and lifespan related to power cycling reliability by a factor of two.