Many policymakers are now imposing legal restrictions on the sale of new cars powered only by ICE. These constraints have created a lot of activity around hybrid powertrains, which combine ICE with some form of electric assist. In mild hybrid vehicles, the batteries used can often be charged with energy from the ICE. These so-called self-charging hybrids could help consumers switch to electric vehicles while avoiding the problem of finding an outlet to recharge their batteries.
The balance between power from the battery and power from the ICE determines how “gentle” the hybrid is. A larger battery combined with a more powerful motor pushes the needle further towards the all-electric end of the scale. A full battery electric vehicle (BEV) has no ICE and relies entirely on the grid for energy. There are other issues related to this, such as building the public charging infrastructure needed to support an all-electric user experience. But for pure electric vehicles, there is no choice but to plug in.
Other forms of alternative energy are being developed. One of the most promising approaches is the use of hydrogen in fuel cells, which convert the energy stored in hydrogen into electricity. This use will lead to fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). While BEVs and FCEVs store energy differently, both generate electrical energy that is used to power electric motors. Another technology in development involves the use of supercapacitors to store electrical energy. Supercapacitors are similar to batteries and can be repeatedly charged and discharged, but are very different internally. Supercapacitors can be charged and discharged quickly, which means they can deliver higher power than batteries but store less total energy.
Each of these techniques has its limitations. Battery charging takes time, fuel cells release energy slowly, and supercapacitors have low energy storage capacity. But they both generate electricity, the basic “fuel” needed for electric vehicles. Perhaps in the near future, the term “hybrid” may evolve to describe a vehicle that combines all three technologies to provide the right user experience.
Range and fast charging are cited as reasons why consumers are reluctant to switch to all-electric. There is no doubt that the auto industry and the public sector must overcome this reluctance. By combining batteries, fuel cells and supercapacitors, each technology has the potential to deliver energy when and where it is needed. For example, the range problem can be solved by fuel cell technology combined with fast charging supercapacitors to provide good acceleration.
There are no known examples of this potential new hybrid category today. Nonetheless, this is a direction the industry can pursue in the future and builds on the technology that exists today.
car wireless
Energy storage isn’t the only area of innovation in the auto industry. Vehicles are increasingly linked to common infrastructure and their onboard systems. In general, the amount of data generated by vehicles grows exponentially. Wireless technology avoids a proportional increase in the wiring required to support this connection.
Wires are expensive, bulky and bulky. Wireless connections, on the other hand, are virtually weightless, but they do require careful design, and the antenna is one of the most critical aspects of the system. As automakers adopt more wireless connection types, in the frequency range from the low megahertz to the high gigabit, antenna design and placement are becoming increasingly important. These design considerations will become even more important as 5G connectivity enters vehicles to provide mission-critical connectivity such as V2X and autonomous driving. The data infrastructure needed to support full autonomy will rely heavily on wireless technologies, including Wi-Fi and 5G.
Going wireless presents challenges, not least because vehicles are still mostly built using large extruded metal panels. It’s hard to completely replace metals, but it’s happening. Both glass and plastic are used more in car design and manufacture. Most types of glass and many plastics are transparent to radio waves. This transparency is good news for engineers developing electronic systems that use wireless connections. It also allows vehicle designers to explore new concepts. For example, whole glass roofs are becoming more common. This design feature provides the option to mount antennas in the roof space with clear access to the glass holes.
As demand for wireless connectivity increases, it could drive a new era of design that makes greater use of glass and plastic. Of course, this also needs to be balanced against the need to design vehicles that are more affordable, easier to maintain and recyclable.
Generally speaking, electric vehicles are mechanically simpler than internal combustion engine vehicles. This simplicity means they can be designed to last longer, are easier to repair and maintain, and are highly recyclable. However, the electronic systems in electric vehicles will be more diverse and, in the case of autonomous driving, more complex. The balance between power consumption and between power and electronic systems will change, which may also have an impact on the type of energy storage system employed.
think for yourself
Another major trend shaping the future of car design, ownership and use is autonomous driving. There is a growing correlation between ownership and autonomy; many believe that the first fully autonomous vehicles will be taxis and ride-sharing schemes. Economics supports this theory; self-driving electric vehicles are expensive to buy but cheap to run, so to reap the rewards, owners need high utilization rates.
Most privately owned vehicles are parked somewhere most of the time. That means the cost per mile is high. On the other hand, taxis and other service vehicles operate most of the time. Usage lowers the cost per mile, and if that cost has a markup, like a taxi, it translates into a positive return on investment.
An exciting area of research here is autonomous flying electric taxis. It sounds like science fiction, but it’s happening. It makes sense for good reason, especially since many journeys are short and in crowded cities. Flying over the urban landscape will reduce congestion at the road level. Several pilot projects are already running, and millions of dollars in research funding have been spent to make it a reality. In terms of autonomous operations, it makes sense to enter the third dimension. Even at low altitudes, there are no roads, buildings or pedestrians in the sky. The sky gives self-driving cars a lot of freedom, the only obstacle being other flying vehicles.
Entering the third dimension will increase the need for reliable wireless connectivity. By default, wireless technology is omnidirectional. Modern systems are more discriminating, using phased array antennas and multiple-input multiple-outputs to direct RF energy and maximize available bandwidth. Range may also be a consideration. Ground-based transceivers in urban areas may never be very far from a 5G base station or equivalent, but airborne vehicles will be more dispersed and dispersed. The fewer obstacles, the farther the wireless signal should travel, and the less interference and multipath distortion it experiences. Air vehicles will also affect how the system is designed.
Support automotive innovation
There are now several foundational technologies supporting this level of innovation in the automotive industry. Wireless connectivity and antenna design are one of them. Wideband gap (WBG) semiconductor switches are another. These automotive innovations are where technologies like silicon carbide and gallium nitride make their real impact.
WBG semiconductors generally offer higher efficiency than regular silicon devices. The use of WBG semiconductors has several implications for how power systems are designed. Affected central systems include battery management systems and on-board and off-board chargers. A power inverter is used to convert DC power from a battery (or equivalent) to AC power to drive a motor. The efficiency of these systems has a direct impact on range. Developers can achieve higher efficiencies by operating power devices at higher switching frequencies. These frequencies have design implications for passive and magnetic components used in switching circuits; in general, they are smaller—both in size and value. Switchgear itself is also shrinking in size as they can operate at higher temperatures.
As a supplier to the automotive, defense and aerospace industries, Yageo has extensive experience in helping OEMs develop reliable solutions to all of the above challenges. While some of the scenarios presented are speculative, many of these challenges are real today. The direction of the automotive industry now requires the right enabling technologies, and this is where suppliers like Yageo make a real and positive impact.