What can Silicon Carbide Devices Bring to New Energy Vehicles?

The World Platinum Investment Association (WPIC) said recently that carmakers are accelerating reductions in palladium use and increased use of platinum due to concerns about Russian palladium supplies. However, it still expects a significant surplus in the platinum market this year.

Palladium is used by carmakers in tailpipe emissions systems to reduce carbon emissions.  While carmakers prefer palladium for catalytic converters, they are turning to platinum, which is cheaper than palladium, to save costs.

Russia accounts for about 25-30% of the world's palladium supply and 8-10% of its platinum supply.

There is no sign that western sanctions against Russia have restricted palladium exports since the conflict escalated in February, but as the conflict continues, more companies could boycott The Russian metal and governments could impose restrictions.

Platinum is currently trading at about $950 an ounce, about half the price of palladium.  Automakers use about 2.5 million to 3 million ounces of platinum and about 8.5 million ounces of palladium each year.

For the year as a whole, platinum supply will be 5 percent lower than in 2021 and demand 2 percent higher, with the automotive sector seeing a 16 percent increase due to increased light vehicle silicon carbide powder are still very uncertain.

What is Silicon Carbide SiC?
Silicon carbide (SiC) is a hard compound containing silicon and carbon. A semiconductor, it is found in nature in the form of the extremely rare mineral moxanite. 
It has been mass-produced in powder and crystal form since 1893 for use as an abrasive.  Silicon carbide particles can be sintered together to form very hard ceramics that are widely used in applications requiring high durability, such as ceramic plates in car brakes, car clutches, and bulletproof vests. Large silicon carbide single crystals can be grown by the Lely method, and they can be cut into gemstones called synthetic mossanes. 
 
What can Silicon Carbide Devices Bring to New Energy Vehicles?
Silicon carbide power devices have been used in critical power systems inside electric vehicles, including traction inverters, on-board chargers (OBC), and DC-DC converters.  Key advantages over traditional silicon devices include higher voltage and higher frequency features, resulting in higher system efficiency, faster switching, lower losses, and better thermal management. Compared with silicon-based devices, silicon carbide devices have the following advantages:
 
Lift acceleration 
The use of silicon carbide devices can make the driving motor bear more input power at low speed, and because of its high thermal performance, not afraid of the thermal effect and power loss caused by excessive current. When the vehicle starts, the driving motor can output more torque and obtain stronger acceleration ability. 
 
Increase mileage 
SiC devices can reduce the loss through two dimensions of conduction/switching, so as to achieve the purpose of increasing the range of electric vehicles. The results show that the turn-off loss of sic-MOS is about 20% of that of Si-IGBT at 25°C junction temperature. At 175°C junction temperature, the turn-off loss of sic-MOS is only 10% of that of SI-IGBT.  In general, the use of SiC devices in new energy vehicles can increase the driving range by 5-10%, and the average driving range is more than 600 kilometers. 
 
High rated voltage 
Silicon carbide MOSFET has a higher voltage rating, making the technology suitable for EV applications and EV quick charging infrastructure. More importantly, the SiC can be replaced directly without major changes, enabling rapid development while keeping the BOM low. 
 
Lightweight 
To achieve lightweight thanks to the superior performance of SiC, SiC devices can achieve the effect of reducing the volume in the following aspects: 
1, the package size is smaller, and the average weight is reduced by 150 to 200 kg; 
2, reduce the use of filters and passive devices such as transformers, capacitors, inductors, etc.; 
3, reduce the radiator volume. 
 
Economical
At present, the price of SiC devices is 4-6 times that of silicon based devices, but the use of SiC devices to achieve a substantial reduction in battery cost and the improvement of the range, reducing the overall cost of the vehicle.
 
Silicon Carbide Price
The price is influenced by many factors including the supply and demand in the market, industry trends, economic activity, market sentiment, and unexpected events.
If you are looking for the latest SiC price, you can send us your inquiry for a quote. ([email protected])
 
Silicon Carbide Supplier
Luoyang Tongrun Nano Technology Co. Ltd. (TRUNNANO) is a trusted global chemical material supplier & manufacturer with over 12-year-experience in providing super high-quality chemicals and nanomaterials including silicon powder, nitride powder, graphite powder, zinc sulfide, calcium nitride, 3D printing powder, etc.
If you are looking for high-quality SiC, please feel free to contact us and send an inquiry. ([email protected])
 

Bola Carbon, the global black carbon giant, recently announced that it is raising the price of all black carbon silicon carbide powder.

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