On-board motor drive converter is the most important part of electric vehicle (EV) drive while the power semiconductor devices are its core. Comparison and analysis of EV drive converters, from mini car to big bus, are presented in terms of topology, control scheme and various key indexes such as power density etc. It is concluded that power semiconductor chip and its packaging are the highlight of innovation. The development of IGBT chip and its packaging technologies are described. The characteristics of silicon carbide are introduced. Further SiC device and its application research area are also discussed.

electric vehicle  /  convertor  /  insulated gate bipolar transistor  /  silicon carbide device