The Grid Reducing on-resistance in e-bike designs Renesas has used the devices in several reference designs, including a three-in-one EV unit with inverter, onboard charger and DC-DC converter. The silicon MOSFETs are used alongside gallium nitride (GaN) transistors in the LLC converter stage of the design, with GaN transistors in the power-factor correction (PFC) front end. The design combines an RH850 automotive microcontroller (MCU) to handle multiple control functions simultaneously, reducing bill-of-material (BoM) count and system complexity. The MCU includes an internal resolver/digital converter (RDC2) and a motor-control unit (EMU2) to control the GaN and silicon switches with minimal CPU involvement. Integrating these multiple functions into a centralised unit also reduces the complexity of the wiring harness in the end design, reducing costs. The 100 V MOSFETs come in industrystandard TOLL and TOLG packages, which are pin-compatible with devices from other manufacturers, but half the size of the traditional TO-263 packages. The TOLL package offers wettable flanks, allowing for optical inspection, making the assembly of printed circuit boards quicker and more reliable. TRANSISTORS 8 MARITIME Having a whale of a time in an offshore vessel Corvus Energy is to supply a 25 MWh battery system for the world’s first fully-electric offshore sea vessel, writes Nick Flaherty. The vessel is an electric Commissioning Service Operation Vessel (eCSOV) that will be constructed by Armon shipyard in Spain for UK-based shipowner Bibby Marine. Corvus Energy will supply its Blue Whale Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) with 25 MWh of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries. This is the largest LFP system ever delivered to a maritime project, as the eCSOV has to travel out to wind turbines to provide maintenance over several days. Corvus Energy has been working closely with Bibby and Armon on the size and optimisation of the system. The battery pack is the primary power source, with engines running solely for charging at a constant, optimised load that maximises efficiency and extends battery life. The DC grid architecture in the vessel reduces energy losses and allows for simultaneous battery charging while maintaining dynamic positioning (DP) for station-keeping close to the turbines. This is a first for a service operation vessel (SOV). “A fully-electric offshore vessel is something the industry has been working towards for a long time and marks a major milestone in offshore vessel operations,” said Pål-Ove Husøy, vice-president of sales at Corvus Energy. “This eCSOV will be the first offshore vessel that can operate fully-electric for a full day and it will set a new standard for future offshore vessels.” Equipment from Corvus Energy will be delivered to the shipyard in 2026, and the vessel is scheduled for operation in 2027, supporting the commissioning and operation of windfarms. Renesas Electronics has developed a new process technology for more efficient, 100 V silicon MOSFET transistors in e-bike designs, writes Nick Flaherty. The REXFET-1 process reduces on-resistance between the drain and source by 30% to 1.5 mO, which cuts losses and boosts efficiency. The process technology is being used for a series of N-channel 100 V MOSFETs for battery management systems and power management for e-bikes, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and charging stations. March/April 2025 | E-Mobility Engineering An electric eCSOV (Image courtesy of Bibby Marine)
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