Transphorm releases new charger designs
New design tools bring GaN benefits to two- and three-wheeled EVs
Transphorm has launched two new reference designs that are suitable for two- and three-wheeled EVs. The 300 W and 600 W Constant Current/Constant Voltage (CC/CV) battery chargers use the company’s 70 and 150 milliohm SuperGaN devices to deliver efficient AC-to-DC power conversion with high power density at competitive costs.
The reference designs are intended to enable high volume production of chargers for two- and three-wheel EVs, of which over 14 million and over 45 million are sold annually in India and China respectively. The reference designs can also be used for a variety of applications including fast charging, LED dimmable drivers, gaming consoles, and high-performance laptops.
The Constant Current/Constant Voltage (CC/CV) lithium-ion battery charging method uses constant current in the initial stage of charging and then switches to constant voltage in later stages of charging when the battery reaches the set charge level. This ensures batteries are not overcharged.
The 300 W and 600 W reference designs pair the SuperGaN FETs and controllers in the popular power factor correction (PFC) and resonant LLC topologies, with the LLC being specifically designed for a wide battery range (from empty to full charge).
The reference designs use pure analogue controllers versus digital controllers that require firmware. This configuration offers reduced development time, and elimination of the need for potentially complex firmware programming/maintenance, according to the company.
