In an interview with AutoEV Times, Vijay Bolloju, Director – R&D, iVP Semi, speaks about the transformative role of semiconductors in electric vehicles. He discusses advances in power electronics, battery management, intelligent controls, connectivity, and India’s semiconductor ambitions, while highlighting the importance of indigenous manufacturing, resilient supply chains, and collaborative industry efforts to drive efficient, reliable, and future-ready electric mobility across the country.
Read the full interview here:
AET: Semiconductors are at the heart of modern EVs. How is semiconductor innovation transforming vehicle performance, energy efficiency, and overall driving experience?
Automotive industry in general and EVs in specifically rely on Semiconductors to enhance functionality, performance, safety, reliability, and the driving experience. EVs run on Power Electronic systems like Traction inverters, BMS, OBC, DCDC converters, Body Electronics etc. Each of these units can contribute to the performance and energy efficiency.
Choosing the right architecture and right device technologies can improve these metrics. Now a variety of Power device technologies available to deliver enhanced performance and energy efficiency of different subsystems. Thermal management and mechanical integration of High-Power Electronics systems can enhance the performance, energy efficiency, and reliability of the systems. Non-semiconductor materials selection can have a major impact on system performance. So, a wholistic consideration of contribution of every component, material and processes is important to achieve the performance and energy efficiency goals.
AET: Intelligent power management is critical for extending EV range and optimizing battery performance. What role do advanced semiconductor technologies play in achieving these goals?
The battery performance, safety and range are critical for EVs. Semiconductors play a vital role in ensuring these metrics. The range is a function of battery capacity, type and age of the battery and the efficiency of the power electronics systems. The major energy guzzler in the EVs is the traction motor and the inverter.
The weight of the electronics reduces the static energy required to accelerate the vehicle from rest and kinetic energy required to cruise at speed. Low dead weight helps in extending the Range. The major energy guzzler in the EVs is the traction motor and the inverter.
Choosing the right motor with high torque-weight ratio, high efficiency is particularly important to deliver desired performance and reduce energy loss. Today, we are witnessing several advancements in the power semiconductors. With the rolling out of power devices with wide band gap materials can improve energy efficiency and reduce the weight of the inverters. These can help increase the range of the EVs.
Intelligent controls with the aid of edge AI can utilize smart sensors and ECUs to optimize the performance of electronic systems to improve the driver experience and enhanced range.
AET: As EVs become increasingly connected and software-driven, how are semiconductors contributing to enhanced vehicle safety, reliability, and connectivity?
Real time data collection and processing can help the drivers get notifications about the vehicle health, Battery performance, and maintenance updates etc. Connectivity also can help the OEMs to monitor the system’s health and predict the maintenance needs thus improving the reliability of the systems.
OEMs can also update the firmware over the air without the vehicle owners visiting service stations. Updates could be software patches to fix bugs or upgrades to improve the performance and enhance driving experience.
Software-driven vehicles can also provide ADAS and driver- monitoring features to ensure the safety of the driver and passengers. Real-time data collected by connected vehicles and sent to cloud servers can support crash investigations, insurance claims, and emergency responses. It can also help alert emergency services quickly, enabling timely assistance to those affected.
AET: Battery Management Systems (BMS), power electronics, and motor control units are key EV components. Which semiconductor advancements are having the greatest impact on these systems today?
BMS system architecture, control methods, battery cell types can improve the performance, safety, and range of vehicles.
The most power loss in the Battery pack incurs in the Charge / Discharge switches. This can be optimized by using well-designed, integrated bidirectional solid-state relays / contactors. These solid-state relays with better thermal performance and protection features can reduce the overall size, power loss, and extend the operating life. Wide band-gap devices with low ON-Resistance and bidirectional conduction can reduce the losses and size of these contactors.
Traction inverters are the major energy guzzlers in EV systems. Optimizing the performance of the traction inverters can improve the range and driver experience. A wholistically designed traction system with Power electronics design with right devices, motor type and software algorithms can result in a compact, efficient solution. This can enhance reliability and energy efficiency and hence the range.
Traction inverters typically Switch around 20 kHz and need robust short circuit performance. They also need to perform under harsh environments such as high ambient temperatures and vibrations. Silicon IGBTs perform well under these conditions. IGBTs designed specifically these operating conditions can result in high energy efficiency reliability.
New power electronics packages such as TOLL and TOLT also help to enhance the power electronics systems.
AET: India is striving to strengthen its domestic semiconductor ecosystem. What opportunities do you see for indigenous semiconductor development in supporting the country’s electric mobility ambitions?
India’s EV eco system is off to a great start. But it is mostly powered by imported components and systems. That is natural for an industry in its nascent stage and helps it grow the roots. But, for the EV industry in India to be self-sustaining, India needs to develop its own semiconductor eco system.
India has excellent system design and manufacturing eco system. India now needs to focus on building its own semiconductor design and manufacturing eco system. Semiconductor manufacturing has two major components – wafer fabrication (FABs) units and Outsourced Assembly and test (OSATs). India Semiconductor Mission has helped build several OSATs. They begin production shortly. The FAB unit being built by TATA group is expected to go online in a couple of years.
For India to foray into semiconductor manufacturing quickly and with reasonable investments, it needs to focus on silicon power devices (MOSFETs diodes, and IGBTs). They use legacy nodes and processes and require low investments and easy to find technology partners. EV 2W & 3W with low voltage battery architectures are powered by low Voltage MOSFETs and 4W & Commercial vehicle platforms can use IGBTs to power them. These 2 technology platforms constitute about 80%-90% of power electronics need for EVs.
Chargers and DCDC converters may use wide band-gap devices, and they can be sourced for imported suppliers in the short term. Indigenously developed RISC V processors can be manufactured and utilized for the developing the control systems.
AET: What are the key challenges in building a resilient semiconductor supply chain for the EV industry, and how can industry stakeholders collaborate to address them?
India has immense demand for the semiconductors. India has the capital funding capacity, and skill sets to build the semiconductors. But the key challenge is the price pressure for imported components and systems.
The mature manufacturing markets can offer low prices due to immense volume production systems they have. They can offer low unit prices. India being late to the party needs to build capacity and scale. The costs in the initial years will be higher than what you can get from commodity market.
The OEMs, ODMs and Tier-I companies need to pledge to support local companies trying to build capacity. They need to be part of the India semiconductor story and invest in it. This is what happens in developed markets. Once the Indian semiconductor industry scales, it will achieve the price parity with the imported components and systems.
The volatile geopolitical situation is also a strong motivator for building local semiconductor eco-system. it provides comfort of supply chain resilience. The additional benefits of supporting local semiconductor manufacturers are local application and technical support, after sales support, faster deliveries, elimination of customs hassles, easy customizations, lower costs for the shuttles. This also leads to novel device and package designs through Indian magic – Jugaad.
