Rohm Semiconductor wins Lucid Motors as client
Rohm Semiconductor has announced that Lucid Motors is a client. The EV maker from California will use Rohm’s silicon carbide semiconductor (SiC MOSFET) in the Lucid Air’s onboard charger.
The semiconductors, silicon carbide metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors to be precise, will sit in Lucid’s ‘Wunderbox’, the central onboard charging unit in the Lucid Air. It integrates a DC-DC converter and the Bi-directional On-Board Charger.
Rohm’s device helps to ensure the power factor correction circuit is capable of operating at high switching frequencies. The resulting improved performance at high frequency and high temperature have helped Lucid reduce the size of Wunderbox and reduce power losses, which results in high charging efficiency, explains Rohm.
For example, tests found DC charging takes approximately 22 minutes, adding 300 miles in that time. The SiC MOSFET switched onboard charger can deliver up to 19.2 KW AC charging, adding up to 80 miles of range per hour, claims Rohm.
“It was important for Lucid to form strategic alignments with key EV power device suppliers to ensure our future success, said Eric Bach, Senior VP of Product and Chief Engineer at Lucid Group. “We were impressed with Rohm’s strategic investments to increase the production capacity of SiC products and its development of next-generation technologies.”
Kazuhide Ino, Rohm’s Managing Executive Officer, added the company would “continue to strengthen its SiC device lineup, delivering power solutions – such as the charging systems featured in the Lucid Air – that contribute to technological innovation in next-generation automobiles.”
When we last heard of Rohm in 2020, Continental’s drive division Vitesco Technologies had selected the company as its preferred partner for silicon carbide power semiconductors as reported. Vitesco Technologies will use Rohm’s SiC technologies to increase the efficiency of its power electronics for electric vehicles.
Rohm Semiconductor is a Japanese electronic parts manufacturer based in Kyoto, Japan. The company was founded in 1954 and designs and manufactures integrated circuits (ICs), semiconductors, and other electronic components.
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