Karma Automotive Develops New Traction Inverter to Enhance EV Charging

Karma Automotive, the high-tech maker of beautiful luxury cars has announced that it is in the final stage of developing two new Silicon Carbide (SiC) Inverters which can significantly enhance the charge of electric vehicles.

The new traction inverter uses Silicon Carbide Semiconductors (SiC) to make electric vehicles more efficient and to enhance their performance. Karma has designed a new flexible EV architecture that can be adapted easily for various vehicle platforms and Karma plans to make it available to other companies. The flexible architecture design in the 400V and 800V systems can significantly enhance the viability of the vehicles made by partner EV companies.

Karma’s Power Electronics Team made the new SiC traction inverters in-house in collaboration with the Power Electronic System Laboratory at the University of Arkansas (PESLA). The SiC traction inverters have been specially engineered to deliver enhanced efficiency and performance and will be used in both future Karma vehicles and company partners. This flexible architecture design in a 400V system can be customized to fit various vehicle platforms and is also available in 800V power levels to leverage higher voltage for fast charging. The new inverters are also meant to be compatible for diverse industries including automotive, aircraft, train, agriculture and industrial applications.

Many companies, even big ones like Volkswagen are still in the process of developing their SiC inverters, and Karma has a definite advantage in this market with its ready-for-market SiC traction inverters. Karma had also earlier developed its very own insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) based traction inverter that it currently uses in its 2020 Revero GT and GTS luxury electric vehicles.

The development the new SiC power inverters marks a significant advance for Karma Automotive as its recently launched E-Flex Platform range comprises a series of highly versatile platforms. These platforms can be used for a wide range of vehicles from autonomous utility vans for last-mile deliveries, to daily use vehicles for commuting and even luxury supercars. Manufacturers can use this platform to expedite their development of electric vehicles which are more efficient.

“Electrification represents a pivotal shift in the mobility industry, which is why Karma is focusing company efforts on our technology capabilities and solutions for our partners,” said Karma Automotive CEO, Dr. Lance Zhou. “Our SiC inverters, coupled with our upcoming Karma E-Flex Platforms, are a testament to the revolutionary performance and efficiency we are proud to bring to the electric mobility industry.”