Hillcrest Energy Technologies Ltd (CSE:HEAT, OTCQB:HLRTF) earlier this month unveiled its next-generation electric vehicle (EV) inverter which features its new zero voltage switching (ZVS) enabled power modules.
Power modules drive an inverter’s power-switching functions and offer improved manufacturability, thermal control and reliability while reducing costs when compared to individual components.
Hillcrest said its new ZVS-enabled power modules elevate the performance and power density of its EV inverter, which is currently undergoing testing and demonstration programs with potential customers.
The standalone sales of its ZVS-enabled power models could also be a new potential revenue stream for the company.
The company’s chief commercialization officer James Bolen recently joined Proactive to discuss the achievement.
Proactive: Tell us about this latest milestone.
JB: We have completed our ZVS-enabled power module. ZVS is zero voltage switching, our core technology. We have been working on this power module, which is a ground-up power module, designed to optimize zero voltage switching.
How does it compare to what’s on the market now?
For some background, power modules have existed for a long time. When we first set out, we were buying off-the-shelf power modules and then as we moved down the road, successfully, we decided to design our own.
The original intent was just to optimize our own inverter and we’ve done that. Our current round of testing we’re doing with customers is incorporating these new power modules into the inverter.
What we’ve discovered is that this design of our power modules lends itself well to some things we didn’t anticipate it would at first. It has very high power density, really good thermal control, high reliability, and very good manufacturability, so there are some cost savings and real flexibility.
It also opens up a potential new revenue stream for the company as well, right?
There is a market for power modules alone that is over $2.5 billion per year and growing at more than 10% per year. So, we would be well positioned in that market given some of the attributes of our power module that I’ve talked about.
Is that something you’ll be pushing in 2024?
Luckily, we’ve got a built-in test platform so we’re going to be able to prove it out shortly. Then we will in parallel with other opportunities explore just the power module market.
Could you name some of the sectors that you’d be looking at?
In automotive, those who make converters could choose to use our power modules instead of the ones that they are currently using. There are a number of stationary applications we’re looking at as well.
The way that it is designed also allows for a lot of cost flexibility because all we have to do is change the dimensions to change the power output, so our customers can save money without having to do a product redesign. It’s very modular, so very easy for third parties to integrate it within their own systems.
Quotes have been edited for clarity and style