Hillcrest Energy Technologies (CSE:HEAT, OTCQB:HLRTF) Ltd said it has commenced manufacturing of the first Proof of Concept (PoC) prototype for its next-generation High Efficiency Inverter (HEI).
Having successfully completed engineering simulations more quickly than initially anticipated, the company said its expedited development efforts are expected to result in its HEI technology being ready for PoC testing in the fourth quarter of 2021.
Hillcrest said its 10kW/800V PoC inverter is expected to deliver both significant power efficiency gains and substantial cost benefits for future electric vehicles (EVs) and other e-mobility powertrains, as well as grid-connected renewable energy generation and storage systems.
READ: Hillcrest Energy introduces first tech development initiative to radically boost performance of future electric systems
Today's inverters are typically subject to various performance-limiting engineering trade-offs, but Hillcrest said its HEI will offer frictionless integration into any existing system and deliver superior performance over current inverter technologies by eliminating or reducing a number of these trade-offs -- such as switching frequency versus efficiency, and electromagnetic interference (EMI) versus power density.
In addition, Hillcrest's inverter is expected to reduce heat generated, thereby reducing system cooling requirements, which in turn results in higher power density, lower costs, and increased range for EVs. Combined, these efficiency gains from Hillcrest's HEI technology are expected to shrink the size and weight of powertrains enabling future EVs to be lighter, simpler, and more cost-effective.
The company noted that with renewable energy generation applications, such as wind and solar, higher inverter efficiencies would add significant value by converting more usable energy from renewable sources to increase power output.
"This will be an important milestone for our HEI project, and I credit our exceptional team for their vision to move quickly and deliver," said Hillcrest CEO Don Currie in a statement. "As we turn our attention to manufacturing our first PoC inverter, we will continue to focus on target applications and commercialization paths.
"Extensive market opportunities and our proprietary technology offerings position Hillcrest to emerge as an industry leader of high-performance, high-value electrification solutions that support global sustainability objectives."
New engineer appointed
Meanwhile, the company also announced that Jalal Amini has joined the Hillcrest team as Power Electronics Engineer, with particular experience in power grid applications including embedded control software as well as energy storage systems.
"We are rapidly growing our Company's technical capability. Mr. Amini's extensive grid power systems design expertise, coupled with his experience designing energy storage systems and control software, greatly complements our existing capabilities with Systematec GmbH and will help further accelerate progress on both our current projects as well as those in the future," said Ari Berger, Hillcrest’s CTO.
Contact the author: patrick@proactiveinvestors.com
Follow him on Twitter @PatrickMGraham