Hillcrest Energy Technologies (CSE:HEAT, OTCQB:HLRTF) announced that it achieved breakthrough results on the interim proof of concept (PoC) testing of its High-Efficiency Inverter (HEI), confirming the ability to eliminate switching losses and increase switching frequencies without raising temperatures.
The Vancouver, British Columbia-based company’s first PoC is a 10kW/800V silicon carbide (SiC) inverter being used to test performance and efficiency benefits for future electric vehicles and other e-mobility powertrains.
“The company believes its HEI technology has the potential to offer a new class of energy densities in inverters and electric machines. The ability to completely eliminate the switching losses places our HEI at the boundary of what’s physically possible for inverter efficiency,” said Ari Berger, Hillcrest chief technology officer in a statement.
READ: Hillcrest Energy expects to have proof-of-concept of its next-generation High Efficiency Inverter by end of 4Q
The testing parameters for the first PoC inverter ranged from 470V to 870V, with a tripling of frequencies from 20kHz to 60 kHz at each voltage level.
The company said that in each case, the HEI successfully demonstrated its ability to increase switching frequencies without increasing the temperatures under continuous operation.
In the case of conventional silicon carbide inverters, for comparison, increasing switching frequencies from 20kHz to 40kHz typically results in a temperature increase of 20-30 degrees celsius in some applications, increasing further to 60kHz typically increases temperatures in some applications by 40-60 degrees celsius.
“We’ve now demonstrated our ability to eliminate switching losses and increase switching frequencies in the HEI, effectively nullifying the long-term tradeoff faced in today’s inverters,” Berger said.
He continued: “As a result, we can realize increased efficiency and higher energy density, allowing for the use of smaller components and reduced cooling requirements not only in the HEI itself but potentially across the powertrain system. These advances may, in turn, allow for the realization of lower overall cost and increased potential performance.”
The company told its investors that additional details relating to results will be provided by Berger and Harald Hengstenberger, founder of the company’s hardware development partner Systematec GmbH, and Hillcrest CEO, Don Currie, on an investor webinar scheduled for November 2, 2021 at 4:05pm EST with Amvest Capital.
Hillcrest is a cleantech innovation company developing transformative power conversion devices and control systems for next-generation powertrains and charging applications. The company is transitioning from the production of fossil fuels from its West Hazel asset in Saskatchewan, to clean energy technologies that help unlock efficiencies in electrification and maximize the performance of electric systems including electric vehicles.
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