PNGV, Suppliers Tackle Low-Cost Vehicle Power Module
18 August 1998
PNGV, Suppliers Tackle Low-Cost Vehicle Power Module PNGV Director Steve Zimmer and PNGV Government Technical Task Force Chairman George Joy, along with representatives from USCAR and two national laboratories, met on July 8 with leading electronics suppliers to urge their involvement in the development of the power module, or "brains," of tomorrow's hybrid or electric vehicles."The AIPM (automotive integrated power module) acts like a switchboard within a hybrid or electric vehicle by regulating, directing and converting electrical currents between the battery, drive motor, power accessories and generator," said Owen Viergutz, PNGV's technical director overseeing the electrical and electronics technical team. "The device manages the flow of electrical power through a high voltage bus to allow the vehicle to respond to driver inputs quickly."
Currently, no single company is believed to have the technical know-how to design and produce a small, lightweight, and, most importantly, affordable AIPM. By reviewing the specifications with suppliers, PNGV officials hope to invigorate supplier involvement in the development of tomorrow's AIPM by opening the channels of communication and sparking their interest in the future product needs of Chrysler, Ford and General Motors.
USCAR Business Planning Analyst Cynthia
Luciani emphasized, "It's critical for suppliers and the car
companies to begin a dialogue at the system-level
specification stage. This helps ensure that both parties can work together
to meet the PNGV performance and affordability goals."
Furthermore, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced that it is asking interested suppliers to join in cooperative research and development agreements (CRADAs) to research and develop power modules. DOE said that it would provide $10 million apiece for initiation of up to two CRADAs based on a 50 percent cost share. Information on the proposed CRADAs can found on DOE's Web site at http://www.ch.doe.gov/business/ACQ.htm, under the heading, "Current Acquisition Activities."
Meeting participants included representatives
from Harris Semiconductor of Latham, N.Y.; Dana Technical Resource of Ottawa
Lake, Mich.; Semikron of Laguna Niguel, Calif.; International Rectifier
of El Segundo, Calif.; Siemens of Auburn Hills, Mich.; Delphi Automotive
Systems of Indianapolis; SATCON of Cambridge, Mass.; Unique Mobility of
Golden, Colo.; Lockheed-Martin of Johnson City, N.Y.; Northrup-Grumman
Corp. and Motorola of Rochester Hills, Mich. Besides several representatives
from Chrysler, Ford and General Motors, other PNGV attendees included
researchers from Argonne (Ill.) National Laboratory and Oak Ridge (Tenn.)
National Laboratory.