Magnetics Business & Technology - January/February 2021 - 20

PRODUCT NEWS

Marelli Boosts Investment in EV Technologies through Partnership with GaN Semi Leader,
Transphorm
e-mobility scenario, the company says.
Some e-powertrain manufacturers, however, are moving toward
a different approach in the use of bar windings, favoring advancements in the development of straight bars or i-pin windings over
hair-pin. Advantages cited include increased thermal and electrical
efficiency along with a simpler and more economical production
process.

Leveraging its position as a complete e-power train provider and
fresh clout as a much larger company, Tier One automotive supplier
Marelli recently boosted its investment in electric vehicle technologies through a new partnership with Transphorm, a leading innovator in gallium nitride semiconductor technology. The deal will enable
Marelli to gain valuable access and insights into cutting edge technologies for the development of electric power converters, onboard
chargers and inverters for electric and hybrid vehicles.

Marelli e-powertrain systems feature PM synchronous motors with
hair-pin stators

Formerly known as Magneti Marelli, Marelli develops and produces
complete electric powertrain systems from 48V up to 800V able to
generate, manage, control and optimize the flow of energy in electric vehicles. The company builds on technology transfer from race
to road stemming from its activity in F1 and Formula E motorcar
competition and its experience in mass production of automotive
components.
Its production for the EV market focuses on advanced technologies such as permanent magnets synchronous motors with hairpin
stator designed to maximize power density and efficiency that
benefit overall vehicle electrical range and performance. Thanks to
its global footprint and long history as powertrain system integrator,
Marelli is a leading supplier for complete electric platform in the new

20

Magnetics Business & Technology * January/February 2021

Through the new partnership, Marelli and Transphorm will benefit
from knowledge and information exchange for new automotive
and EV power conversion solutions including on-board chargers,
DC-DC converters and powertrain Inverters. Working alongside
Transphorm engineers, Marelli engineers will apply their experience in manufacturing to advise and guide on the development
of e-powertrain solutions for electric vehicles and for motorsport
applications. Transphorm will exclusively cooperate with Marelli
for two years, to enable the development of new technologies for
electric vehicles. Transphorm is often cited as leading the Gallium
Nitride (GaN) revolution with its GaN devices for high voltage power
conversion applications.
" Electric Vehicle power conversion is fundamentally important to the future of electric
vehicles and investment in technologies like
this are critical to ensure the very highest
performance of electric vehicles at a lower
cost, " said Joachim Fetzer, CEO of electric
powertrain for Marelli. " We are delighted to
partner with Transphorm, who are true leaders in the market. This partnership allows us
to work with the Transphorm team to shape
and improve products that will ultimately
ensure improved performance, efficiency of
power electronics and ultimately lower the cost
of electric vehicles " .

Joachim Fetzer
CEO of
electric
powertrain for
Marelli

" Automotive and EVs represent one of the largest opportunities for
GaN in power conversion and our partnership with a global leader
like Marelli is a strong testament to the quality, reliability, manufacturing and overall product performance of our GaN Solutions, "
commented Primit Parikh, co-founder and chief operation officer
of Transphorm. " The long-term innovative system level vision of
the Marelli electric powertrain team will be extremely valuable in
furthering GaN in the electric vehicle " .
The deal follows Marelli's vault a year ago to rebrand itself from
Magneti Marelli as it moved higher up the ladder as a comprehensive global automotive supplier. Acquired earlier by Japanese automotive supplier Calsonic Kansei, the combined operation chose to
unite under a single worldwide brand, Marelli. Now with combined
revenues of about 14.6 billion Euro, Marelli became the seventh
largest automotive supplier. With 62,000 employees, it operates
170 facilities and R&D centers across Europe, North America,
South America and Asia Pacific. It is headquartered in Saitama,
Japan, shown in top photo, at the site of the former Calsonic Kansei
base and also has an operational headquarters in Italy at the former
Magneti Marelli site.
See www.marelli.com.

www.MagneticsMag.com
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