Highly Efficient and Power-dense GaN-Based Drive-train Inverter for Light Electric Vehicles

Though a great amount of literature is available on wide-bandgap (WBG) devices based drive-train inverter development for medium or high power electric-vehicles (EVs), there is meagre literature on the same for light electric-vehicles (lEVs). This paper investigates the optimal design, operation and hardware development of a GaN-based drive-inverter for a typical lEV drive-train. It can be observed that for a GaN-based 10 kVA drive-inverter with 72 V DC-link voltage, optimized design and operation can lead to an efficiency of ~99% and power-density of ~48 kVA/L. A GaN-based, 72 V DC-link, 10 kVA drive-train inverter’s experimental prototype is fabricated and operated according to the obtained optimized parameters, and its associated experimental results provide comprehensive verification of the drive-inverter’s performance.