As electric vehicles are becoming viral, the manufacturers are showing more and more interest for the low, medium, and high voltage wire and cable. According to the International Energy Agency, the number of people using electric vehicles will increase from 3 million to 125 million by 2030. That number is 41 times what it is today, which is likely to happen with the increased demand for fossil fuels and their pollution problems. To this end, major IC car engine manufacturers such as Ford and GM are slowly turning their attention to electric vehicles. Consumers are demanding cheaper personal transportation, and more importantly, governments are starting to support EVs with policies. With all these facts in mind, it is clear that we will soon see electric cars on the road. In the past few years, many successful electric car manufacturers have emerged, such as Tesla, Kia Soul, Navistar, and Kennedy. For this reason, many improvements have been made in batteries and motors for electric vehicles. Electric cars, like regular cars, consist of many components connected by wires. But electric vehicles have many basic raw materials, as shown in the block diagram below.. The gasoline engine of the traditional IC car is replaced by an electric motor, and the fuel tank is replaced by a battery pack. Of all the components, the battery pack and the engine alone account for more than 50 percent of the car's total weight and price. As you can see, the battery pack, battery management system (BMS) controller, motor, and transmission unit are the main components of an electric vehicle. The battery pack is the fuel source for the car and since there are hundreds of cells that make up a cell, a special circuit is required to monitor these cells. This circuit is called a battery monitoring circuit. The DC voltage from the battery cannot be used to start the motor, so we need a motor controller, and the power transmission system transfers rotational energy from the motor to the wheels with some gear adjustments. Let's go through the details of each section to learn more about electric vehicles. Batteries are the fuel source for electric vehicles, but it is also important to know that batteries are not the only fuel source. There are other ways to power electric vehicles, such as fuel cells or large capacitors, but both are still under development and no cars on the road use them. The first thing you need to understand about batteries in an electric car is that unlike a cell phone, which only has one battery, in an electric car there are hundreds or thousands of cells connected together as a battery pack. For example, Tesla has 7000 cells and the Chevrolet Electric has 600 cells inside. The complete battery structure consists of cells, battery modules, and battery packs.
Low voltage cable for electric vehicles
The importance of low voltage wire and cable that transmit power and data through electric and hybrid vehicles for thousands of hours cannot be overstated. Before selecting and specifying cable requirements, however, one must first consider the mechanical stress they may be subjected to, as well as temperature requirements, chemical tolerances, EMI levels, and other factors. Depending on the vehicle specifications, its operation and the associated cables, different design simulation and testing techniques can be performed. These are often required to demonstrate the key performance characteristics of the cable according to UL and NEC standards for charging and SAE and ISO standards for internal cables. Although there is some generality regarding the quality of the copper material or the winding process, many different materials and methods can be used to insulate and shield each conductor depending on its application. Automotive electronics for systems such as radios, air conditioning, sensors and more are increasingly being designed as 48 V systems to replace traditional 12 and 24 V architectures. Although this power level is well below the voltages associated with batteries and traction motors, it still attracts a lot of attention as vehicle design requirements become more stringent. For example, 48 V systems require more attention to corrosion resistance, arc resistance and safety than 12 V systems. For example, 48 V may be considered "low voltage" compared to a battery cable, but the 48 V DC connection is still strong enough to cause fatal injury. Relatively speaking, 12-48 V cables can be manufactured using cheaper materials and designs than high voltage cables without risking safety, EMI, etc. For example, eccentric cables are undesirable in high voltage applications because noise and heat emissions can be unevenly distributed, and the voltage on one side of the insulation is higher than on the other. However, in low voltage cables this is not a problem and eccentric cables can still be used. Alternatively, insulation defects, such as uneven dispersion of certain components or particles, or mechanical defects, may not develop into problems in low-voltage cables. In high voltage cables, however, this defect is highly undesirable given the greater risk. 12-48V cables have lower levels of current, heat and electromagnetic radiation, which also means they can use less expensive insulation, such as PVC or other thermoplastic, due to the lower chance of melting and the risk of conductor exposure. The use of thermosets would go far beyond the insulation requirements of such wires and make these otherwise thin wires pointlessly thick and difficult to route. Higher frequency connections, such as those for advanced sensors in safety, autonomous or performance monitoring applications, use thinner cables. Vehicles are designed to use thinner wires than 48-50 AWG (0.03160- 0.02504 mm) due to operating frequencies above 1 MHz. Such diameters are difficult to manufacture reliably because they require high precision mechanical and tension control. They can also withstand only a few grams of tension before breaking. A single wire operating at very high operating frequencies may also be prone to losses. The skin effect, where the AC density near the conductor surface tends to be greater, causes the resistance of the conductor to increase with frequency, reducing the effective cross-section of the conductor and causing these losses. Proximity to other conductors carrying AC current in the same direction can also "crowd" the current, increasing resistance with increasing frequency and causing additional losses that can destroy system performance for the entire EV. Developers of EVs and HEVs, therefore, have the option of using special braided Litz wire, which is made of multiple strands of enameled wire twisted or twisted together for high frequency applications. Compared to typical winding wire, Litz wire reduces operating temperature and losses by distributing the current between several individually insulated wires. It also has greater mechanical flexibility than a single solid wire of the same diameter.
Low voltage wire for electric vehicles
Today, the attention of car manufacturers is drawn to electric vehicles, which is good news for low, medium, and high voltage wire and cable manufacturers. Car manufacturers in Japan, Europe, and the United States are all looking for solutions to reduce pollution from their cars, and the use of electric and hybrid engines is a possible solution to the problem. By the end of 2016, 159 hybrid and electric vehicles are expected to be on the market in the U.S., up from 31 in 2009. The production of electric cars is growing globally, and car manufacturers will introduce many new models of electric and hybrid cars in the coming year. The market for electric cars is expected to grow 20% annually, compared to just 4% for gasoline cars. Hybrid technology can allow car manufacturers to bring fuel consumption and pollution closer to the norm. However, mass production of electric and hybrid cars is challenged by the high costs of producing high-quality batteries. The purpose of a hybrid vehicle is to reduce fuel consumption by providing an energy source other than gasoline; therefore, when designing a hybrid vehicle, the needs of the wire and cable system should be considered. The electronic and electrical architecture of a hybrid car has its own challenges. Since the primary energy source for these vehicles is electricity, their component performance and safety require different standards. Battery packs, DC-DC converters, electric motors and electrical and electronic systems with high voltage capacity are becoming more and more complex every day. Hybrid cars, on the other hand, require more wires and cables than other cars. In addition to the 12 V system in a conventional car, a hybrid vehicle requires a high voltage system for electric driving. Electric propulsion requires a wire and cable that meet the electrical conductivity, mechanical flexibility, thermal capacity and safety requirements of hybrid vehicles. Electric car wires and cables are similar to petrol car wires and cables, except that the hybrid car's wires and cables are insulated with foil and copper. This isolation is even more necessary to reduce electromagnetic and radio frequency interference in hybrid vehicles. In petrol cars, capacitors, inductors and diodes are used to reduce noise. But insulated electronic parts and wires and cables in a hybrid car cost less; because gasoline-powered parts are so large and heavy, they are not used at all. Hybrid car technology is constantly changing, and the need for insulated wires and cables is increasing. To reduce the weight and cost of vehicle production, car manufacturers are turning to electric and hybrid vehicles, and they will need insulated wires and cables to reduce production noise. Due to insulation and thickness, cutting and installing wires and cables for hybrid vehicles requires special tools and equipment. Another major part is the high-voltage circuit used for connection, and special attention must be paid to its design. Insulating high voltage connections is also a mistake, as not insulating them can cause the connections to short out. By using silicone wires and cables and connecting insulation, moisture cannot enter them and fire cannot occur. High voltage systems require stronger insulators than 12V systems.