A 1.2 kV 100 kW Four-level ANPC Inverter with SiC Power Modules and Capacitor Voltage Balance for EV Traction Applications

Abstract

With the recent advances of Silicon Carbide (SiC) power devices and multilevel converter topologies, a combination of them can further push the performance boundaries of electric vehicle (EV) traction inverters while adapting to higher-voltage systems. Prospectively targeting a 1.2 kV dc-link for the next-generation EV powertrain, this paper presents the design and implementation of a 100 kW/1.2 kV three-phase inverter formed by a four-level active neutral point clamped (4L-ANPC) topology and full-SiC power modules. The built converter prototype is the first of its kind (1.2 kV+SiC+4L-ANPC), which is implemented by the commercial half-bridge SiC power modules and enabled by the latest voltage balancing technique based on redundant level modulation. The concept of the converter is validated with a built prototype in a 1 kV/8 kW downscaled rig.