Abrasive Grain--Sic: The Power of New Energy Vehicles

Tesla Models have been a best seller in the world market for more than half a year, and it has facilitated the Chinese automobile market ability to develop towards new energy, new power, and new technology. What's behind the popularity is the further development of the abrasive grain--silicon carbide and the growing maturity of new application.

Wide band gap materials such as silicon carbide and gallium nitride have become more important in the pure electric vehicle technology field, especially automobile battery manufacturing. According to Lux Research Institute's forecast, silicon carbide will replace silicon in automobile battery manufacturing.

Economists have also shown a keen interest in wide band gap materials. For a Tesla Model S, a silicon carbide battery can help save 20% of energy, equal to a battery manufacturing cost reduction of 6,000 dollars, and the entire automobile cost will be lowered by 8%. For automobile manufacturers, automobile battery production cost has been a focus.

According to Lux researcher--Pallavi Madakasira's analysis, highly-efficient power devices can shrink automobile battery sizes substantially, thus further optimizing bus lines, thermal management systems, and the entire weight of the automobile.

In the future, wide band gap materials applied in the automobile industry will mainly benefit from the following points:

Lower Energy-Saving Threshold

If battery costs are reduced to 250 dollars per kilowatt, saving energy by 2%, then silicon carbide crystal is the only cost-effective solution; however, the energy-saving limit of pure electric vehicles that needs to be charged can usually reach 5% or so, which causes a decline in energy-saving threshold substantially. 

Low Technical Restrictions

At present, in terms of the technology development level, the R & D and application of silicon carbide crystal diode are further along than gallium nitride technology so that it can survive in the market. According to Lux, silicon carbide crystal diode is likely to be applied in an all-round way in automobile production.

Government Policy Support

Currently, major automobile producers like America, Japan, and Great Britain all provide special funding for power electronic equipment research and application. The American energy department has invested 69,000,000 dollars in silicon carbide automobile battery research and development. The Japanese government has cooperated with auto giants like Toyota, Honda, and Nissan to establish a system of production and study. According to a report in July, 14 countries and 25 electric energy companies globally have begun to offer silicon carbide electric automobile quotations and tariffs.