Hardware simulator of DC–AC inverters for electric compressors

Abstract

This paper presents development of a hardware simulator for the DC–AC inverters of electric compressors (e-compressors). In general, early-release EVs often feature a nominal battery voltage of around 400 V. However, EVs with a 400 V battery have drawbacks such as slow battery charging speeds and limited driving distances. To overcome these drawbacks, the nominal battery voltage has recently been increased from 400 V to around 800 V. Accordingly, research on electrical components applicable to EVs with an 800 V battery has been conducted. However, research on the DC–AC inverter used in the e-compressor, as a core component of an electric air conditioning system for EVs with 800 V battery, is insufficient. Therefore, the development of a hardware simulator of DC–AC inverters for the e-compressors used in EVs with an 800 V battery is proposed in this paper. The validity of the proposed hardware simulator is verified by experimental results.