AVL and VisIC: High-Power GaN Traction Inverter in Action
Real-world EV validation highlights the advantages of VisIC’s unique D³GaN technology for high-power, automotive-grade traction inverter applications.
VisIC Technologies is proud to contribute to the innovative AVL Tesla Demonstrator Vehicle, a development platform designed to showcase future electric propulsion technologies. Within the vehicle’s advanced GaN traction inverter, AVL selected VisIC’s automotive-grade D³GaN power module technology, demonstrating the capability of high-power GaN semiconductors in a real-world electric vehicle environment. According to AVL, the demonstrator features a high-efficiency GaN inverter utilizing VisIC power modules as part of its advanced electric drivetrain architecture.
The project brings together the expertise of AVL, NXP Semiconductors, and VisIC Technologies to explore how next-generation power electronics can improve efficiency, performance, and sustainability in electric vehicles.
Advancing Electric Mobility with D³GaN Technology
As electric vehicle manufacturers continue to pursue higher efficiency, increased power density, and lower system costs, wide-bandgap semiconductor technologies are becoming key enablers of next-generation drivetrain architectures.
VisIC’s proprietary D³GaN (Direct Drive GaN) technology was specifically developed for the demanding requirements of high-power automotive and industrial applications. Designed for traction inverter environments, D³GaN combines the efficiency benefits of GaN with the robustness, manufacturability, and long-term reliability required for automotive deployment.
Why D³GaN for Traction Inverters?
- Optimized for high-power traction inverter applications
- Automotive-grade robustness and reliability
- High efficiency across a wide operating range
- Reduced switching and conduction losses
- Increased power density
- Simplified inverter design
- Scalable platform for future EV powertrains
A key advantage of GaN technology is its significantly lower switching losses compared to conventional SiC-based solutions, particularly at higher switching frequencies. This benefit becomes especially important under real-world driving conditions, where electric vehicles spend the vast majority of their operating time at partial load rather than at peak power.
Lower switching losses enable the inverter to maintain high efficiency throughout the drive cycle, reducing energy losses and lowering cooling requirements. The result is a more efficient powertrain that can contribute to increased driving range, improved system efficiency, and more compact power electronic designs.
For vehicle manufacturers, these advantages can translate directly into:
- Higher partial-load efficiency
- Lower inverter losses throughout the drive cycle
- Reduced cooling requirements
- Increased system compactness
- Enhanced vehicle range
- Improved overall drivetrain efficiency
AVL Demonstrates the Future of High-Power GaN
The AVL Tesla Demonstrator represents one of the industry’s earliest implementations of a high-power GaN traction inverter in a complete vehicle environment. AVL states that the platform combines a high-speed e-axle, advanced power electronics, vehicle motion control, and a GaN inverter utilizing VisIC power modules to evaluate future electric drivetrain concepts.
AVL further highlights that the vehicle serves as a technology demonstrator for advanced electric propulsion systems featuring both SiC and GaN inverter options, high-speed electric machines, and next-generation vehicle control technologies. The demonstrator validates the growing role of GaN technology in one of the most demanding components of the electric powertrain: the traction inverter.
The project demonstrates how advanced GaN-based power electronics can deliver:
- Higher power density
- Increased drivetrain efficiency
- Compact inverter integration
- Reduced energy losses
- Improved overall EV performance
According to AVL, the demonstrator’s GaN drivetrain showcases inverter efficiencies of up to 99.6%, highlighting the potential of GaN technology for future high-volume electric vehicle platforms.
Featured Hardware
The VM030 D³GaN Power Module incorporates VisIC’s proprietary D³GaN technology and is engineered specifically for high-power automotive applications. By combining high efficiency, exceptional power density, and automotive-grade reliability, the VM030 helps unlock the full performance potential of GaN in traction inverter systems.
Accelerating the Adoption of GaN in Electric Vehicles
As the automotive industry continues its transition toward more efficient and sustainable electric mobility, power semiconductor innovation remains a critical enabler. The collaboration between AVL, NXP, and VisIC demonstrates how next-generation GaN power electronics can meet the demanding requirements of traction inverter applications while delivering meaningful improvements in efficiency, power density, and system performance.
By bringing D³GaN technology from the laboratory into a fully operational vehicle platform, VisIC continues to advance the commercialization of GaN for mainstream electric vehicle applications.