Woking, 27 January 2023 – McLaren Applied enjoyed a successful evening at the E-Mobility Awards, picking up four awards. The British engineering and technology pioneer was awarded the ‘Prix d’Honneur’ overall top prize, as well as winning the ‘Emobility/EV design and/or engineering team’ award during a ceremony at the British Motor Museum in Gaydon. The company also picked up Merit Awards in the ‘Emobility electronics/software team’ and ‘Emobility/EV Engineering Ingenuity’ categories.
The awards recognise the skill and hard work that has gone into developing the McLaren Applied IPG5 800V silicon carbide inverter. At just 3.79L in size and weighing 5.5 kilograms, IPG5 provides unrivalled power density, efficiency and motor control.
“McLaren Applied has been pushing the boundaries of inverter technology for over 10 years, through high-performance automotive and motorsport applications,” said Shakeel Meharban, Director of Automotive at McLaren Applied. “These awards celebrate the hard work and dedication of the team that has developed and brought the IPG5 inverter to market, offering carmakers the opportunity to differentiate their EV products through best-in-class power density and motor control.”
Derived from decades of innovation in top tier automotive and motorsports applications, McLaren Applied’s IPG5 is highly controllable, offering variable switching frequencies and unparalleled motor response. The variability in switching frequency up to 32kHz enables engineers to use a faster, more efficient and lightweight drivetrain.
The automotive team at McLaren Applied sees efficiency as leading what it describes as the next ‘wave’ of electrification. The first involved early pioneers of technology, the second, current wave is denoted by the breakthrough of EVs to the mainstream. The third stage is efficiency and will see inverter technology rapidly adopt silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductors, especially in 800V architectures and vehicles that need longer range where efficient power electronics are key.
The fourth stage focuses on improving margin by reducing cost and increasing product differentiation. The McLaren Applied IPG5 inverter helps OEMs achieve this by improving drivability and adding character back into the powertrains of electric vehicles, enhancing driver engagement. High switching frequencies and the ability to control the drivetrain more sensitively enables OEMs to start programming different characteristics into the drivetrain.
The next-generation IPG5 800V silicon carbide inverter can power electric motors to more than 400kW peak, 250 kW continuous, at an unprecedented weight and volume. It has been designed for automotive applications, including direct drive, that are capable of operating high-speed motors efficiently and adhere to ISO 26262 ASIL-D standards.
