Issue link: https://te.mouser.com/i/1349092
TE Connectivity Trend Paper /// Connectivity for Next-Generation Mobility Page 7 Connectivity for Next-Generation Mobility hicles overnight, it means they prob- ably spend no more than 300-400 minutes at a charging station each year which is comparable to an ICE owner who might spend a similar amount at a fuel pump with 50 stops a year. For that reason, a major focus of elec- tric powertrain design is on the one hand how to achieve fast charging in order to support city based electro- mobility for vehicle users with short- er travelling distances but with only street-based parking available and a requirement to be able to visit a charging station and quickly charge their vehicle as required. On the other hand, slower AC charging remains as the most com- mon and lower cost charging mode, as AC power (typical 1 phase 16A, up to 3 phase 32A) is widely avail- able and enables battery recharge at home and at work. It requires an onboard AC/DC charging converter and if this unit is working bidirection- ally it could deliver energy back from the battery to the grid to support peak load sharing on grid level. Such technology would offer interesting business cases around charging such as receiving credits for charging power when the car contributes to load balancing during demand peak. All the mentioned options would lead to architectures, using several power units such as on-board char- gers, drive inverters, electrical HV heating and -cooling systems which needs to be connected. In between each aggregate, a touch-safe, ro- bust wiring requires HV connectors that need to be designed to fulfill a broad range of electrical and safety requirements. Powertrain electrification in electric and hybrid vehicles also creates sig- nificant challenges in relation to a vehicle's electromagnetic compati- bility (EMC) performance. Next-gen- eration vehicle architectures will in- clude an array of high-power electric cables and high-speed data connec- tivity networks that need to co-exist together. Today, electric vehicles already fea- ture power systems in the 100kW+ range, using battery voltages of up to 800V. These drive systems pro- duce high broadband electromag- netic emissions that can potentially affect the vehicle's inner EMC. With next-generation vehicles, low voltage data connectivity networks and the high voltage (HV) drive sys- tem must work reliably and safely in parallel. In today's electric and hy- brid powertrain architectures, the HV system is fully shielded and is designed to be completely isolated from the vehicle's 12V data networks. However, points of exposure will al- ways exist where there are connec- tions to the 12V which are not inte- grated in the shielding concept. A high degree of automation is re- quired to enable safety-critical ASIL VII ) Level D (Automotive Safety Integration Level) functions. This means that OEMs must simplify high-speed data connectivity ar- chitectures, while ensuring maxi- mum robustness and reliability, with no loss of data integrity within an all-electric environment. 4. Connectivity Challenges of the Next-Generation Vehicle Connectivity will be a key enabler of next-generation vehicle archi- tectures. From a data connectivity perspective, these architectures will require real-time data transmission, data quality, and bandwidth that is specified for each link. Link needs will vary and their characteristics will be determined by the increased safety levels of the connected func- tions that are now automated. That means each component will be de- signed according to attributes such as bandwidth, attenuation, shielding, and EMI immunity. Historically, OEMs considered HV battery capacity, safety, and energy distribution reliability first as they developed the first electrified drive trains. As technology has evolved, OEMs have focused on manufactur- ing powertrains that offer smarter and more powerful power distribu- tion. Today, the electric powertrains are now fourth and fifth generation. As a consequence the focus has shifted to achieving cost targets that will en- able mass volume production. However, greater levels of automa- tion and autonomous driving will lead to a paradigm shift whereby the reliability of safety critical func- tions cannot be compromised. That means the continuous availability of power to ensure reliable safety-crit- ical functions. Thermal management innovation will be key to ensure the functional life and extreme reliability of com- ponents while guaranteeing new levels of performance, such as fast charging, within more manageable cost frameworks. This paper introduces four areas of connectivity which will serve as key enablers of vehicle architectural de- sign: Intelligent thermal modelling and management will: • Enable optimum performance of power handling cables and components • Minimize heat-induced component life degradation • Reduce cable weight