Infineon Supports Sustainable Electromobility and Joins the VW ID.4 USA Tour
Infineon gets behind the wheels of the VW ID.4 USA tour and provides its cutting-edge, clean semiconductor technology to help power the electric vehicle’s journey.
Infineon Technologies AG has been at the forefront of sustainable electromobility for years. The company develops and manufactures silicon, silicon carbide, as well as gallium nitride-based semiconductors for the automotive industry.
Earlier this month, Infineon announced its involvement in the VW ID.4 USA tour. The company revealed the technologies it supplied and its intentions to create a reliable charging infrastructure for electric vehicles (EVs) while protecting the environment.
Image used courtesy of VW ID.4 USA Tour
The VW ID.4 USA Tour
The VW ID.4 USA tour involves an almost 100-day long journey through the USA in Volkswagen’s all-electric vehicle, the ID.4. This is Volkswagen’s first all-electric sport utility vehicle (SUV) and first global EV. The ID.4 runs on a 77 kWh (net) battery pack and has a range of approximately 517 kilometers in ID.4 Pro rear-wheel-drive models. The vehicle also features a maximum fast-charging power of 125 kW. This means that the ID.4 can go from five to 80% charged in about 38 minutes at a public DC fast-charging station.
Image used courtesy of VW ID.4 USA Tour
The ID.4 tour involves a 37,000-mile tour across the United States, which began in Herndon, Virginia at Volkswagen America’s headquarters. The Founder of CHALLENGE4 GmbH, Rainer Zietlow, and cameraman Derek Collins, started the tour in July of this year. The journey will cover 48 states across the U.S., from the East Coast to the West Coast in the north and via the south back to the starting point. The ID.4 team will be on route visiting over 600 Volkswagen dealers, more than 200 Electrify America stations, and five Infineon facilities. The tour is expected to be completed by mid-October this year.
Infineon
Infineon is providing 50 semiconductor components for the ID.4 including power semiconductors, microcontrollers and driver integrated circuits (ICs). The ID.4’s electric drivetrain uses a power module from Infineon’s HybridPACK Drive product family. This serves to convert energy between the battery and the motor.
In a press release from earlier this month, Vice President of Automotive at Infineon Technologies Americas, Lars Ullrich, said, “Infineon supports climate protection through reduction of our own carbon emissions, along with products and technologies that enable renewable power generation, efficient storage, and sustainable mobility.” Ullrich added, “Our semiconductors are at the heart of vehicle electrification and the enabling charging infrastructure. By increasing range, efficiency and accessibility, we are helping the automotive industry to successfully achieve the fundamental transformation towards electromobility - to protect the environment without compromising drivers’ flexibility and comfort.”
Infineon is working with automotive manufacturers and suppliers to create vehicles with electric drivetrains that are clean and efficient. Providing sustainable semiconductor technology with high power density and efficiency can enable longer driving range while reducing carbon emissions. To drive sustainable electromobility forward, Infineon also aims to improve the charging infrastructure. This will provide better access and faster charging.
