News

TM4 and Convertronix Partner on Bi-directional Charger Inverter

September 08, 2017 by Paul Shepard

In a strategic move to broaden its product offering, TM4 announced the launch of a new Bi-directional Charger Inverter, the BCI20.  TM4 has developed this product in collaboration with Convertronix, a Quebec-based company specialized in the design and manufacturing of power conversion equipment.

The TM4 BCI20 is an innovative Bi-directional Charger Inverter that functions as battery charger and inverter for use in a variety of electric and hybrid vehicle applications. It is designed to use the full current range from the AC mains as defined in SAE J1772 for a maximum charge power of 18kW on 240Vac.

When the vehicle is in use, the charger becomes a dual inverter that can provide two independent three phase outputs of 9kVA each to power various ac auxiliary loads. “The charger combined with two inverter outputs is very beneficial for our customers. It simplifies the vehicle integration by combining multiple functionalities in one box, moving TM4 closer to our one-stop shop approach” , says Eric Azeroual, Sales and Customer Service director at TM4.

The Lion Electric Company is TM4’s first client to experiment the benefits of this new integrated product in their electric school buses:

“To our knowledge, no other unit on the market offers so many features, such power density, quality and ease of integration at such a competitive cost”, says Bruno Pilon, Director of engineering at The Lion Electric Co.

The BCI20 satisfies the IP67 rating for reliable operation in harsh under-hood vehicle environments. It allows for a flexible installation in multiple mounting locations due to its compactness and lightness.

On the longer run, TM4 aims to expand this new series of product and offer to the North American and European markets both a single phase and 3-phase bidirectional charger inverter in 450Vdc and 750Vdc options.

The BCI20 will be shown for the first time on booth 1110 at the Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Technology Expo, happening from September 12-14 in Novi, Michigan.