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Driving toward a greener future

The electrification of automotive transportation is proceeding apace in the areas of driving automation, safety, comfort and convenience.

In gasoline-powered vehicles ICs are steadily improving fuel efficiency through various techniques: Stopping the engine when it idles, recovering energy during braking and maintaining steady speeds while driving. Semiconductor-enabled, weight-reduction technologies like drive by wire, shift by wire and brake by wire further reduce fuel consumption.

In 'mild hybrids' auto makers are moving toward dual-voltage systems: A 48-V battery runs power-hungry systems -- starter/generator, supercharger or turbocharger, fuel pump, water pump, cooling fan -- while a conventional 12-V powers lights and wipers. An even higher voltage is required for electric super-/turbocharging.

To propel the car electrically -- full hybrids, plug-in hybrids and EVs -- a battery rated in the hundreds of volts is required, possibly supported by a lower voltage battery. But, high voltages place stringent requirements on materials, processes, designs, packages, and qualification -- the full gamut of IC technology.

Managing the batteries of hybrids and full electric vehicles is a key area for innovative high-voltage technologies. Read more about it in the white paper "Driving the green revolution in transportation."