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GREAT-Terry
I may say automotive electronics are tones more demanding than household stuff. ...
Code Monkey
Yeah, but the fact that Tesla chose Infineon says something about the conversion ...
Infineon supplying power chips to Tesla
Peter Clarke
11/26/2010 8:00 AM EST
LONDON – Infineon Technologies AG is supplying power chips for electric cars from 2003 startup Tesla Motors Inc., according to a Bloomberg report that quotes Infineon CEO Peter Bauer.
Bauer revealed the design win when speaking to the International Club of Frankfurt Business Journalists on Wednesday (Nov. 24) evening, Bloomberg said.
Infineon power ICs are used in the Tesla Roadster and are being tested for use in the Model-S, which is under development and due to begin production in 2012, the article said.
Infineon (Munich, Germany) is in the process of selling its wireless business group to Intel Corp. for $1.4 billion in cash leaving Infineon to focus on automotive, industrial and energy related applications for semiconductors. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2011.
Bauer told the meeting that the wireless chip business is highly volatile and closely tied to the fluctuating U.S. dollar. The automotive business is more stable and design wins achieved in the near future will generate sales for Infineon in 2015 and beyond, the report cited Bauer as saying.
Related links and articles:
Bloomberg article
Keynoter: Family cars won't go electric
Toyota invests in Tesla in electric car deal
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chanj
11/26/2010 2:48 PM EST
Electric powered vehicle seems like the future transportation. High efficiency of power conversion is going to be important. What's the differences of the characteristic of powering a vehicle vs powering a household appliance? Is there any common area that will drive the R&D of power chip for vehicle to other areas?
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GREAT-Terry
12/2/2010 10:52 AM EST
I may say automotive electronics are tones more demanding than household stuff. You can afford a deadly failure in the car if the electronics stop working. The power supply for example is crucially important. With long cables, messy noisy environment (especially in EV) and mechanically induced noise, the power supply condition is awful so good and robust power supply design is essential. It seems Infineon is so determined to bet their investment on automotive market. Smart bet!
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Mark Wehrmeister
11/27/2010 1:53 AM EST
Hopefully Tesla will be able to sell enough of their Model-S to make this worthwhile for Infineon.
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yalanand
11/27/2010 4:53 PM EST
Success of this vehicle will depend on how they will price this vehicle. I hope this will be huge success and thus inturn help reduce carbon emission.
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eewiz
11/28/2010 2:32 PM EST
Tesla Motors= 100K Premium Segment EV= not many people buy it = low sales for infineon. So whats the point!
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Code Monkey
11/29/2010 6:10 PM EST
Yeah, but the fact that Tesla chose Infineon says something about the conversion efficiency of Infineon's parts. It may apply to other markets, like solar.
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goafrit
11/29/2010 12:30 AM EST
Unless the chip is $300 per one, this is not a great news. How many cars will Tesla sell? I think the news is no news.
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