John Deere, NREL Develop Inverter for Construction Vehicles

Hybrid-electric construction vehicles need inverter systems that can operate at high-power and high-temperature conditions. Heavy-duty vehicles from John Deere Electronic Solutions (JDES) could benefit from these types of inverter technologies as some of their heavy-duty vehicle engine coolant system temperatures can reach up to 115 degrees C. With help from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), JDES developed a power-dense inverter that uses wide-bandgap (WBG) semiconductors - a variety of semiconductor that has the potential to support the electrification of heavy-duty vehicles. NREL's expertise in heat transfer and thermal management helped develop a prototype that works well under the high-stress operation of JDES's commercial hybrid loader. This work supports efforts by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's Advanced Manufacturing Office to identify solutions to address the increase in electrical energy consumption through the development of more efficient power electronic devices.