Delphi grabs $8M to shrink electric vehicle inverters
A team at manufacturing giant Delphi that is working on inverters used in hybrid and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles has embarked on an $8 million research project, with the help of a grand from the Department of Energy.
An inverter is a piece of equipment that converts direct current (DC) electricity to alternating current (AC). In electric vehicles, it helps modify current passing between the batteries, motor and braking system. While not the most vital component of an electric vehicle, it can significantly affect their cost and weight.
Delphi will receive $5 million from the DoE, and contribute $3 million of its own, to bring down the costs and size of inverters. The startup will also have help from a range of supporting actors, including Dow Corning, GeneSiC, General Electric, Argonne National Lab and Oak Ridge National Lab, each of which will handle certain aspects of the research or supply.
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About the Author, Chris Morrison
Chris Morrison writes about cleantech and environmental issues for VentureBeat, with occasional forays into gaming and semantic technology. He got his start writing about tech for Business 2.0 magazine, but quickly realized new media was the ticket when that institution closed its doors in 2007. Chris has also covered public equities and regulatory issues. He originally hails from southern Virginia, graduated from Evergreen State College in Washington, and now lives in San Francisco.