A prototype of the Feather Inverter, led by Professor Yamamoto of Nagoya University, was unveiled to the world for the first time at NEPCON JAPAN Autumn. It is significantly lighter, weighing approximately 300g, while delivering performance nearly equivalent to the inverter used in the Tesla Cybertruck.
The Feather Inverter project is an industry-academia collaboration that brings together technologies from Japanese companies. The prototype weighs approximately 300g and is said to target performance equivalent to the inverter used in the Cybertruck, which weighs approximately 1kg. The prototype unveiled for the first time at NEPCON JAPAN Autumn was presented as demonstrating the inverter’s practical potential.
The power semiconductors used are ROHM’s fifth-generation SiC MOSFET and Mitsubishi Electric’s RC-IGBT. Aoi Electronics is responsible for the package in which they are assembled, in what was described as the world’s first attempt at simultaneous assembly of Si and SiC devices. Nichicon is responsible for the compact smoothing capacitor, while Nagoya University designed the wiring.
Kitagawa Industries proposed a filter that converts noise into heat and successfully completed prototyping and validation using the prototype. For automotive applications, the project aims to reduce the inverter’s volume by using Panasonic Industry’s filter capacitor technology.
The cooling system is based on an aluminum housing covered by a water jacket made from polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) resin, supplied by Toray. This structure is designed to combine molding flexibility with lower costs. Further updates and the recruitment of new partners are expected to continue.