Ideal Power is positioning its B-TRAN semiconductor technology as a significant development in the world of power electronics. According to Dan Brdar, President and CEO of Ideal Power, the Company’s power switch is poised to revolutionize a myriad of industries by improving efficiency and reducing costs.

Ideal Power says B-TRAN’s capabilities come from its design as a low-loss bi-directional power semiconductor, which the company claims can drastically improve applications in electric vehicles (EVs), solar power, energy storage, and more. This broad applicability suggests Ideal Power’s technology could have a wide-reaching impact on how power is managed and utilized in various sectors.

What Is B-TRAN?

B-TRAN, short for Bidirectional Bipolar Junction Transistor, is Ideal Power’s patented semiconductor power switch, which it says may be viewed as the logical endpoint of the evolution of power semiconductor topologies.

The company says B-TRAN offers a “significant performance improvement” over conventional power switches such as SCRs, IGBTs, and MOSFETs, as implemented in silicon or wide-band-gap materials such as silicon carbide.

The main highlights of B-TRAN include:

• Efficiency: Ideal Power says B-TRAN’s losses are 50% lower than conventional switches and up to 80% lower in bi-directional applications.
• Simplicity: B-TRAN’s symmetric bi-directional operation reduces the number of components by 75% compared to a conventional bi-directional switch utilizing IGBTs and diodes, according to the Company.
• Cost-saving: Due to the claims that B-TRAN is more efficient than IGBTs, Ideal Power says this will result in smaller, lower-cost OEM products.

When asked about catalysts for the Company, Brdar said, “The catalysts for Ideal Power are design wins with the large companies with whom we are engaged as well as custom development agreements with top 10 global automakers like Stellantis as well as industrial companies. We have validated that the inherently double-sided B-TRAN can be manufactured at high-volume wafer foundries. Now it is down to commercialization, the adoption of B-TRAN by large OEMs, and the resultant sales ramp.”

B-TRAN and the EV Industry

Earlier this year, Ideal Power announced the successful completion of Phase II deliverables on its product development agreement with Stellantis. 

The purpose of the partnership is to “develop a custom B-TRAN power module for use in electric vehicle drivetrain inverters in Stellantis’ next-generation EV platform,” according to a Company press release.

Stellantis is also evaluating the technology for its vehicle power management and EV charging ecosystem.

If B-TRAN technology lives up to the claims, it has the potential to transform the electric vehicle industry. Ideal Power says this technology will help ease two large issues that plague EV makers: range anxiety and costs. This is due to the semiconductor power switch being more efficient than conventional power switches and lower cost than silicon carbide alternatives.

Brdar has noted that after batteries, semiconductors are the second highest-cost component in EVs. B-TRAN tackles the cost issue by consolidating the functions of four conventional semiconductors into a single device with lower conduction losses, thereby enhancing efficiency and reducing costs, according to the Company’s whitepaper.

This can potentially allow vehicles to achieve more range with the same battery capacity and at a lower cost due to less complex thermal management, which means B-TRAN could help accelerate the shift towards electrifying transportation.

Applications Beyond EVs

Semiconductor power switches apply to more than just the EV industry. Other possible applications of Ideal Power’s B-TRAN range from renewables all the way to solid-state circuit breakers for the utility grid.

B-TRAN has an addressable market estimated to grow to $7.6 billion in 2028 throughout many industries, according to Brdar.

“Two of the largest segments of that market are EV / hybrid EVs and renewables, such as solar and wind inverters, and related energy storage applications. Other attractive market segments are in the industrial space such as data center uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems, motor drives, power conversion systems, solid-state switchgear, and other industrial and utility applications,” said the Company.

Ideal Power says the aforementioned markets are currently dominated by the IGBT semiconductor switch which B-TRAN is targeting to replace. The company listed potential benefits of its technology over IGBT as higher efficiency, inherent bi-directionality, and potentially smaller OEM product designs.

Going Forward

When asked about his thoughts on the future of B-TRAN technology, Brdar said, “Due to its low losses and inherent bidirectionality, B-TRAN has the potential to improve the performance of many applications. With grid modernization and the macrotrends of EV and renewable energy adoption, B-TRAN is well positioned to displace conventional technologies in these large and growing markets.”

Although B-TRAN is in its early stages of commercialization, the possibilities that the power switch offers sound enticing. Interest surrounding the power switch, achievements, and how companies choose to utilize this technology will be interesting to see.

Ideal Power and Stellantis are currently finalizing the scope of work for Phase III of their program. The objective of this phase is a production-ready B-TRAN-based module and is targeted for 2025.