A Challenge of Reliable Circuit Protection in Automotive Applications

摘要

As Electric Vehicles (EVs) continue to play a larger role in the future of the automotive industry, circuit protection is becoming more and more vital. When faced with extreme high voltage and high current short circuit conditions, traditional fuse technologies have demonstrated an inadequate level of protection, which under certain circumstances, could put passenger safety at risk due to fires or explosions. This presentation highlights some potential concerns and issues associated with these typical options and the importance of insuring proper fuse selection for these system critical EV applications. Extensive studies have been made regarding the arc suppression characteristics and breaking capacities of conventional fuses, such as blade fuses, cartridge fuses, surface mount ceramic tube fuses, solid-body fuses and "etched" fuses etc., when subjected to these highly demanding conditions. This poster also demonstrates how advanced "Wire-in-Air" fuse technology c ould yield much more consistent and reliable performance, making them a much better choice for these same demanding automotive applications.