Shanghai (ZXZC)- On December 10, BYD unveiled its car-level IGBT4.0 technology in Ningbo. BYD claimed that it is the only Chinese automaker that can mass produce car-level IGBT with complete industrial chain.

IGBT, namely Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor, is one of the key technologies which can affect electric vehicle’s performance. The technology can control directly the conversion between direct current and alternating current and determine the vehicle’s power output and maximum torque.

The automaker said that its IGBT4.0 outperforms many other similar products in various key technical indicators. According to the company, its IGBT4.0 can output 15% more current than other competitors so that the vehicle can achieve greater acceleration and higher power output.

Under the same working conditions, the combined loss of BYD’s IGBT product will be 20% less than that of other products. The lower loss will reduce the electricity the complete vehicle needs. Take the BYD Tang as an example. Provided that other conditions are invariant, the IGBT4.0 can reduce the power consumption for 100km by 3%.

The lifetime of the temperature cycle will be at least 10 times longer, which means BYD vehicles can have higher reliability and longer service life under extreme weather and road conditions.

Besides, BYD also revealed that the company has heavily invested in third-generation semiconductor material SiC, which boasts better performance. BYD plans to launch models with the material in 2019 and all BYD-branded models are expected to use SiC by 2023.