Chinese players still depend on foreign semiconductor suppliers for the manufacture of their electrification systems.
Twice a month, Yole SystemPlus analysts share the noteworthy points from their automotive Teardown Tracks. Today, Benjamin Pussat and Guillaume Robichon, Technology & Cost Analysts at Yole SystemPlus, take us to the heart of Chinese electrification systems for xEV.
Of the world’s 23 leading xEV OEMs, 13 are Chinese legacy players or start-ups. What technology and who is involved in manufacturing their electrification systems? With more than 20 power conversion systems previously analyzed, Yole SystemPlus is now extending its scope to include little-known Chinese systems.
Highlights from Yole SystemPlus Teardown Tracks
Two systems were examined: an OBC (on-board charger) from UAES and a CCU (Combined Charging Unit) from Shenzhen VMAX New Energy Co., Ltd. The CCU (OBC + DC/DC converter) is the 4th 2-in-1 system stripped bare by Yole SystemPlus, confirming the trend towards more integration already mentioned in a previous ‘What’s in the box?’.
Following the teardowns, two relevant points were raised:
- Both manufacturers use local players for low-tech elements (mechanical parts, fuses, relays, inductors and film capacitors). Yole SystemPlus assumes that the connectors, PCBs and some film capacitors provided by TE Connectivity, TT Electronics or TDK are also manufactured in China. However, the high-tech components (MCU, ICs, Si/SiC discrete devices and electrolytic capacitors) are imported, showing a still strong dependence on European, American and Japanese semiconductor players. For the two systems, the share of components and parts produced outside China is estimated at 40% of the total material cost.
- Some SiC chips are integrated. After inverters, the use of SiC is increasingly observed in less powerful electrification systems.
With the xEV market targeted for a bright future, it is not surprising that some Chinese companies (BYD, HDSC and Starpower for instance) get involved in SiC MOSFET development to steer away from the grip of foreign players in this domain.
Stay tuned for our next What’s in the box? review!
Yole SystemPlus Automotive Teardown Tracks are the result of detailed physical and costing analyses. They are carried out by experts with academic and industrial backgrounds in the semiconductor domain. Yole SystemPlus Automotive Teardown Tracks offer a clear and fruitful understanding of the technical choices made by the leading manufacturers. It also reveals accurate insights related to manufacturing costs.
The company covers the overall supply chain from the components to the system. Based on daily technical and industrial monitoring, Yole SystemPlus has significant expertise to support innovation.
About the authors
Benjamin Pussat is a Technology & Cost Analyst at Yole SystemPlus, part of Yole Group.
With solid expertise in electronic systems and with a specific focus on automotive systems, Benjamin produces reverse engineering & costing analyses while also working on custom projects for the electronic systems teams. Benjamin identifies and analyzes the overall manufacturing process and determines the technical choices made for the system components. The objectives of this analysis are to understand the structure of the device, identify all the relevant components and determine the final manufacturing cost. In addition, Benjamin updates internal tools and runs custom training sessions and demos with industrial organizations. He has also published some articles in the press.
Prior to Yole SystemPlus, Benjamin worked as an Engineering Technician at SEIA.
Benjamin holds a University Diploma in Technology in Electrical Engineering and Industrial Computing (Université de Nantes, France).
Guillaume Robichon serves as a Technology & Cost Analyst at Yole SystemPlus, part of Yole Group.
With solid expertise in the analysis of component quotes, component price estimates, and system encryption, Guillaume produces the engineering & costing analyses while also working on custom projects for the electronic systems teams. His mission is to identify and analyze the device’s components during the disassembly and cutting of electronic boards and determine the final manufacturing cost. This will provide the raw information to be able to produce the reverse costing reports.
Guillaume holds a University Diploma in Technology in Electrical Engineering and Industrial IT (Université de Nantes, France).
This article has been developed in collaboration with Yu Yang, Senior Technology & Market Analyst, and Ana Villamor, Team Lead Analyst, both are from Power and Wireless Division at Yole Intelligence.
Source: www.yolegroup.com
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