Silicon Carbide based power electronics use electrical energy significantly more efficient than current silicon-based semiconductors: gains from 6% to 30% are expected depending on application. TRANSFORM will provide European downstream market players with a reliable source of SiC components and systems based on an entirely European value chain - from substrates to energy converters. Its technical excellence strengthens the global competitive position of Europe. TRANSFORM improves current SiC technologies beyond state-of-the-art to serve large emerging markets for electric power conversion in renewable energies, mobility and industry. Substrate manufacturing process innovation will establish a new global standard: smart-cut technology allows high scalability, superior performance and reliability. Substrate and equipment manufacturers plus technology providers cooperate to increase maturity of the new processes from lab demonstration to pilot lines. Device manufacturers develop and tailor processes and device design based on the new substrate process, including adaptation of planarMOS and development of new TrenchMOS technology. Performance and reliability of devices is expected to increase greatly. For exploiting the potential of SiC devices, integration technologies and system design are improved concurrently, including new copper metallization processes for higher reliability and performance, module integration for high reliability and reduction of cost, and dedicated integrated driver technologies to optimize switching modes and parallel operation in high current applications. The project will demonstrate energy savings in applications (DC/AC, DC/DC, AC/DC) in the renewable energy domain, industry and automotive. TRANSFORM contributes to European societal goals and the green economy through significantly increasing energy efficiency by providing a competitive, ready-to-industrialized technology, strengthening Europes technological sovereignty in a critical field.

Within this project a new compact and efficient high speed 30-50 kW electrical machine will be integrated with an efficient fully SiC drive and a gearbox within a powertrain traction module. The electrical machine will have a dry rotor direct liquid cooling system integrated with the cooling system for the SiC drive. This traction module can be mechanically coupled with an axle of a low performance electric/hybrid vehicle, or several units could be coupled directly with the wheels for a high performance vehicle or a light-duty vehicle or a bus. Economic feasibility of mass-manufacturing of different electric machine topologies will be studied to choose the best trade-off between performance, manufacturing cost, and efficiency in the selected performance range. Feasibility of direct drive, single stage, and two-stage switchable high speed gearboxes will be studied as well. The resultant powertrain traction module will be an optimal trade-off between efficiency, manufacturability, and cost, utilizing newest technologies in electrical machines, power electronics, and high speed gearboxes. We will demonstrate the scalability of the solution by embedding several powertrain modules on board a test vehicle.