Vicor releases highest density automotive-grade power modules, enabling 48V power systems
Vicor has released three automotive-grade power modules for 48V EV systems, which deliver industry-leading power density, and support automotive OEMs and tier one production in 2025. The BCM6135, DCM3735 and PRM3735 use AEC-Q100 certified Vicor-designed ICs and have completed the PPAP process with automotive customers.
The BCM6135 is a 98% efficient 2.5kW BCM® bus converter which converts 800V from the traction battery to 48V to provide a safety extra-low voltage (SELV) power supply for the vehicle. The BCM6135 internally provides the isolation between high voltage and low voltage which creates a large reduction the space required for the DC-DC conversion. The BCM6135’s power density of 158kW/L allows EV system designers to reduce size of the primary DC-DC converter and reduce vehicle weight. The bidirectional rapid current transient response rate of 8 mega amps per second allows the BCM6135 to replace a 25lb 48V battery — by serving as a virtual 48V battery in the xEV vehicle and delivering additional cost and weight savings.
The DCM3735 2.0kW DCM DC-DC converter transforms an unregulated 48V input into a regulated 12V output. The DCM3735 has a wide input range that is compatible with a variety of automotive applications because the output can be trimmed within a range of 8 – 16V. The DCM3735 has a power density of 300kW/L making it an attractive choice for architectures bridging a 48V distribution to 12V subsystems in zonal ECU applications.
The PRM3735 is a 2.5kW PRM regulator for 48V power that is 99.2% efficient. Its small footprint and 260kW/L power density frees up packaging space and reduces the overall DC-DC power supply. It is best suited to support regulated 48V loads that are implemented in new vehicle architectures.
The newly released Vicor modules can be arranged in over 300 configurations, offering extreme flexibility and scalability to support innovation for a variety of vehicle subsystems. Further, as the market shifts from 12V to 48V Zonal Architecture, these products are highly efficient in converting to and from 48V. All three modules can be arrayed easily to increase power supply levels, and they have automatic power sharing for optimum performance in an array. These modules solve complex challenges with 800V, 400V 48V and 12V systems.
