Ampere and ST collaborate on powerbox with long term supply for silicon carbide
Ampere, the intelligent electric EV pure player born from Renault Group and ST has announced the next step in their strategic co-operation, starting in 2026, with a multi-year agreement between ST and Renault Group on the supply of Silicon Carbide (SiC) power modules, as part of their collaboration on a powerbox for the inverter for Ampere’s electric powertrain. Ampere and ST worked together on the optimisation of the power module, the key element in the powerbox, to get the highest performance and best competitiveness in the e-powertrain, leveraging Ampere’s expertise in EV technology and ST’ expertise in advanced power electronics.
Power modules, composed of numerous silicon carbide chips, manage and convert electrical power from the battery to drive the electric motor. They play a crucial role in the efficiency of the electric powertrain and battery range, as well as energy regeneration features, making them a key element of the efficiency of an electric car. They also contribute to the smoothness and responsiveness of driving.
ST and Ampere have collaborated on a powerbox for the supply of energy to Ampere’s new generation of electric motors. The powerbox is designed for optimum performance-size ratio across Ampere’s line-up, on 400 Volt battery EV vehicles and for Segment C-EVs with 800 Volt batteries, enabling greater autonomy and faster charging. 800 Volts is one of the key levers to achieve the 10%-80% quick charge in 15 minutes or less. This agreement is fully aligned with Ampere’s strategy to master the entire value chain of the electric vehicle, particularly by working further upstream with its partners and ensuring the best efficiency at each step.
The powerbox combines three SiC-based power modules, an excitation module, which provides the necessary electrical excitation to the motor or generator for controlling the magnetic field within the motor, and a cooling baseplate designed to dissipate heat from the back side of the power module, simplifying the thermal management and cooling process.
