Editing by Li Panpan

One of the Chinese leading startup smart EV manufacturers NIO posted recruitment ads on LinkedIn this week to hire specialists of IC design and development in Germany for making its Sic and IGBT chips, CNEVPOST reported.

(Model of NIO ET7. Image credit: NIO)

NIO has introduced SiC technology, the latest power semiconductor technology, to the front permanent magnet synchronous motor of its ET7 model, which has received orders.

Founded in 2014, NIO is one of the successful EV startup brands in China and it also offers innovative charging solutions.

The company posted two positions on LinkedIn on January 17 related to SiC and IGBT chip design and development (IGBT: https://bit.ly/32lmzcQ;SiC: https://bit.ly/3FO1166) Both positions require a PhD and experience in the field.

According to the CNEVPOST report, mainstream carmakers are using IGBT (insulated gate bipolar transistor chip) chips in their power semiconductor selection. But Tesla and BYD have already started using SiC MOSFETs (silicon carbide power field-effect transistors) in the Model 3 and Han EV models.

Last June, NIO announced that its first SiC electric drive system C prototype came off the production line, which was a volume prototype for process and production test verification.

The technology was developed by NIO's motor making arm XPT, whose CEO Zeng Shuxiang said that the SiC technology is used in the core power electronics of the ET7's permanent magnet motor controller, a component that converts direct current from the battery into the alternating current needed by the motor.

As a product of NIO's second-generation electric drive platform, this electric drive system is more efficient, compact and lightweight, which is the current advanced technology in the field of electric vehicle manufacturing. When the technology is in mass production, it will be the first to be equipped by NIO's flagship sedan, the ET7, providing a longer range for the vehicle, said the company at the time.

The NIO ET7 will begin locking in orders on January 20 and deliveries will begin on March 28. On January 18, the company held a small communication to announce more information about the ET7.

NIO has introduced SiC technology to the ET7's 180 kW/350 Nm front permanent magnet synchronous motor, which will serve as the primary drive motor during daily driving, enabling lower energy losses, according to Yang Bo, the company's head of sales program operations, added the CNEVPOST report.