The Complexity of HV Component Development with a Focus on Suspension Systems

The electrification of suspension systems in vehicles and especially in hybrid and electric vehicles is ubiquitous. With the striving for higher performance and the simultaneous increase in weight, mechanical, electromechanical and (semi-)active suspension systems based on 12 V or 48 V low voltage (LV) power trains are reaching their dynamic limits. One approach to improve performance is to use suspension systems and components that can be applied to the high voltage (HV) vehicle power train that is being used more and more frequently. The use of HV suspension components results in many advantages such as punctual available power without having to set the voltages higher by means of so called DC/DC converters. However, there are also many challenges in this field that do not allow a simple exchange of the hardware from LV to HV without further considerations. During development, for example, the question of functional safety and the behavior of the HV suspension components in case of a crash arises. It is also necessary to take a closer look at what the main cost drivers in development are, whether a component has to be actively cooled due to the generation of heat or how it affects the overall range of an electric vehicle.

Silver Atena GmbH has specialized in the development of LV and HV electronic components for decades. This includes also development and production of HV suspension components. This paper is intended to give a brief overview of the current challenges and the uncertainties in the complex HV suspension components development process. In the main part, after the motivation for using HV in suspension systems, it is shown which problems can arise from the replacement of LV by HV suspension components. Since their development can quickly reach a high degree of complexity, a good overview of key requirements will be pointed out here. The conclusion gives an outlook on the still open questions and challenges to be solved.