This week, Google announced it would be investing in a start-up called Transphorm. Though the news seems trivial at first glance, it isn’t necessarily so. The modest company has developed a technology that may eventually extend the range of electric and hybrid vehicles.
According to Umesh Mishra, president and CEO of Transphorm, the technique employed can reduce energy loss during conversion by 90%, when transforming alternating current (AC) into direct current (DC), for instance, an essential process for electric and hybrid vehicle powertrains.
Because this type of vehicle relies on batteries to move forward, reducing energy loss would extend their range. If Transphorm’s technology proves efficient, manufacturers will be able to consider reducing the size of their batteries and, consequently, their cost.
On the one hand, several automakers are developing energy-efficient vehicles, and it has become obvious that hybrids and EVs are the way to go. On the other hand, consumers interested in these machines are worried about their reduced operating range as well as the service life and replacement of the batteries. That’s where Transphorm comes in.
So, Google has not only invested in a novel technology, but also potentially paved the way for the manufacturing and distribution of more efficient green vehicles.
Source: VentureBeat
According to Umesh Mishra, president and CEO of Transphorm, the technique employed can reduce energy loss during conversion by 90%, when transforming alternating current (AC) into direct current (DC), for instance, an essential process for electric and hybrid vehicle powertrains.
Because this type of vehicle relies on batteries to move forward, reducing energy loss would extend their range. If Transphorm’s technology proves efficient, manufacturers will be able to consider reducing the size of their batteries and, consequently, their cost.
On the one hand, several automakers are developing energy-efficient vehicles, and it has become obvious that hybrids and EVs are the way to go. On the other hand, consumers interested in these machines are worried about their reduced operating range as well as the service life and replacement of the batteries. That’s where Transphorm comes in.
So, Google has not only invested in a novel technology, but also potentially paved the way for the manufacturing and distribution of more efficient green vehicles.
Source: VentureBeat