A global automotive materials specialist has demonstrated the reliability benefits of a unique alloy substance that can replace traditional tin/silver/copper (SAC) alloys in the design of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). Internal tests suggest that this alternative alloy can play a significant role in helping automotive OEMs eliminate the risk of solder fractures, a potential cause of failure in ADAS hardware.

Automotive OEMs are being urged to take a systems-level approach to vehicle safety and confirm the reliability and inter-compatibility of hardware materials, as US regulators continue to shine a spotlight on Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS).

The untapped potential of implementing vehicle efficiency improvements spearheaded by a systems-level approach to vehicle design have been further proven. The research, which was carried out by ESI Automotive and engineers of its customers, involved a series of real-world electric vehicle (EV) tests. The results clearly demonstrate the efficiency benefits of using silver sintering technology for inverter designs versus a soldered solution.

A systems-level approach to electric vehicle (EV) development is essential to calculating potential gains in vehicle efficiency and build costs required to bring the total cost of the EV powertrain down. That’s the message from ESI Automotive at a time when the US is pushing for half of new cars sold in the country to be battery-powered by the end of the decade.

This year’s Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Technology Expo and Battery Show saw ESI Automotive demonstrate how new technologies such as silver sintering can help automotive OEMs achieve up to six times greater thermal conductivity of a die bond in the inverter of an electric vehicle. The event took place on September 14-16 at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi, Michigan, USA.

Automotive OEMs are being advised to take a systems-level look at their supply chains and take immediate action to minimize the risk of over-reliance, as the global semiconductor shortage continues to cripple global production schedules.