Hella intensifies development activities for high-voltage applications

Innovative power electronics from the lighting and electronics specialist HELLA ensure intelligent energy management and greater fuel efficiency. Back in 2007, the company launched the world’s first 12-volt voltage converter that supports the start/stop function in the vehicle.

Since 2016, HELLA has been supporting the trend towards mild hybridization with 48-volt power electronics. The 48-volt DC/DC converters allow bi-directional energy transfer between 48-volt and 12-volt on-board networks and enable that the recuperation energy recovered during braking is made available to the 12-volt network again, thus enabling the energy to be used efficiently.

HELLA has already received numerous other orders for the product from well-known German car manufacturers, the company says. This further strengthens the company’s position among the top 3 suppliers in this sector.

“We are already a leading development and technology partner and accompany car manufacturers comprehensively on the path to e-mobility,” says Björn Twiehaus, member of the Executive Board and responsible for the Electronics division at HELLA. “With our product range, we support all stages of electrification and offer our customers different levels of integration.” In addition to the 48-volt DC/DC converters, HELLA also has a 48-volt PowerPack in its range, which combines power electronics plus battery management to monitor the lithium-ion battery. HELLA has now also won an order for this from a German premium car manufacturer.

“Based on our successes in the 48-volt segment, we are continuing to expand our expertise and are now increasingly transferring our know-how to the high-voltage sector,” says Björn Twiehaus. HELLA develops high-voltage converters and innovative solutions for charging electric vehicles. This includes, for example, a highly efficient on-board charger optimized for weight and installation space. It offers the possibility of charging the vehicle and feeding energy from the vehicle battery back into the grid. Integrated Smart Charging functionalities also allow intelligent control of the grid load and thus compensate for overload peaks for the grid supply.