ELE Times

• Multi-year agreement between STMicroelectronics and Renault Group secures Ampere’s supply of Silicon Carbide power modules
• Collaboration on powerbox and cooling systems for the inverter to get the best efficiency for Ampere’s new generation electric motors
• Agreement aligned with Ampere’s strategy of working upstream with its partners to design the best solutions for each one of its EV technologies

Ampere, the intelligent electric EV pure player born from Renault Group and STMicroelectronics, a global semiconductor leader serving customers across the spectrum of electronics applications, has announced the next step in their strategic co-operation, starting in 2026, with a multi-year agreement between STMicroelectronics and Renault Group on the supply of Silicon Carbide (SiC) power modules, as part of their collaboration on a powerbox for the inverter for Ampere’s ultra-efficient electric powertrain.  Ampere and STMicroelectronics worked together on the optimization of the power module, the key element in the powerbox, to get the highest performance and best competitiveness in the e-powertrain, leveraging Ampere’s expertise in EV technology and STMicroelectronics’ expertise in advanced power electronics.

“This agreement is the result of the intensive work carried out with STMicroelectronics. By working upstream together, we were able to optimize and secure the supply of key components for our electric powertrains, to offer high-performance EVs with increased range and optimized charging time. It perfectly aligns with Ampere’s strategy to master the entire value chain of power electronics for its e-powertrain, leveraging STMicroelectronics’ expertise in power modules,” said Philippe Brunet, SVP Powertrain & EV engineering, Ampere.

“ST is at the cutting edge of the development of advanced power electronics enabling the mobility industry to improve the performance of electrified platforms. With the optimization of these higher-efficient products and solutions to meet Ampere’s performance requirements, and our vertically integrated silicon carbide supply chain, we are supporting Ampere’s strategy for its next generation of electric powertrain,” said Michael Anfang, Executive Vice President Sales & Marketing, Europe, Middle East and Africa Region, STMicroelectronics. “ST and Ampere share a common vision for more sustainable mobility and this agreement marks another step forward in improved power performance to further contribute to concrete improvements to carbon emissions reduction by the mobility industry and its supply chain.”

Power modules, composed of numerous silicon carbide chips, manage and convert electrical power from the battery to drive the electric motor. They play a crucial role in the efficiency of the electric powertrain and battery range, as well as energy regeneration features, making them a key element of the efficiency of an electric car. They also contribute to the smoothness and responsiveness of driving.

STMicroelectronics and Ampere have collaborated on a powerbox for the supply of energy to Ampere’s new generation of electric motors. The powerbox is designed for optimum performance-size ratio across Ampere’s line-up, on 400 Volt battery EV vehicles, and for Segment C-EVs with 800 Volt batteries, enabling greater autonomy and faster charging. 800 Volts is one of the key levers to achieve the 10%-80% quick charge in 15 minutes or less. This agreement is fully aligned with Ampere’s strategy to master the entire value chain of the electric vehicle, particularly by working further upstream with its partners and ensuring the best efficiency at each step.

As an integrated device manufacturer (IDM), STMicroelectronics ensures quality and security of supply to serve carmakers’ strategies for electrification. The collaboration with Ampere on the silicon carbide power modules and powerbox demonstrates STMicroelectronics’ leadership and system-level experience of advanced power electronics, including its packaging expertise.

Additional Technical Information
The powerbox combines three SiC-based power modules, an excitation module, which provides the necessary electrical excitation to the motor or generator for controlling the magnetic field within the motor, and a cooling baseplate designed to dissipate heat from the back side of the power module, simplifying the thermal management and cooling process.

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Designed for next-gen smart wearables, wireless headsets, medical devices, and IoT applications

Littelfuse, Inc., a global leader in industrial technology solutions for a sustainable, connected, and safer world, has announced the expansion of its NanoT tactile switch product line. The series, featuring miniature, surface-mounted, waterproof tactile switches, now includes new operational force options and top- and side-actuated models, further enhancing its application in next-generation smart wearables, wireless headsets, portable medical devices, and IoT systems.

Design engineers require ever-smaller switch interfaces as the market demand for smaller, high-performance electronics grows—driven by innovations in healthcare, wearables, and battery-powered IoT devices. The expanded NanoT series is the smallest tactile switch solution on the market, providing design flexibility for engineers to integrate additional functionality or reduce printed circuit board (PCB) size. View the video.

Ideal applications Include:

• Smart wearables
• Health monitoring devices
• Hearing aids
• Wireless headsets
• Portable IoT devices

“The NanoT switch combines space efficiency with high reliability, featuring short actuation travel, IP67-rated durability, and a wide operating temperature range from -40°C to 85°C,” said Junbao Chen, Design Centre Manager, Electronics Business Unit at Littelfuse. “Its ultra-compact size and ease of PCB/FPC integration make it ideal for confined spaces, while the haptic feedback ensures a satisfying user experience, optimizing designs and improving product quality.”

Key Benefits of the NanoT Series:

• Space-saving design: Ultra-compact size allows designers to incorporate more functionality or reduce PCB size.
  • Side-actuated model (2.2 x 1.70 x 1.65 mm) saves 35% space.
  • Top-actuated model (2.1 x 1.65 x 0.55 mm) saves 20% space.
• Customizable actuation forces: Available in 100, 160, and 240 gf options, catering to different application needs.
  • 100 gf: Ideal for high-frequency use, reducing user fatigue.
  • 160 gf: Balanced tactile feedback for general applications.
  • 240 gf: Firm activation
• Mounting options: PIP or SMT edge-mount versions offer superior resistance to shock and shear, extending equipment life and reducing the need for extra protective layers.
• Durability: Life cycles ranging from 200K to 300K ensure long-term reliability and reduce maintenance costs.
• IP67 rating: Dust-tight and waterproof, ensuring reliability in challenging environments.

The expanded NanoT switch series delivers the performance, durability, and compact design required for today’s cutting-edge electronics.

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ST has introduced an IO-Link reference design for industrial beacons and home-appliance alarms, delivered ready-to-use as a fully built board complete with protocol stack and application software.

The EVLIOL4LSV1 board leverages ST’s L6364Q dual-channel IO-Link transceiver to handle communications and the IPS4260L intelligent low-side power switch for driving the indicator lights. The board can be directly connected to signaling systems such as smart tower lights used in factory automation, funnel material alarms for quantity-remaining or urgency-level awareness, and other system warnings. It also provides a fast way to test the IPS4260L and L6364Q ICs and has a 4-pin M12 connector for an IO-LINK master and a 5-pin SWD connector for programming.

An STM32G071CB microcontroller, which hosts the ST proprietary IO-Link demo stack and the application software, handles system control and diagnostics, communicating with the transceiver and low-side switch.

The L6364Q transceiver is fully protected and supports standardized IO-Link communication speeds including 38.4kbit/s COM2 and 230.4kbit/s COM3. The transceiver can operate in single or multibyte mode, as well as in transparent mode delegating control of IO-Link communications to the microcontroller by a simple URT interface. The in-built protection ensures EMC immunity up to 2.5kVpk surge pulse/500Ω coupling without additional protection elements.

The IPS4260L low-side driver has four outputs for driving loads with one side connected to supply voltage, each individually controlled by a signal such as a digital microcontroller output. It has a wide operating-voltage range, from 8V to 50V, and the current for each output can be independently programmed from 0.5A to 3.0A. The IC integrates overload and overtemperature protection for each channel and provides open-load, overload, and overtemperature diagnostic signals to aid system management and enhance reliability. The reference design also features ST’s SMBJ30CA TVS (transient-voltage suppression) diode to withstand surge pulses with 2Ω coupling on the supply rail.

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