Alternator Efficiency Increase through Semi-conductor Technology

Despite a growing number of EVs, combustion engine cars will remain a pillar of individual mobility in the mid-term. To make these cars more efficient, SEG Automotive is presenting a major efficiency increase for its alternator line-up: Active rectifying in combination with specially developed semi-conductor technology reduces conduction losses by around 60% compared to conventional alternators. This increase in efficiency in real world operation by seven to eight percentage points makes alternator efficiencies of 80 percent and more a reality.

Innovative alternator solution by SEG Automotive:

Semi-conductor technology for the highest efficiency and significant CO2 savings

*       Efficiency increase for alternators of seven to eight percentage points through semi-conductor technology and active rectifying

*       Reduction of fleet emissions by up to 1.8 g CO2/km

*       “Plug & Play” implementation even for existing applications and ongoing series production

Despite the growing range of electric vehicles, combustion engine vehicles are projected to have a market share among new cars of 85 percent even in 2025.1  In these vehicles, the alternator supplies a growing number of electronic consumers – from comfort features such as air conditioning and navigation to safety features such as ABS and automated driving functions. The more efficiently the necessary power is generated, the lower the overall fuel consumption of the vehicle.

A significant additional efficiency increase by SEG Automotive proves that even after 100 years, major innovations are still possible in the alternator segment: Active rectifying in combination with specially developed semi-conductor technology reduces conduction losses by around 60% compared to conventional alternators. This increase in efficiency in real world operation by seven to eight percentage points makes efficiencies of 80 percent and more a reality.

“This performance jump of our already highly-efficient alternators proves that even ‘small’ innovations can have a big effect on climate protection”, explains Peter Sokol, Chief Executive Officer at SEG Automotive. “We deliver millions of units of alternators worldwide every year. Deploying the new semi-conductor technology in all of them has potential real-world savings of almost 1.2 billion liters of fuel and 3 million tons of CO2 over the lifecycle of the respective vehicles.”

SEG Automotive has already been able to secure several customer projects in Europe and North America for alternators featuring the new technology and will be bringing it into series production for the first time this year.

Simple implementation, direct effect on fleet consumption

Implementation of the new technology is very easy: The previous diode is simply replaced with an active rectifying diode (ARD in short) featuring semi-conductor technology. Accordingly, an alternator with ARD has the same dimensions and is subject to the exact same validation. In fact, it can be used not only for new business, but also in ongoing series production. This gives car manufacturers a short-term solution to reduce their CO2 fleet emissions: In the WLTP cycle, savings of up to 0.4 g CO2/km are possible. In addition, the EU has classified SEG Automotive Alternators containing the ARD diodes as an eco-innovation. This allows OEMs to receive additional Eco Credits of up to 1.4 g CO2/km. This results in total savings of up to 1.8 g CO2/km for fleet consumption – an important contribution for climate protection and for achieving increasingly stringent CO2 targets.