Denso is to supply key electrification components to Toyota and Subaru’s new, all-electric bZ4X and Solterra models.
The components include current sensors and electricity supply units (ESU), which integrate the functions of battery charging, electrical power conversion and electrical power distribution. Denso is also providing the vehicles’ heat pump system, which extracts heat from the air and uses it as a heat source for the vehicle climate control system, in addition to a radiant heating system on the bZ4X.
The company has also engineered various sensors to monitor the battery system, in addition to the battery monitoring ECU, the main vehicle ECU and the traction inverters. To efficiently manage energy throughout the BEVs, Denso states that it has developed new technologies to measure the vehicle’s status and efficiently control energy use.
For example, the current sensor is capable of handling currents in the ±1,200A range used in BEVs while being 40% smaller than previous units. This reduction in size is thanks to a completely redesigned IC and a new structure without a magnetic core – a key component that added to the size of older sensors.
