Denso partner Hitachi to develop diodes for alternators that increase fuel efficiency/reduce CO2 emi

      Japan's DENSO, the world's second-largest mobile travel supplier, announced a partnership with Semiconductor supplier Hitachi Power Semiconductor Device, Ltd., to develop a high-efficiency diode for alternators equipped with gasoline and diesel engines, foreign media reported. Such alternator-equipped vehicles, equipped with newly developed diodes, will be sold in Europe starting in fiscal year 2019, and alternators equipped with new diodes will be rolled out to manufacturers' groups around the world.

     The diode is one of the components of the alternator. The diode has the function of flowing current in a certain direction and rectifying the generated alternating current into direct current. Denso and Hitachi have developed diodes that can significantly reduce power conversion losses by improving the efficiency of such functions. The new diodes increase the efficiency of electricity generation by about 6 percent compared with traditional products, and help increase the efficiency of fuel consumption. Denso produces 25 million alternators a year in more than a dozen countries. If all alternators were replaced with new high-power diodes, 30 tons of carbon dioxide emissions could be reduced each year.

      The newly developed diodes are also suitable for traditional alternators. Denso and Hitachi retain the shape of the traditional diodes and improve the efficiency of the rectifier function by simplifying the integrated circuit control function and adopting a three-dimensional positioning design.



Despite the increasing electrification of cars, 80 per cent of the world's internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles are still powered by alternators. Denso will sell such products to rapidly improve the environmental performance of its internal-combustion vehicles and help create a sustainable society.

About the alternator

    The alternator is an important component that USES the power of the engine to generate electricity and power all the electronic parts of the vehicle. Surplus power from the electronics is then transferred to the battery, where it is stored.

     The alternator is connected to the engine crankshaft by pulley and belt, and generates electricity by engine torque. Increasing the efficiency of the alternator can reduce the torque load of the engine and improve the fuel efficiency of the vehicle.