News: Microelectronics
1 May 2026
EU-funded HiPower 5.0 project developing GaN-based EV on-board chargers
Electric vehicles should be better for the environment, powerful, but also affordable. However, their on-board chargers (OBCs) are hindering progress, as existing models are reaching their limits in terms of efficiency, size and reliability. The European Union (EU)-funded HiPower 5.0 project aims to revolutionize this technology.
Simpler systems with fewer components promise greater efficiency, lower costs, and wider market acceptance. Overseen by the Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration (IZM) in Berlin, Germany, the HiPower 5.0 consortium has hence dedicated its work on automotive applications to producing a powerful 22kW OBC with a total size of only 4 liters — far smaller than the current market average of 12 liters.
More compact design
The innovation revolves around gallium nitride (GaN) semiconductors provided by Infineon. These monolithically integrated, bi-directional GaN switches enable more efficient conversion in a smaller package, since they are designed to control the flow of electricity in both directions. Thus, a single component does the work of what were originally two separate semiconductors, paving the way for new technological opportunities. Circuit designs now become possible that would have required costly compromises with more conventional components.
Also important is the way in which all the components in the vehicle work together, which is where Fraunhofer IZM’s experience with packaging and system development come into play: The components are not optimized individually. Rather, design decisions are governed by the system as a whole: Several electronic components are embedded directly into the circuit boards, which shortens critical paths, reduces potential losses, and saves precious space overall.
A first working unit demonstrating the potential of the technical approaches was a compact and powerful 22kW on-board charger for electric cars. Fraunhofer IZM first exhibited the charger, which was still without bi-directional GaN components, at the Power Electronics, Intelligent Motion, Renewable Energy and Energy Management (PCIM Europe 2024) Expo & Conference in Nuremberg, Germany.
From semiconductor to finished vehicle: a European value chain
The goal of the HiPower 5.0 consortium is to harness the advantages of GaN and wide-bandgap semiconductors in market-ready products within a fully European value chain. In addition to the automotive sector, the consortium is also addressing applications in the marine shipping industry.
The HiPower 5.0 project brings together partners from ten European nations, including two OEMs, 21 tier-1 and tier-2 suppliers, six specialists for power electronics, ten universities, and seven research institutions. From August 2025 to June 2028, they are working on six use-cases, supported by €33.7m in funding from the EU and its member states. The German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space is contributing €5.74m and the Free State of Saxony is contributing €0.12m.
The HiPower 5.0 consortium project partners are: AVL List GmbH, AVL-AST, Aalborg University, Ampere SAS, Austria Technologie & Systemtechnik AG, AVL Moravia S.R.O., AVL Software and Function GmbH, CEA-Leti, DEIF A/S, DEIF Wind Power Technology Austria GmbH, DENPAFLUX, Elaphe Pogonske Tehnologije, Fraunhofer IZM, Ideas & Motion, Infineon Technologies AG, Infineon Technologies Austria AG, Interuniversitair Micro-Electronica Centrum, Lumency, Mahle Electric Drives Slovenija, Mahle International GmbH, Mahle New Mobility Solutions GmbH, Mercedes Benz AG, Nederlandse organisatie voor toegepast natuurwetenschappelijk onderzoek, Politecnico di Torino, Prodrive Technologies Innovation Services B.V., Reden B.V, RWTH Aachen – ISEA, SIEMENS AG, Silicon Austria Labs GmbH, Slovenska Technicka Univerzita v Bratislave, Soitec SA, Soitec LAB, TDK Electronics AG, Technische Universität Chemnitz, Technische Universität Dortmund, Technische Universiteit Eindhoven, University of Stuttgart, University of West Bohemia, VALEO EAUTOMOTIVE GERMANY GMBH, VALEO SYSTEMES DE CONTROLE MOTEUR SAS, VIRTUAL VEHICLE Research GmbH, Vitesco Technologies France, Vitesco Technologies Germany GmbH, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, ZA HELIOX BV.
