High Voltage and High Current New Energy Vehicle Connectors Made in China Will Not Fall Behind

New energy vehicles are now very popular, and all kinds of related devices and products are developing rapidly with new energy vehicles. Automobile system has always been the main application market of connectors, and connectors are widely used in various systems such as automobile power system, automobile body system and vehicle-mounted equipment system. No matter in hybrid or pure electric vehicles, there is a complete high-voltage connection system. It can be said that it is the new energy vehicles that promote the development of high-voltage connection.

When the high-voltage system of new energy vehicles is working, the discharge current reaches tens of amperes, even hundreds of amperes. Once the high-voltage Connector is in trouble, it will overheat, or even cause high temperature or combustion accidents. As electrical connection is put on the agenda of national standard as an important content in China, "Technical Requirements for High-voltage and High-current Wire Harness and Connector for Electric Vehicles" has achieved a relatively closed loop for the electrical connection.

Renovation of High-Voltage Connectors around High-Voltage Interlocking

In the process of the development of new energy vehicles, high-voltage connectors have experienced several innovations. The earliest high-voltage connector was modified from industrial connector, which is the most basic first generation. From the second generation, the high-voltage interlock function began to be applied. The so-called high-voltage interlock means that the high-voltage circuit is managed by low-voltage signals to ensure the safety and reliability of the high-voltage connection system.

On the basis of high-voltage interlocking as the core, the third-generation high-voltage connector uses plastic to reduce weight and add more electromagnetic shielding functions. The fourth-generation high-voltage connector adds the second-level unlocking function on the basis of the third generation. It is not difficult to see that in the process of synchronous development of high-voltage connectors with new energy vehicles, high-voltage interlock is the core function that can't be avoided in every upgrade.

At present, the common high-voltage connector system integrates the high-voltage interlocking function inside the lock catch while providing multiple lock catch options. Through the logic sequence of high-voltage interlock, the connector system with high-voltage interlock can be turned off when it is energized, and the power terminal and the interlock terminal will be turned on/off in sequence. In the design of this kind of high-voltage connector for vehicles, most of the terminals will adopt 90-degree or 180-degree plug design to provide EMI shielding in addition to the high-voltage interlocking function. Moreover, the whole connection system will adopt a wide range of temperature and wire diameter to adapt to many hybrid and pure electric vehicle applications.

Mainstream High Voltage Connectors at Home and Abroad

● TE

TE's portfolio of high-voltage terminals and connectors is very rich, ranging from HVA 280 high-voltage connector system, HVA 630 high-voltage connector system and HPV 800 high-voltage connector system to HVP100 and HVA 1200 high-voltage connector systems. There are over 3000 combinations of HVA 280 high-voltage connector system alone.

HVP 1100 high-voltage connector system is suitable for high-current applications and is a high-performance connector with optimized size. HVP 1100 high-voltage connector system can safely transmit large current and high voltage from battery to frequency converter by using up to 320A current in 70mm² conductor.

HVA 1200' s high-voltage system is an important supplement to TE's high-voltage connector series for the next generation of high-performance hybrid and all-electric vehicles. HVA 1200 connector system has a rated voltage of 1000 V and a current carrying capacity of 100 A. It is mainly used in charging interfaces, car chargers and batteries.

All TE series adopt touch-safe 90-degree and 180-degree plugs with 1-pin (high current), 2-pin or 3-pin (medium and small current) for current plug and male terminal design, which has high layout flexibility. The connector can provide multiple locks and integrate internal HVIL, which can optimize the package size.

● Amphenol

Amphenol's high-voltage connectors are divided into 6mm, 8mm, 10mm, 12mm, 14mm, and 16mm series. Amphenol chooses aluminum alloy for the current plug and male end design shell material, and copper alloy for the terminal material, which is shielded by metal to resist radio frequency interference and electromagnetic interference. And the high-voltage interlocking function is also integrated in the connector.

In the series of 1000V 14mm double-hole metal 180 high-current high-voltage connectors, the size of shielding wiring harness covers 70/95/120mm2. The maximum loadable current is 400A in 95mm² size and 450A in 120mm² size. The current carrying capacity is undoubtedly strong in the whole industry. In order to cope with such a large current, the terminal connection also adopts the plug high-current terminal crimping treatment and the high-voltage interlocking terminal crimping treatment.

● APTIV

Aptiv's well-known AK series high-voltage connector is a cost-effective solution for the fast-growing electric and hybrid vehicle transportation market, which meets the requirements of industry standards and full compatibility.

The current carrying capacity of the whole Aptiv's high-voltage connector is also in the leading position in the industry, and AK series can carry up to 300A of high current. Compared with the improvement of current carrying capacity, Aptiv pays more attention to high temperature and vibration performance, and its innovative cable strain relief ensures the excellent performance and robustness of high-voltage connectors.

● AVIC Optoelectronics

Avic has cooperated with many car manufacturers before the new energy vehicles in China started to emerge. Later, when other domestic connector manufacturers reacted, it was difficult to replace them. At present, AVIC Optoelectronics has a good market share in domestic high-voltage connectors.

From the point of view of current selection, at present, AVIC Optoelectronics can cover up to 300A at the highest. The design of four-key error prevention, high-voltage interlocking, shielding, and single seal of socket make the connector's adaptability in harsh environment almost reach the extreme.

It is worth mentioning that the size of high-voltage connectors owned by AVIC is almost different from that of other companies, so its products are highly viscous to users, because there is hardly any similar substitute in the market.

● Yonggui Technology

Sichuan Yonggui's business mainly includes high-voltage connectors and Wiring Harness components, PDU/BDU, charging/replacing interfaces and wiring harnesses for new energy vehicles, etc. Its overall solutions for high-voltage and high-current electric vehicles have entered many first-line automobile brand supply chains.

YG series, which is the flagship of Yong Technology, is a self-developed high-performance product with intellectual property rights. The product has high-voltage interlocking function, electric shock protection and 360-degree omnidirectional shielding. The largest current carrying capacity is YGC1266 newly developed by Yonggui Technology, which has the characteristics of simple appearance, 90-degree outlet of plug, secondary locking and high-voltage interlocking, and can well meet the requirements of "high current and small volume" of electrical connectors for new energy vehicles, with a maximum current carrying capacity of 250A.

● Ruikeda

Suzhou Ruikeda has successively developed a number of core technologies, such as board-to-board RF connector technology, high-voltage high-current connector technology, and electrical connector technology. The connector product technology has made great progress in mechanical performance, electrical performance and environmental performance.

The high-voltage connector whose main shell is made of engineering plastic can work in the system circuit with ambient temperature of-40℃ to 125℃, current of 10A to 350A and voltage of 750-1000VDC. High-voltage connectors with metal alloy as the main shell are mainly used in electric buses, logistics vehicles and commercial vehicles, and the current covers from 10A to 400A. It is the leading manufacturer in high-current performance of high-voltage connectors in China.

Performance Comparison and Development Direction of High-Voltage Connectors

In the field of traditional automobile connectors, international manufacturers such as TE, Aptiv, Amphenol, etc. have no small advantages, showing a monopoly situation. However, in the field of high-voltage connectors for new energy vehicles, the situation is quite different from that of traditional vehicles. In terms of high-voltage and high-current performance, it can be clearly seen that domestic enterprises are not inferior to these big international companies at all, and some indicators can even surpass them. From the perspective of the whole industry, what domestic enterprises lack is the accumulation of materials and processes of the whole connector, such as precision stamping and injection molding, automatic machine assembly and automatic production. These aspects will be more deeply accumulated by international big manufacturers.

After years of technical accumulation, the connectors of us, Kable-X, have met the technical level required by high-voltage connectors for new energy vehicles in terms of design capacity and automatic production capacity. On the premise that the localization and technical ability of downstream manufacturers are sufficient, domestic manufacturers have occupied some high-voltage connectors of new energy vehicles. How to improve the quality of manufacturing process connectors while ensuring the safety of automotive electronic systems is a difficult problem that every connector manufacturer needs to overcome constantly.