Key Issues in Electric Vehicle High Voltage Cable Design

Against the backdrop of environmental degradation, policy support, and rising fossil fuels, the market share of electric vehicles continues to grow. As technology advances, innovative electric vehicle designs place higher demands on high-voltage cables.

1. Voltage

Conventional electric vehicles are generally designed with a rated voltage of 600V. If they are commercial vehicles and buses, the general voltage needs to be as high as 1000V. The rated voltage of the traditional internal combustion engine vehicle wiring harness is 60V. According to the power P=U*I, when the power remains unchanged, using a lower current and high voltage can reduce the power loss in the transmission system.

2. Current

High-voltage cables need to connect components such as batteries, inverters, and electric motors for the transmission of high currents. Current up to 250A to 450A depending on the power requirements of the system components.

3. Temperature

High-current transmission of high-voltage cables will lead to high power consumption and continuous heating of components. Therefore, the design of high-voltage wiring harnesses needs to be able to withstand high temperatures. At present, high-voltage wiring harnesses must withstand high temperatures of at least 125°C. Different materials have different temperature resistance effects. Silicon rubber and fluorine rubber are temperature resistant Can reach 180 degrees and 200 degrees. High temperature resistance is required near special equipment in electric vehicles, such as near the exhaust pipe, in front of the motor, and behind the battery.

4. Working life

The designed service life of the cable in the automotive industry is 3000h under the specified temperature grade. Usually, the cable needs to be subjected to a long-term aging test that meets the standard, and it can be used before leaving the factory. In the high-voltage field, the requirements for working life are generally higher, and the cumulative operating time at the specified temperature even reaches 12,000 h.

5. Shielding effect

High-voltage cables do not need data transmission and do not need to be shielded themselves, but in order to avoid or reduce high-frequency radiation generated by switching power supplies in high-voltage systems, the cables are induced to surrounding components.

In general, in order to meet different shielding effects, different combinations of shielding types are required, and the EMI problem can be solved by using appropriate shielding methods.

6. Flexibility

The internal environment of electric vehicles is complex and the wiring space is small. Due to the inherent design of conventional cables, high bending force is difficult to overcome, but high-voltage cables can be designed with high flexibility, so that the cables can be easily folded in the tight path inside the new energy vehicle. bending.

7. Bending resistance

If the electric motor is located close to the moving part of the vehicle, the high-voltage cables connected nearby will be in a continuous vibration environment, and the high-voltage cables need to be designed to withstand high cyclic bending to ensure good bending endurance.

8. Identification

Due to the increased application risk caused by high voltage, various standards define that high-voltage cables must be visually distinguished from ordinary automotive cables, and the designated surface must be bright orange to play a warning role. At the same time, it can also print with warning content and special marks, such as "Caution! High voltage 600V", high voltage lightning logo, etc.

OMG's products and technologies have served major automobiles and well-known connector companies, most of which have been exported to Europe, America, Southeast Asia and other countries and regions. We only produce high-quality EV cables, and strictly pursue high-quality. Friends who are interested in high-voltage cables and EV charging cables can visit the OMG official website for more detailed information:https://www.omgevcable.com/