Hillcrest Energy Technologies announced it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Hercules Electric Mobility, Inc. Under the terms of the MOU, the companies will collaborate on a project to build, test and potentially commercialize a system that includes a Hillcrest 250-kilowatt, 800-volt inverter that has been optimized for a Hercules electric powertrain. As part of the project, they will collaborate on a series of configurations using the Hillcrest inverter in the Hercules electric propulsion system to test and work towards the end goal of demonstrating a powertrain containing an optimized Hillcrest inverter. The project will begin this month and is expected to run through March 2023, with potential applications including marine, automotive and other electric mobility products.

Designed to be smaller, lighter and more powerful than currently available inverters, Hillcrest technology is built on proprietary control software. This software combined with unique hardware design know-how overcomes traditional challenges faced with current wide bandgap devices. Hillcrest inverter technology has been proven in product-development testing to reduce losses and deliver new levels of efficiency and performance in future generations of electric drive systems. The company has recently developed and built a 250-kilowatt, 800-volt Silicone Carbide (SiC) EV commercial inverter prototype, also with a modular approach.

This shared modular, customizable design provides the flexibility to quickly meet customer needs and adapt to the most up-to-date technologies. If all milestones are met, Hillcrest and Hercules expect to enter into a definitive commercialization agreement.