Vitesco Technologies announced a huge order for 800 V silicon carbide (SiC) inverters, placed by a major, but undisclosed, North American automaker.

The order is worth more than €1 billion euro ($1.13 billion) and will result in the supply of "millions" of inverters.

"Vitesco Technologies has won an order worth more than 1 billion euros from a major North American car manufacturer. The company will supply millions of 800-volt inverters with silicon carbide technology – a key enabler for fast charging and improving EV efficiency and range."

Not only that, the deal will be a foundation to localize production of the inverters in North America, which most likely means a new plant and more EV-related jobs.

"At the same time, Vitesco Technologies is to expand its global presence and production facilities: The plan is for this high-voltage inverter complete with power module to be generated in North America beginning in early 2025."

That's quite interesting news. The order could be placed by any of the big players - General Motors, Ford or Chrysler (Stellantis). We guess that it's not Tesla, which usually focuses on in-house solutions and usually is not named a "major automaker" in the same sense as the established manufacturers that have existed for decades.

Anyway, it's great to see that the big OEMs are finally laying the groundwork for "millions" of EVs. The 800 V systems (batteries and drive units), currently used in a small number of models, are very likely the way to go in the next wave of EVs later this decade.

Vitesco Technologies already scored multiple big orders for 800 V silicon carbide (SiC) inverters, including a "triple-digit million Euro amount" for Hyundai Motor Group in March 2021.

Vitesco Technologies 800-volt SiC inverter
Vitesco Technologies 800-volt SiC inverter

The company reports that in Q4 2021 alone, it received new orders worth more than 2 billion euros in the electrification segment. Besides the order described above, the company received an order from one Chinese and one from a Japanese automaker. Those orders concern high-voltage axle drives and power electronics.

"In the final quarter of 2021 alone, incoming orders for electrification components totaled more than 2 billion euros. Along with the major order from North America, Vitesco Technologies also received orders from one Chinese and one Japanese automaker – each valued at several hundred million euros. These orders for battery electric vehicle technology, are specifically for high-voltage axle drives that are manufactured and supplied as complete systems, as well as the necessary high-voltage power electronics."

Thomas Stierle, Member of the Executive Board and head of  the Electrification Technology business unit at Vitesco Technologies said:

"With our portfolio, we are fully focused on global, scalable platforms for electrified vehicles. This is where the growth is happening and it’s also where there is real potential for the sustainable and increasingly carbon-neutral mobility of the future. The latest orders clearly prove the point. The electrification of automotive drive systems is progressing faster than ever − and Vitesco Technologies is among the prime movers and beneficiaries of this global trend”.

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