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MazdaMatt · 05-20-2009, 03:31 PM

The prius uses a ~200V pack and steps it up to ~500V to drive the motor.

So that got me to wondering... is it reasonable to step up a 12V source to 600V+? This very high voltage could then be used to create a 3-phase drive system using IGBTs and a high voltage industrial motor.

My reasoning:
We all know that higher volts means lower current and the opportunity to get higher speed and performance.
12V batteries could all be used in parallel and batteries could be freely added and removed as budget and damage dictated.
No need to string up 600 volts in batteries, not even 200 for that matter - the safety aspect of not having an exposed high DC voltage is a bonus.

I'm not a power electronics guru, so i'm posing the questions for someone with more knowledge of these things. If 12 to 600 is not reasonable, what is reasonable to step up to 600v? What are the limitations?

05-20-2009, 03:31 PM	#1 (permalink)
MazdaMatt Master EcoModder Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: London, Ontario Posts: 1,096 2k2Prot5 - '02 Mazda Protege5 90 day: 33.82 mpg (US) Thanks: 0 Thanked 17 Times in 14 Posts	Stepping up voltage The prius uses a ~200V pack and steps it up to ~500V to drive the motor. So that got me to wondering... is it reasonable to step up a 12V source to 600V+? This very high voltage could then be used to create a 3-phase drive system using IGBTs and a high voltage industrial motor. My reasoning: We all know that higher volts means lower current and the opportunity to get higher speed and performance. 12V batteries could all be used in parallel and batteries could be freely added and removed as budget and damage dictated. No need to string up 600 volts in batteries, not even 200 for that matter - the safety aspect of not having an exposed high DC voltage is a bonus. I'm not a power electronics guru, so i'm posing the questions for someone with more knowledge of these things. If 12 to 600 is not reasonable, what is reasonable to step up to 600v? What are the limitations?