NXP introduces the 60V FlexRay transceiver

     Increasing in-vehicle electronics applications are driving the demand for higher power supply voltages in the automotive industry, and NXP Semiconductor today announced the introduction of a new FlexRay transceiver family to support the adoption of 48V power supply voltages in future vehicle models. The new 48V FlexRay product complements the original 48V CAN transceiver family. At the International Automotive Electronics Conference held in Ludwigsburg, Germany, last year, the five major German automotive manufacturers - BMW, Audi, Daimler, Porsche and Volkswagen - announced their unanimous adoption of the transceiver. The NXP transceiver is the first in the industry to support 48V power supply systems and withstand voltage performance up to +/-60V.

     As the original mechanical functions in the car are gradually being electrified, the standard 12V in-vehicle network has reached its limit in the application of electric steering, powertrain and in-vehicle dynamic systems. Now automakers have decided to standardize the 48V system rather than simply increase the diameter of the cables for the 12V system. This initiative will ensure efficient power supply for all high-current devices. Oems also expect 48V systems to optimize regenerative braking energy recovery, replace the hydraulic system in the electric steering system, and improve the air conditioning system to reduce CO2 emissions. In addition, the 48V power supply system can reduce the weight and volume of high power actuators.

     NXP is the first in the industry to introduce the high-performing FlexRay transceiver, which supports the upcoming 48V standard without the need for expensive external decoupling devices, demonstrating NXP's leadership in in-vehicle networking. The new transceiver uses extremely low power in standby and sleep mode and offers excellent ESD protection while reducing CO2 emissions, underscoring NXP's strategy for high-performance mixed signals. While other companies are still using low-voltage CMOS processes in their designs, NXP's ABCD3/9 technology is capable of delivering high voltage performance well above 60V with high-density digital logic circuits.

     At the 15th Automotive Electronics Conference held in Germany in 2011, BMW, Audi, Daimler, Porsche and Volkswagen announced that they will jointly promote the rapid adoption of 48V systems in the short to medium term. At the same time, they called on semiconductor companies to actively support the initiative. Giuseppe Mascolino, head of E/E Architecture, System Functions, Software Development and e-Mobility at BMW, said: "Due to the increasing number of high-power electronics in cars, it has become increasingly difficult, both from a technical and economic point of view, to carry these functions with 12V power alone. As a result, BMW and other major automakers have decided to add another 48V system to future models as a complement to the existing 12V in-vehicle network. This enables the convenient and low-cost integration of high-power components in the future, enabling a variety of new and innovative functions."

     Kurt Sievers, Executive vice president and general manager, Automotive Business Unit, NXP Semiconductors, said: "As the world's leading supplier of semiconductors for automotive networking, we are constantly looking for ways to drive innovation in the automotive industry. This is demonstrated by our existing family of in-car networking products and the new 60V FlexRay transceiver family, which can push in-car networking to a whole new level of power. "With NXP's CAN and FlexRay transceivers that support 48-V systems, automakers can now start designing more applications for future vehicles."