April 30, 2014 - Mitsubishi Electric Corporation announced today that it has received an order for its railcar traction inverter with all-silicon carbide (SiC) power modules made with SiC transistors and SiC diodes, which was placed by Odakyu Electric Railway Co., Ltd. This is the world's first order for the 3.3kV, 1,500A traction inverter designed for 1,500V DC catenaries.
The inverters will be installed in a 1000 series urban train comprising four cars in December 2014, following the completion of running tests.
Compared to an existing 1000 series train, energy savings in the new traction inverter-installed 1000 eries train's main circuit, which also comprises high-efficiency main motors and filter reactor, are expected to reach approximately 36% when the train is very crowded or 20% at normal occupancy. More detailed figures will be compiled when Odakyu and Mitsubishi Electric conduct the running tests.
Also, the main circuit of the new traction inverter-installed 1000 series train will achieve 80% reductions in both size and weight thanks to fewer components in the all-SiC power modules, leading to drastic reductions in car-remodeling costs.