Driving Higher Energy Efficiency in Automotive Electronics Designs

By Synopsys, Inc.

January 18, 2024

Advancements in automotive electronics are proceeding at a breathtaking pace. Sophisticated driver assistance systems, smart safety features, and dazzling infotainment systems are now present in vehicles across the price range, and not just limited to the high end of the product line or premium marques. And although the demise of the internal combustion engine (ICE) has been greatly exaggerated, electric vehicles (EVs) now represent a viable alternative to gasoline-powered cars, utility vehicles, and trucks for many customers.

Central to many of these capabilities are silicon chips. Industry sources estimate that now there are over 1,000 integrated circuits (ICs), or chips, in an average ICE car, and twice as many in an average EV. Such a large amount of electronics translates into kilowatts of power being consumed – equivalent to a couple of dishwashers running continuously. For an ICE vehicle, this puts a lot of stress on the vehicle’s electrical and charging system, leading automotive manufacturers to consider moving to 48V systems (vs. today’s mainstream 12V systems). These 48V systems reduce the current levels in the vehicle's wiring, enabling the use of lower cost smaller-gauge wire, as well as delivering higher reliability. For EVs, higher energy efficiency of on-board electronics translates directly into longer range – the primary consideration of many EV buyers (second only to price). Driver assistance and safety features often employ redundant component techniques to ensure reliability, further increasing vehicle energy consumption. Lack of energy efficiency for an EV also means more frequent charging, further stressing the power grid and producing a detrimental effect on the environment. All these considerations necessitate the need for a comprehensive energy-efficient design methodology for automotive ICs.

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