Panasonic Industry Co., Ltd. has started commercial production of its ZL Series conductive polymer hybrid aluminum electrolytic capacitors. The series includes the industry’s first high-capacitance type models guaranteed to operate at 135°C. These capacitors have been developed for installation in electronic control units (ECUs)^[1] for electric vehicles, including hybrids.

Conductive polymer hybrid aluminum electrolytic capacitors, characterized by high capacitance and high current, are responsible for reducing current noise and stabilizing circuit voltage in ECU power supply circuits, with more than 100 packs used in a typical xEV. Mainly, they are key devices indispensable for the electrification and advanced digitization of vehicles.

In recent years, ECUs mounted on vehicles have proliferated, and their power consumption has increased in step with vehicle electrification and the rise of autonomous driving. In particular, applications such as advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) ^[2], electric power steering (EPS)^[3], and automatic braking require a redundant design with two identical circuits installed in a vehicle to improve safety. Accordingly, this results towards further increase in the number of capacitors used per ECU.

However, the limited space available for installation in the vehicle body requires ECUs to process high currents in a compact size, which increases the amount of heat generated within the ECU. Therefore, capacitors have to be more heat-resistant and smaller in form factor while offering more capacitance than ever before.

So, Panasonic Industry began mass-producing conductive polymer hybrid aluminum electrolytic capacitors in 2012, and has paved the way with industry-first products. Recently, the company has further evolved its proprietary electrolyte and high-precision electrode foil winding technology with a view to commercial production of the ZL series capacitors. With a lineup of five major sizes, these capacitors overcome circuit design restrictions through heat control measures. Also, it achieved one-rank size smaller than the company’s existing standard ZC Series products without changing the capacitance.

Utilizing its proprietary device technology, Panasonic Industry will strive to contribute to enhancing the performance and reliability of electric vehicles and reduce equipment weight. This, in turn, will lead to improved fuel efficiency and contribute to decreased environmental impact by reducing the quantity of parts and materials used.

Panasonic’s automotive conductive polymer hybrid aluminum electrolytic capacitors have the following features:

1. Through Panasonic Industry’s new proprietary electrolyte technology, the company has achieved high-capacitance type capacitors^*2 guaranteed to operate at 135°C, an industry first^*1.

2. The ZL Series capacitors come in five major sizes for automotive applications and have achieved the industry’s highest level^*2 capacitance.

3. Saves space for capacitor mounting areas, contributing to a reduction in environmental impact through the miniaturization of ECUs and a decrease in the amount of parts and materials used.

^*1 As of February 28, 2024, the industry’s highest capacitance models in five major sizes (ø5 x 5.8 to ø10 x 10.2) for automotive applications included in the conductive polymer hybrid aluminum capacitors are guaranteed to operate for 4,000 hours at 135°C (capacitors in sizes of ø5 and ø6 are guaranteed to operate for 2,000 hours at 135°C). (Panasonic Industry data)

^*2 As of February 28, 2024, the industry’s highest capacitance models in five major sizes (ø5 x 5.8 to ø10 x 10.2) for automotive applications included in the conductive polymer hybrid aluminum capacitors (Panasonic Industry data)