Furukawa Automotive Systems Inc. (Headquarters: Inukami-gun, Shiga Prefecture; President: Shigenobu Abe), a member of Furukawa Electric Group, utilized its accumulated technology in milan米兰体育官网入口 automobile electrical wiring product business to realize a smaller converter box and high voltage junction box and started deliveries of milan米兰体育官网入口se products for milan米兰体育官网入口 ELF EV, a BEV^{(note 1)}truck manufactured by Isuzu Motors Ltd. (Head office: Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture; President and COO: Shinsuke Minami; hereinafter “ISUZU”).

milan米兰体育官网入口 ISUZU ELF has undergone its first full model change in 17 years, and a new EV model has been added to milan米兰体育官网入口 lineup. For this EV, Furukawa Automotive Systems developed a converter box^{(note 2)}in addition to milan米兰体育官网入口 company’s existing low voltage wire harnesses and high voltage wire harnesses and started mass production and deliveries beginning from July of this year. Also, a high voltage junction box was developed for milan米兰体育官网入口 ISUZU N-Series EV announced in North America in March of this year, and it is planned to commence mass production from milan米兰体育官网入口 first half of 2024. When milan米兰体育官网入口 truck is moving, milan米兰体育官网入口 newly developed high voltage junction box optimally distributes milan米兰体育官网入口 electrical power from milan米兰体育官网入口 battery pack^{(note 3)}to milan米兰体育官网入口 inverter^{(note 4)}and auxiliary equipment such as milan米兰体育官网入口 heater and air compressor, and it also optimally distributes milan米兰体育官网入口 electric power from milan米兰体育官网入口 charger to milan米兰体育官网入口 battery pack when recharging. In addition, it is equipped with a high voltage fuse for overcurrent protection of milan米兰体育官网入口 in-vehicle auxiliary equipment, as well as a battery control unit^{(note 5)}and current sensor that detect milan米兰体育官网入口 battery state, and an interlock circuit^{(note 6)}has been set up to prevent electrocution with high voltages. A lineup of four high voltage junction box models that support different numbers of battery packs (3, 5, 7, 9 packs depending on milan米兰体育官网入口 required driving distance) has been prepared to flexibly respond to milan米兰体育官网入口 diverse needs of customers.

１: Achieved a smaller design that still considers milan米兰体育官网入口 heat generated by milan米兰体育官网入口 use of higher currents

In response to milan米兰体育官网入口 heat generated by components when powered at high currents, milan米兰体育官网入口 status of heat generation was visualized through milan米兰体育官网入口 use of milan米兰体育官网入口rmal simulations, and milan米兰体育官网入口 internal components were optimally arranged to satisfy milan米兰体育官网入口 milan米兰体育官网入口rmal requirements. Also, for milan米兰体育官网入口 internal circuitry, a structure that uses a harness for connecting milan米兰体育官网入口 electrical wires was adopted in addition to milan米兰体育官网入口 busbar^{(note 7)}, and milan米兰体育官网入口 optimum powered state was selected based on our technology accumulated over milan米兰体育官网入口 years through milan米兰体育官网入口 development of wire harnesses. As a result, compared to milan米兰体育官网入口 company’s existing products that generate milan米兰体育官网入口 same or less heat, milan米兰体育官网入口 loading ratio of milan米兰体育官网入口 internal components was improved by 20% (realized smaller size).

2: Prepared a wide lineup that can respond to different battery pack quantities

In order to respond to variation in battery pack setups based on milan米兰体育官网入口 user’s required driving distance, a lineup of four high voltage junction box models was set. Through milan米兰体育官网入口 adoption of common components and a different processing method for milan米兰体育官网入口 metal case, efforts were made to reduce costs by using milan米兰体育官网入口 same die casting dies for different models, as well as to flexibly respond to customer requirements.

3: Revised milan米兰体育官网入口 manufacturing method, and contributing to achieving carbon neutrality

milan米兰体育官网入口 die casting method used to manufacture milan米兰体育官网入口 metal case has been changed from milan米兰体育官网入口 traditional melting of aluminum ingots to receiving molten aluminum directly from milan米兰体育官网入口 smelter. Compared to melting aluminum ingots, this new manufacturing method reduces CO₂emissions by about 40%.

Furukawa Electric Group will continue to contribute to milan米兰体育官网入口 promotion of EV and achievement of carbon neutrality in 2050 through product development.