APEI Earns Second R&D 100 Award
by July 11, 2014 2:26 pm 139 views
An advanced electronics company based at the University of Arkansas’ Arkansas Research and Technology Park in Fayetteville has been included in R&D Magazine’s list of the world’s top 100 technological product innovations.
Arkansas Power Electronics Inc. was among the winners announced Friday of the 52nd annual R&D 100 awards, an international competition that recognizes the 100 most technologically significant products introduced into the marketplace over the past year.
APEI was founded in 1999 and is the largest company affiliated with the UA’s tech park.
According to a UA news release, the magazine recognized APEI for its high-performance, silicon carbide-based plug-in hybrid electric vehicle battery charger. At the core of the on-board charger unit is one of APEI’s power modules, which will be released as a standard product later this year, according to the UA.
The module’s high-speed switching capability and high-temperature packaging enabled the company to create a battery charger that is more efficient and more powerful than the current commercial technology.
The battery charger represents a major advance in power electronics and meets the increasing demands of the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle and electric vehicle markets and plays a vital role in allowing these markets to experience continual growth.
The new technology developed at APEI can also be utilized across a wide variety of different applications outside of the electric vehicle markets. These include: renewable energy battery charging, distributed grid storage, material handling equipment, boats, handicap mobility vehicles, commercial hybrid vehicles and future military tactical vehicles and systems.
APEI is now a two-time winner of the R&D 100 award. The company was also recognized in 1999 for a high-temperature silicon carbide power module that was the result of a collaboration with the UA and Rohm Co. Ltd. The module can greatly reduce the size and volume of power electronic systems.
In the past, the R&D 100 awards have included such cutting-edge technologies as the flashcube, the automated teller machine, the fax machine and high-definition television.