Tokyo-based Mitsubishi Electric Corp has received an order for its railcar traction inverter with all-silicon carbide (SiC) power modules (made with SiC transistors and SiC diodes), placed by Odakyu Electric Railway Co Ltd. This is the first order for 3.3kV, 1500A traction inverters designed for 1500V DC catenaries, says Mitsubishi Electric.

The inverters will be installed in a 1000 Series urban train comprising four cars in December, following the completion of running tests.

Compared with an existing 1000 Series train, energy savings in the new traction inverter-installed 1000 Series train's main circuit (which also comprises high-efficiency main motors and filter reactor) are expected to reach about 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 should achieve 80% reductions in both size and weight due to the the all-SiC power modules having fewer components, leading to big reductions in car-re-modeling costs.