Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), funded by the US Department of Energy (DOE), is well on its way to helping electric vehicles meet -- or even surpass -- the DOE's projected 2020 energy targets. Improvements in the power density, specific power, and efficiency ratings of power inverters in electric vehicles will enable the ORNL to meet or beat the 2020 standards early. ORNL has unveiled a prototype power inverter produced with 50% 3D printed components. Power inverters produced using additive manufacturing can reduce the weight and volume of inverters currently available, and as more components are 3D printed, the size can continue to be reduced while efficiency rises. Read more about these developments in the full article: http://3dprint.com/20388/3d-printed-power-inverter


Below is a picture of the ORNL's 3D printed prototype power inverter: