We are Summoning the GaNFET!!!

cafebabe writes:

Last week, I compared Tesla design to Apple. Since then, it has become widely known that Elon Musk tried to sell Tesla to Apple in 2013. This has created considerable interest in Apple's autonomous vehicle project and Apple's progress with lithium batteries. However, it has not created considerable interest in Jony Ive's possible work for Ferrari nor in the progress of power transistors. I wrote about gallium LEDs and transistors in Dec 2017 and, specifically, GaNFET (Gallium Nitride Field Effect Transistor). I thought that it would be a good idea to check progress. Well, holy cr*p.

On Mon 9 Nov 2020, a Texas Instruments press release announced power transistors which can switch 4kW (more than 600V, more than 6A) at 2.2MHz and, due to the 30m resistance, do this with 99% efficiency. Indeed, cables may warm more than the 12mm*12mm transistors which require, at most, 40W heatsink. My calculations may be wrong but a homebrew, all wheel drive, six wheel vehicle, with 16 phase electric motors and these 4kW GaNFETs, can do a standing start quarter mile (400m) in less than 10 seconds. By 1980s standards, this is supercar performance. And from 2021 Q1, it is now possible to make this at home or a local makerspace.

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