[maxvtol]

If there is a shortage, why is there one and when is it likely to get better?

Are IGBT’s the way to go for controllers of electric cars in the future (for all types of controllers)?

Are there any companies likely to benefit from the shortage (not only sellers or manufacturers of IGBT’s, but any companies that make equipment that makes IGBT’s)?

I’m obviously doing research for investment opportunities, but not soliciting investment advice (I’ll do more due diligence once I know where to look).

Since I’m also looking at the technical aspect of this, I hope this won’t be deemed as being posted in the wrong section. I really know almost nothing about controllers, and I’m hoping to find out more about IGBT’s and controllers from people in the know. It may also influence my timing for buying a controller, and the type of controller for my EV project.

 

[Tesseract]

If there is a shortage, why is there one and when is it likely to get better?

Yes, there is a shortage. http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/solar-projects-stalled-by-inverter-shortage/

Are IGBT’s the way to go for controllers of electric cars in the future (for all types of controllers)?

Yes. Except for switching power supplies operating at very high frequencies and/or very low voltages, IGBTs are much more rugged for a given die area than either MOSFETs or bipolars. The only device more rugged is the thyristor (SCR) but it is such a pain to turn off there's no chance you'll see them return to use in controllers.

Are there any companies likely to benefit from the shortage (not only sellers or manufacturers of IGBT’s, but any companies that make equipment that makes IGBT’s)?

I can't see how... Similar to what was reported in the above article, I was told by our module manufacturer that the company that makes the dice sold off part of their production equipment to a Chinese company so they've not only reduced their ability to make product, they also sold the means to make product to a future competitor. Sheer stupidity, IMO.