Month: September 2025

Upfit UTV, a Fox Factory subsidiary focused on customized off-road vehicles, has announced a collaboration with OMI, a global electric powertrain engineering company, to integrate the OMI Fusion-Drive hybrid system into the Polaris Ranger XD 1500 platform. The companies say this new system will bring significant advancements in hybrid heavy-duty utility terrain vehicles (UTVs), with commercial availability planned for the first quarter of 2026.

The OMI Fusion-Drive is a hybrid powertrain designed to optimize power and efficiency in challenging off-road conditions. The system features three selectable drive modes—electric, hybrid, and combustion—enabling users to switch between power sources depending on terrain and operational requirements. The electric mode is intended to enable lower emissions and quieter operation, which the companies say addresses requirements related to footprint and noise in environmentally sensitive areas.

The Fusion-Drive system also incorporates the OMI NEXUS user interface, which is aimed at increasing ease of use and adaptability for end users. OMI reports that the NEXUS UI enables operators to customize drive settings and integrate third-party devices without needing advanced technical expertise. The interface offers simple configuration between driving modes and simplifies the process of adding on additional electronics or accessories to the vehicle. These features are targeted at users seeking flexibility in off-road vehicle deployment.

The Polaris Ranger XD 1500 will be the first platform to implement the Fusion-Drive hybrid system. The companies identify applications in off-road, utility, and recreational markets, with further potential for technologies such as range extender electric vehicles (REEV) and autonomous vehicles to be applied in off-road scenarios.

“Fusion-Drive allows us to meet these demands without sacrificing performance,” adding, “With the OMI NEXUS UI, we empower everyday drivers with powerful, user-friendly customization tools that require no advanced technical expertise,” said Justin Smith, CEO of Upfit UTV.

“The benefits make Fusion-Drive a promising direction for the future of off-road vehicles and open the door for new technologies that can be particularly useful in off-road scenarios, such as range extender electric vehicles and autonomous vehicles,” said Luis Garelli, CTO of OMI.

Source: OMI

This webinar is dedicated to the simulation of power electronics in hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) environments, with a special focus on the challenges posed by fast-switching semiconductor devices and high switching frequencies in automotive systems.

Join us session at our September Virtual Conference, presented by dSpace, to discover how real-time models with nanosecond time steps and PWM signal oversampling can significantly improve simulation accuracy and reduce aliasing-induced oscillations.

September 17, 2025, 8:45 am EDT
Register now—it’s free!

See the complete session list for the Virtual Conference on EV Engineering here.

Broadcast live from September 15 to 18, 2025, the conference content will encompass the entire EV engineering supply chain and ecosystem, including motor and power electronics design and manufacturing, cell development, battery systems, testing, powertrains, thermal management, circuit protection, wire and cable, EMI/EMC and more.

Tesla has officially rolled out its Robotaxi app, marking the first step toward making the long-discussed service available to the public. The app is now live in the U.S., and iPhone users can download it today to join the waitlist. Android support is expected to follow a little later.

The move follows Elon Musk’s promise to “open up” Robotaxi in September. Tesla has done exactly that, though the rollout comes with some clear limits.

For now, the service operates only in Austin and the Bay Area with a modest fleet of vehicles, each supervised by a Tesla employee. While the app is available nationwide, approval will likely come first for users in those two cities.

Robotaxi at this stage functions as a preview of what Tesla’s Full Self-Driving system could become when scaled into ride-hailing. The technology can handle most driving tasks, but supervised rides remain necessary until consistency improves.

For Tesla owners, this is less about changing daily habits and more about seeing where the brand is headed. Robotaxi is essentially an early look at how Teslas could eventually be used beyond personal driving, hinting at a future where vehicles generate income or operate independently.

The broader goal is data. Each supervised ride adds valuable information to train and refine FSD. For enthusiasts, this milestone highlights how individual ownership today connects to the bigger vision of autonomous mobility tomorrow.

The app is open, the groundwork is being laid, and while the service is still in its early stages, it offers a glimpse into the future Tesla has been working toward. For now, it’s still you in the driver’s seat, but the road ahead looks different than ever before.

Source: Electrek

ROHM and Schaeffler have announced the start of mass production for a new high-voltage inverter brick featuring ROHM’s silicon carbide (SiC) metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) bare chips. Schaeffler says the device is designed for a major Chinese electric EV manufacturer.

The inverter brick supports battery voltages significantly greater than the typical 800 V standard and can deliver root mean square (RMS) currents up to 650 A. These capabilities enable a more compact but powerful power electronics module. According to ROHM, the inverter brick’s modular and scalable design is central to its easy integration into a variety of inverter architectures, supporting rapid deployment in vehicle platforms using so-called X-in-1 powertrain approaches. The brick integrates a power module for pulse width modulation, a DC link capacitor, DC link and integrated cooling.

Additionally, it features a DC boost function, which allows vehicles with 800-volt systems to charge at 400-volt charging stations while maintaining the higher charging speed associated with 800-volt infrastructure.

ROHM notes that its fourth-generation SiC technology substantially improves efficiency and performance for EVs, strengthening the role of silicon carbide power semiconductors in modern automotive applications. The partnership between Schaeffler and ROHM, established in 2020, aims to secure improved capacity and supply of energy-efficient SiC power semiconductors.

Source: ROHM