With the growing demand for eco-friendly cars, energy efficiency, and the need to comply with environmental regulations, vehicles are rapidly shifting from gasoline-powered to hybrid electric and electric vehicles. Now, more vehicles are using drive systems consisting of a gasoline engine with motor assistance (48 V system [1], etc.), and the integration of mechanical and electrical components [2], which involves switching from mechanical to motor drive and electronic control, is underway. These changes have increased the need for the miniaturization and weight reduction of ECUs and stabilization measures for power supply circuits in response to increases in current values. Capacitors mounted in power supply circuits are now increasingly required to correspond to a large current and capacity. To respond to these requirements, Panasonic has commercialized the surface-mounted ZS Series Conductive Polymer Hybrid Aluminum Electrolytic Capacitors.

■ Term Descriptions
[1] 48 V system
System with a 48 V automotive power supply that significantly contributes to achieving low-fuel consumption during cruising by enabling the miniaturization and weight reduction of mounted lithium ion batteries and drive motors. This system is mounted on mild hybrid electric vehicles.
[2] Integration of mechanical and electrical components
This refers to the integration of mechanical drive components and the ECU. Mechanical drive components and the ECU used to be physically separated and interconnected via cables, but demand for high-precision control, more freedom in component layout, fewer cables, etc., has now led to the adoption of an integrated configuration of mechanical and electrical components.