The efficient delivery of electrical power for use in driving an electric motor is of ever increasing importance as the transition from fossil fuel based vehicle technologies to green vehicle technologies continues. Electric and electric hybrid vehicles, for example, typically utilize one or more power inverters to convert DC power received from a battery to AC power for use by electric motors to propel the vehicle. One technical challenge posed by interfacing a power inverter with an electric motor is that the operating temperatures routinely generated by the electric motor can damage the heat sensitive transistors in the power inverter.
One conventional approach for transferring AC power to an electric motor utilizes relatively long, flexible cables to connect the AC outputs of the power inverter to the electric motor. Although such a conventional approach offers thermal protection to the power inverter by distancing it from the electric motor, a significant disadvantage of the approach is the amount of space required for its implementation. As demand for electric and hybrid vehicles continues to grow, the need for a more compact solution for interfacing a power inverter with an electric motor that concurrently provides thermal protection for the power inverter becomes increasingly important.
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