Introduction

“Electrification Creates the Future”

Organized by the JSAE, the leading academic society of automotive engineers in Japan, EVTeC is a conference that focuses on EVs, HEVs, FCVs, PHVs and various other related technologies. The first EVTeC was held in May 2011 with great success. Despite being held just after the Great East Japan Earthquake, it featured the presentation of 66 papers and gathered 230 participants. The second EVTeC was successfully held in May 2014, featuring 90 papers and 264 participants.

EVTeC 2016 will be held at Pacifico Yokohama, alongside the JSAE Annual Spring Congress. More than 90,000 people are expected to visit the exhibition. Participation in the Spring Congress and exhibition is free of charge for EVTeC participants, and these events provide an excellent opportunity to see the forefront of activities being carried out in Japan.

Hybrid electric vehicles have become common, and electric vehicles are already on sale, with mass production and global sales of EVs starting several years ago. Recently, wireless power transfer technology is being introduced in the EV field. International standardization is also the subject of proactive proposals and lively discussions. As a step toward achieving a low carbon society, we need to create a forum for vehicle researchers and engineers from inside and outside Japan to pool their collective strengths and share their knowledge.

APE is a European international congress founded and organized by the SIA (the French Society of Automotive Engineers). The APE congress has been held six times since 2006 as a unique event dedicated to Automotive Power Electronics. Members from the entire automotive supply chain, the power industry, and research institutes can meet and exchange technological information. They focus on on-board systems and components that are mounted not only in EVs, HEVs and FCVs, but also in conventional vehicles. Furthermore, 48V systems have been raised as a hot topic. The APE congress provides a platform to share trends, challenges, innovations and solutions.

APE Japan is organized by the JSAE as a sister conference to the APE congress, with the first APE Japan planned to be held in 2014. Based on the similarities and common points between EVTeC and APE Japan, we decided to combine these two conferences into a single new international conference. The joint EVTeC 2014 and APE Japan 2014 was a success. In order to enhance this platform for sharing information and fostering discussion on trends in electricity in the automotive industry, we decided to hold EVTeC 2016 & APE Japan 2016 in Yokohama.

We are really looking forward to seeing you in Yokohama in May 2016!