Ryuji Omura, left, a senior vice president at Nidec Corp., and Vivek Bhan, a senior vice president at Renesas Electronics Corp., at the Nidec Shin-Kawasaki Technology Center in Kawasaki on June 6 (Kazuhito Suwa) 

Motor maker Nidec Corp. and chipmaker Renesas Electronics Corp. will develop a power-efficient drive system for electric vehicles to keep pace with growing demand in China. 

The new product will incorporate Renesas’ power semiconductors–which control and convert electrical power–into Nidec’s drive system that integrates a motor, inverter and gearbox, the two companies announced June 6. 

A prototype is expected by the end of this year. 

Demand for drive systems that combine multiple functions, including power electronics, is expanding in China, a fast-growing market for electric vehicles, the companies said. 

“We have to chase after this trend in China,” said Ryuji Omura, a Nidec senior vice president. 

Nidec expects its groupwide sales of three-in-one drive systems will surge from about 340,000 units in fiscal 2022 to 950,000 units in fiscal 2023. 

Renesas aims to produce drive systems that other manufacturers can use based on the prototype to be jointly developed with Nidec.