A consortium has claimed it now has a way to reduce the weight, package space and cost of producing an important car part for electric vehicles.

The group – led by Prodrive – revealed it has developed a new method of configuring DC-DC converters.

It explained it has managed to counteract the rising costs of energy storage by increasing available voltage at the traction motors.

Pete James, Prodrive’s technical specialist, commented: "With a unit that is a quarter the size of a conventional converter, we can eliminate 20 per cent of the vehicle’s batteries – and possible more."

The company explained this was possible through the use of a new bi-directional DC-DC converter than provides 600 v output from a source of 380 v, maintaining this level even when the amount being entered drops to as little as 200 v.

Earlier this year, Prodrive displayed some of its most iconic cars at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

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