High-voltage DC-to-DC converters are much larger and heavier than their low-voltage counterparts due to the extra shielding required to protect nearby components from the electromagnetic interference generated from increased current. And they need to be reliable enough to meet the functional safety demands of autonomous driving features and advanced driver-assistance systems.ĭC-to-DC converters for high-voltage applications BEVs must deliver enough power to drive the wheels of the car while also being able to step down current to run all of the low-voltage devices that make up the software-defined vehicle. The expansion of software-enabled features, including active safety, connectivity and infotainment, has only added to the complexity of the low-voltage architecture. The voltage may also have to be stepped up - for example, if a battery running at 400V is connected to a charging station running at 800V. The voltage has to step down to, say, 48V to power an air conditioning unit, and down to 12V and lower to power numerous electronics throughout the vehicle. Systems higher than 60V are considered high voltage typical BEV batteries range from 400V to 800V. These low-voltage DC-to-DC converters are still an essential part of the control circuitry in all vehicles today - both in internal combustion engine vehicles and battery electric vehicles (BEVs).īEVs introduce a much greater level of electrical power, requiring a more robust DC-to-DC converter. DC-to-DC converters enabled this growth by stepping down power from the 12V battery to lower-voltage electrical systems such as the instrumentation panel, entertainment system, LED lighting and sensors (which can require as little as 3.3V).

Over the decades, new features and innovations increased the complexity of vehicle electrical/electronic architectures, including the introduction of cruise control in the 1950s, emission control features in the ’70s and electrical centers in the ’90s.

In automotive applications, they are an essential intermediary between systems of different voltage levels throughout the vehicle.Ĭontrol circuitry played the role of DC-to-DC converter in the traditional 12V electrical architecture that dominated the automotive industry starting in the 1950s. DC-to-DC converters are devices that temporarily store electrical energy for the purpose of converting direct current (DC) from one voltage level to another.

High voltage dc dc converter