Passive Components Blog
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • NewsFilter
    • All
    • Aerospace & Defence
    • Antenna
    • Applications
    • Automotive
    • Capacitors
    • Circuit Protection Devices
    • electro-mechanical news
    • Filters
    • Fuses
    • Inductors
    • Industrial
    • Integrated Passives
    • inter-connect news
    • Market & Supply Chain
    • Market Insights
    • Medical
    • Modelling and Simulation
    • New Materials & Supply
    • New Technologies
    • Non-linear Passives
    • Oscillators
    • Passive Sensors News
    • Resistors
    • RF & Microwave
    • Telecommunication
    • Weekly Digest

    Murata Releases Worlds First 10µF/50V Automotive MLCC in 0805 Size

    Würth Elektronik Extends High Saturation Flat-Wire Power Inductors Line

    Vishay Expands Automotive High Frequency Thin Film Chip Resistors

    Advancements and Applications of Switch Capacitor Power Converters

    KYOCERA AVX Releases Robust Vertical-Mating Battery Connectors

    Accelerating Full Bridge LLC Resonant Converter Design with Frenetic AI

    Samsung Delivers Silicon Capacitors to Marwell AI Systems

    Stackpole Releases Low VCR High Voltage Chip Resistors

    June 2025 Interconnect, Passives and Electromechanical Components Market Insights

    Trending Tags

    • Ripple Current
    • RF
    • Leakage Current
    • Tantalum vs Ceramic
    • Snubber
    • Low ESR
    • Feedthrough
    • Derating
    • Dielectric Constant
    • New Products
    • Market Reports
  • VideoFilter
    • All
    • Antenna videos
    • Capacitor videos
    • Circuit Protection Video
    • Filter videos
    • Fuse videos
    • Inductor videos
    • Inter-Connect Video
    • Non-linear passives videos
    • Oscillator videos
    • Passive sensors videos
    • Resistor videos

    Accelerating Full Bridge LLC Resonant Converter Design with Frenetic AI

    Understanding Switched Capacitor Converters

    Coupled Inductors Circuit Model and Examples of its Applications

    Inductor Resonances and its Impact to EMI

    Highly Reliable Flex Rigid PCBs, Würth Elektronik Webinar

    Causes of Oscillations in Flyback Converters

    How to design a 60W Flyback Transformer

    Modeling and Simulation of Leakage Inductance

    Power Inductor Considerations for AI High Power Computing – Vishay Video

    Trending Tags

    • Capacitors explained
    • Inductors explained
    • Resistors explained
    • Filters explained
    • Application Video Guidelines
    • EMC
    • New Products
    • Ripple Current
    • Simulation
    • Tantalum vs Ceramic
  • Knowledge Blog
  • Suppliers
    • Who is Who
  • Events
  • Home
  • NewsFilter
    • All
    • Aerospace & Defence
    • Antenna
    • Applications
    • Automotive
    • Capacitors
    • Circuit Protection Devices
    • electro-mechanical news
    • Filters
    • Fuses
    • Inductors
    • Industrial
    • Integrated Passives
    • inter-connect news
    • Market & Supply Chain
    • Market Insights
    • Medical
    • Modelling and Simulation
    • New Materials & Supply
    • New Technologies
    • Non-linear Passives
    • Oscillators
    • Passive Sensors News
    • Resistors
    • RF & Microwave
    • Telecommunication
    • Weekly Digest

    Murata Releases Worlds First 10µF/50V Automotive MLCC in 0805 Size

    Würth Elektronik Extends High Saturation Flat-Wire Power Inductors Line

    Vishay Expands Automotive High Frequency Thin Film Chip Resistors

    Advancements and Applications of Switch Capacitor Power Converters

    KYOCERA AVX Releases Robust Vertical-Mating Battery Connectors

    Accelerating Full Bridge LLC Resonant Converter Design with Frenetic AI

    Samsung Delivers Silicon Capacitors to Marwell AI Systems

    Stackpole Releases Low VCR High Voltage Chip Resistors

    June 2025 Interconnect, Passives and Electromechanical Components Market Insights

    Trending Tags

    • Ripple Current
    • RF
    • Leakage Current
    • Tantalum vs Ceramic
    • Snubber
    • Low ESR
    • Feedthrough
    • Derating
    • Dielectric Constant
    • New Products
    • Market Reports
  • VideoFilter
    • All
    • Antenna videos
    • Capacitor videos
    • Circuit Protection Video
    • Filter videos
    • Fuse videos
    • Inductor videos
    • Inter-Connect Video
    • Non-linear passives videos
    • Oscillator videos
    • Passive sensors videos
    • Resistor videos

    Accelerating Full Bridge LLC Resonant Converter Design with Frenetic AI

    Understanding Switched Capacitor Converters

    Coupled Inductors Circuit Model and Examples of its Applications

    Inductor Resonances and its Impact to EMI

    Highly Reliable Flex Rigid PCBs, Würth Elektronik Webinar

    Causes of Oscillations in Flyback Converters

    How to design a 60W Flyback Transformer

    Modeling and Simulation of Leakage Inductance

    Power Inductor Considerations for AI High Power Computing – Vishay Video

    Trending Tags

    • Capacitors explained
    • Inductors explained
    • Resistors explained
    • Filters explained
    • Application Video Guidelines
    • EMC
    • New Products
    • Ripple Current
    • Simulation
    • Tantalum vs Ceramic
  • Knowledge Blog
  • Suppliers
    • Who is Who
  • Events
No Result
View All Result
Passive Components Blog
No Result
View All Result

Capacitor Technologies in EV Power Systems

9.5.2024
Reading Time: 7 mins read
A A

This article based on Knowles Precision Devices blog explores role of capacitor technologies in power systems of electric vehicles.

The electrical power systems in most modern technologies, like electric vehicles (EVs), are complex.

RelatedPosts

Role of High-Q Ceramic Filters to Overcome GNSS Jamming

Knowles Extends Range and Performance of C0G MLCC Capacitors

Supercapacitors Benefits in Industrial Valve Fail-Safe Control Systems

In EVs specifically, power systems are responsible for performing many tasks such as converting AC to DC and DC to AC as well as managing changing power levels in DC/DC conversion.

When performing these tasks, manipulating AC voltages and removing noise from DC voltage requires passive components such as capacitors, to perform many “jobs” inside the power system.

But no single capacitor type can perform all these jobs since each one has different requirements for voltage, size, temperature, and reliability. Therefore, a variety of capacitor technologies, such as ceramic capacitors, film capacitors, tantalum capacitors, aluminum capacitors or supercapacitors are required to meet all these needs.

As a starting point to understanding what technology to use, let’s look at the graph in Figure 1. to see the capacitance and voltage ranges covered by each capacitor type In general, you can expect to see the following capacitance ranges:

Figure 1: The capacitance and voltage ranges covered by common capacitor technologies. 

Key Functional Components in Radar Systems 

We can learn a lot about radar systems by looking at the functional components and what specific tasks they perform. In the diagram below, we treat each function as a separate block, even though these functions can be combined or divided across several circuits.

  • Multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) from under a picofarad to hundreds of microfarads
  • Film capacitors from under a nanofarad to tens of millifarads
  • Aluminum and Tantalum Capacitors from under a microfarad to several farads

As you can see in Figure 1., each technology’s range overlaps with the other, which means you need to truly understand the specific application and its voltage, size, temperature, and reliability requirements before you can select the best option. Let’s now look at some of the common applications where capacitors are required inside the EV, the different jobs capacitors must take on, and the capacitor technologies commonly used for those jobs.

The Many Roles Capacitors Play in EV Power Systems  

Power systems within EVs must reliably handle large amounts of fluctuating power. While Figure 2 shows all the different functional blocks in an EV power system, we will focus specifically on the roles capacitors play in the following functions:

  • Traction inverter (DC to AC)
  • Onboard charger (AC to DC)
  • DC/DC converter
Figure 2: A diagram highlighting the different functional blocks in a high-voltage power system in an EV. The three functions we will discuss in this post are highlighted in yellow. 

The major capacitor roles here include the following:

  • Snubber Capacitors – Voltage suppression is important to protect circuits from large voltage spikes. Snubber capacitors connect to the high-current switching node to protect electronics from voltage spikes.
  • X & Y Safety Capacitors – Safety capacitors mitigate the effects of transient voltages and interference in electrical and electronic circuits, especially in high-voltage applications. There are two classes of capacitors, Class-X and Class-Y, that are both used to minimize EMI in different applications.
  • Bypass Capacitors – All electronics depend on clean power, and bypass capacitors are crucial for ensuring devices safely meet their power specifications. These capacitors act as filters, bypassing high-frequency noise.
  • Decoupling Capacitors – In power supplies, decoupling capacitors are placed near sensitive components to suppress voltage fluctuations or noise on power supply lines.
  • DC-Link Capacitors – In EV applications, DC-link capacitors help offset the effects of inductance in inverters. They also serve as filters that protect EV subsystems from voltage spikes, surges and EMI.
  • DC-Link Supporting Filters – Smoothing ripples, storing energy and suppressing surges are critical functions of DC-link supporting filters.
  • Flying Capacitors – EVs needs lightweight, compact components. Flying capacitors can balance out voltage and extend the longevity of components. 

Traction Inverter

The function of an inverter is to convert DC power to AC. This function is commonly required in the traction inverter in an EV where battery DC is converted to AC for the motor.

Figure 3: A diagram of a traction inverter with the locations of the various capacitors called out.

On-Board Charger

An on-board charger takes AC power and converts it to DC to charge the battery.

Figure 4: A diagram of an on-board charger with the locations of the various capacitors called out. 

DC/DC Converter

The DC/DC converter takes the high-voltage battery power and converts it to a lower voltage.

Figure 5. A diagram of a DC-DC converter with the locations of the various capacitors called out.

So now you’re probably wondering, of the different capacitor technologies, which one is the best option for each of these jobs?

As mentioned, the type of capacitor technology you will need depends on the specific voltage, size, temperature, and reliability requirements of the application, but there are some overall trends we are seeing:

  • Film, Aluminum and MLCC are typically used for DC link capacitors
  • Film, Aluminum, Tantalum and MLCCs are typically used for filtering capacitors
  • Film and MLCCs are typically used for resonant capacitors
  • Film and MLCCs are typically used for snubber capacitors
Source: Knowles Precision Devices

Recent Posts

Murata Releases Worlds First 10µF/50V Automotive MLCC in 0805 Size

26.6.2025
6

Vishay Expands Automotive High Frequency Thin Film Chip Resistors

26.6.2025
4

Advancements and Applications of Switch Capacitor Power Converters

25.6.2025
9

KYOCERA AVX Releases Robust Vertical-Mating Battery Connectors

25.6.2025
8

Accelerating Full Bridge LLC Resonant Converter Design with Frenetic AI

24.6.2025
10

Samsung Delivers Silicon Capacitors to Marwell AI Systems

24.6.2025
15

Stackpole Releases Low VCR High Voltage Chip Resistors

23.6.2025
7

Smolteks CNF MIM Capacitor Break 1 µF/mm²

19.6.2025
33

Samsung Electro-Mechanics Releases 0201 X7T 1uF 6.3V MLCC for ADAS Applications

19.6.2025
18

Murata Announces 0402 Automotive Chip Ferrite Beads for V2X

19.6.2025
27

Upcoming Events

Jul 23
13:00 - 14:00 CEST

PCB design for a Smartwatch

View Calendar

Popular Posts

  • Buck Converter Design and Calculation

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Boost Converter Design and Calculation

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Flyback Converter Design and Calculation

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • What is a Dielectric Constant and DF of Plastic Materials?

    4 shares
    Share 4 Tweet 0
  • LLC Resonant Converter Design and Calculation

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Ripple Current and its Effects on the Performance of Capacitors

    3 shares
    Share 3 Tweet 0
  • How to Design an Inductor

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Dual Active Bridge (DAB) Topology Explained

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • SEPIC Converter Design and Calculation

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Why Low ESR Matters in Capacitor Design

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Newsletter Subscription

 

Passive Components Blog

© EPCI - Leading Passive Components Educational and Information Site

  • Home
  • Privacy Policy
  • EPCI Membership & Advertisement
  • About

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Knowledge Blog
  • Premium Suppliers

© EPCI - Leading Passive Components Educational and Information Site

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.
Go to mobile version