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

    Samtec Expands Connector Severe Environment Testing Offering

    Silicon Capacitors Market: Shaping the Foundation for Next-Gen Miniaturization Electronics

    YAGEO Releases Compact Coupled Inductors for High-Density VR Designs

    Enhancing Energy Density in Nanocomposite Dielectric Capacitors

    Advances in the Environmental Performance of Polymer Capacitors

    Vishay Releases DLA Tantalum Polymer Capacitors for Military and Aerospace

    Vishay Expanded Inductor Portfolio With More Than 2000 Stock Items 

    Paumanok Releases Capacitor Foils Market Report 2025-2030

    Modelithics Welcomes CapV as a Sponsoring MVP

    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

    Connector PCB Design Challenges

    Efficient Power Converters: Duty Cycle vs Conduction Losses

    Ripple Steering in Coupled Inductors: SEPIC Case

    SEPIC Converter with Coupled and Uncoupled Inductors

    Coupled Inductors in SEPIC versus Flyback Converters

    Non-Linear MLCC Class II Capacitor Measurements Challenges

    Percolation Phenomenon and Reliability of Molded Power Inductors in DC/DC converters

    Root Causes and Effects of DC Bias and AC in Ceramic Capacitors

    How to Calculate the Output Capacitor for a Switching Power Supply

    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

    Samtec Expands Connector Severe Environment Testing Offering

    Silicon Capacitors Market: Shaping the Foundation for Next-Gen Miniaturization Electronics

    YAGEO Releases Compact Coupled Inductors for High-Density VR Designs

    Enhancing Energy Density in Nanocomposite Dielectric Capacitors

    Advances in the Environmental Performance of Polymer Capacitors

    Vishay Releases DLA Tantalum Polymer Capacitors for Military and Aerospace

    Vishay Expanded Inductor Portfolio With More Than 2000 Stock Items 

    Paumanok Releases Capacitor Foils Market Report 2025-2030

    Modelithics Welcomes CapV as a Sponsoring MVP

    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

    Connector PCB Design Challenges

    Efficient Power Converters: Duty Cycle vs Conduction Losses

    Ripple Steering in Coupled Inductors: SEPIC Case

    SEPIC Converter with Coupled and Uncoupled Inductors

    Coupled Inductors in SEPIC versus Flyback Converters

    Non-Linear MLCC Class II Capacitor Measurements Challenges

    Percolation Phenomenon and Reliability of Molded Power Inductors in DC/DC converters

    Root Causes and Effects of DC Bias and AC in Ceramic Capacitors

    How to Calculate the Output Capacitor for a Switching Power Supply

    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

DC-Link Capacitors in Electric Vehicles

3.7.2024
Reading Time: 4 mins read
A A

This article based on Knowles Precision Devices blog discuss function of DC-Link capacitors in electric vehicles.

DC link capacitors are commonly used in power converters as an intermediary buffer between an input source to an output load that have different instantaneous power, voltages, and frequencies.

RelatedPosts

Knowles Releases High Q Non-Magnetic X7R MLCCs for Medical Imaging

Knowles Unveils High-Performance Safety-Certified MLCC Capacitors

Knowles Releases Inductors for Mission-Critical RF Applications

In electric vehicle (EV) applications, DC link capacitors help offset the effects of inductance in inverters, motor controllers, and battery systems.

They also serve as filters that protect EV subsystems from voltage spikes, surges, and electromagnetic interference (EMI).

Figure 1. Common uses for DC link capacitors in power conversion systems (source: Center of Reliable Power Electronics)

Take a look at the on-board charger (OBC) in Figure 2, which is responsible for charging the traction battery. Inside the OBC resides:

  • The AC/DC converter that converts alternating current (AC) from electric grid into direct current (DC) using rectification and Power Factor Correction (PFC)
  • An intermediate DC link circuit for energy buffering
  • The next stage DC/DC converter that adjusts the produced DC voltage to provide correct DC levels to the battery.
Figure 2. Simplified block schematic for AC/DC stage of OBC.

 The DC link capacitor Cbulk is placed between the rectifier and DC/DC converter. Desired characteristics for the capacitor include:

  • High DC voltage rating: 300V to 500V
  • Very large capacitance: 200µF to 1500µF
  • Operating temperature range: -40°C to +250°C
  • Low equivalent series resistance (ESR): < 1.5mΩ
  • High root mean square (RMS) ripple current capacity
  • High mechanical ruggedness

To meet the large capacitance values, multiple capacitors or a capacitor array is required. We recommend using our high-capacitance StackiCap 1812-4040 250V-1.2kV 100nF-5.6µF X7R capacitors for such applications. The DC link capacitor must be also able to handle twice the line frequency. Therefore, common circuit arrangements include multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) connected in parallel with other capacitor technologies to achieve this. 

Another EV subsystem where DC link capacitors are found is the inverter in motor drive circuits (shown in Figure 3). The inverter converts DC power from the battery to three-phase AC power to drive the traction motors during acceleration, and then converts AC power back to DC during braking. It also detects the motor’s speed and position and drives the insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) power stages.

Figure 3. Simplified block schematic for inverter in motor driver circuit.

In this subsystem, the DC link or smoothing capacitor Cs is placed in parallel between the DC (battery) and the AC (load) sides of the voltage inverter. The capacitor specifications are very similar to the previous OBC example, and therefore the same StackiCap X7R with high RMS current capacity is recommended. Due to the high capacitance requirements, small-sized MLCCs can be used together with film capacitors and aluminum electrolytic capacitors to integrate closer to the IGBT switching device and improve high frequency attenuation.

Given the high number of converters and inverters found in EV applications, selecting the right high-voltage, high-capacitance DC link capacitor is of great importance to the overall system success. 

Related

Source: Knowles Precision Devices

Recent Posts

Silicon Capacitors Market: Shaping the Foundation for Next-Gen Miniaturization Electronics

10.10.2025
9

Enhancing Energy Density in Nanocomposite Dielectric Capacitors

9.10.2025
15

Advances in the Environmental Performance of Polymer Capacitors

8.10.2025
32

Vishay Releases DLA Tantalum Polymer Capacitors for Military and Aerospace

8.10.2025
15

Paumanok Releases Capacitor Foils Market Report 2025-2030

7.10.2025
16

Modelithics Welcomes CapV as a Sponsoring MVP

7.10.2025
3

Benefits of Tantalum Powder Stress–Strain Curve Evaluation vs Conventional Wet Test

3.10.2025
23

Electrolyte Selection and Performance in Supercapacitors

3.10.2025
31

Connector PCB Design Challenges

3.10.2025
34

Researchers Demonstrated High Energy Ceramic Capacitors Stable in Wide Temperature Range

2.10.2025
24

Upcoming Events

Oct 14
16:00 - 17:00 CEST

Smart Sensors, Smarter AI: Building Reliable Edge Systems

Oct 17
12:00 - 14:00 EDT

External Visual Inspection per MIL-STD-883 TM 2009

Oct 20
October 20 - October 23

Digital WE Days 2025 – Virtual Conference

Oct 21
October 21 @ 12:00 - October 23 @ 14:15 EDT

Space and Military Standards for Hybrids and RF Microwave Modules

Oct 28
8:00 - 15:00 CET

Power Up Your Design: SN6507 and the Ready-to-Use Development Kit

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
  • LLC Resonant 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
  • SEPIC Converter Design and Calculation

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

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

    3 shares
    Share 3 Tweet 0
  • MLCC and Ceramic Capacitors

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Flying Capacitors Explained

    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