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

    Stackpole Releases Low VCR High Voltage Chip Resistors

    June 2025 Interconnect, Passives and Electromechanical Components Market Insights

    Wk 25 Electronics Supply Chain Digest

    Smolteks CNF MIM Capacitor Break 1 µF/mm²

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

    Murata Announces 0402 Automotive Chip Ferrite Beads for V2X

    2025 Thick and Thin Film Resistor Networks Environment Overview

    Role of High-Q Ceramic Filters to Overcome GNSS Jamming

    Optimization of IoT for GEO NB-NTN Hybrid Connectivity

    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

    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

    Coupled Inductors in Multiphase Boost Converters

    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

    Stackpole Releases Low VCR High Voltage Chip Resistors

    June 2025 Interconnect, Passives and Electromechanical Components Market Insights

    Wk 25 Electronics Supply Chain Digest

    Smolteks CNF MIM Capacitor Break 1 µF/mm²

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

    Murata Announces 0402 Automotive Chip Ferrite Beads for V2X

    2025 Thick and Thin Film Resistor Networks Environment Overview

    Role of High-Q Ceramic Filters to Overcome GNSS Jamming

    Optimization of IoT for GEO NB-NTN Hybrid Connectivity

    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

    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

    Coupled Inductors in Multiphase Boost Converters

    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

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 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

Stackpole Releases Low VCR High Voltage Chip Resistors

23.6.2025
4

Smolteks CNF MIM Capacitor Break 1 µF/mm²

19.6.2025
31

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

19.6.2025
11

Murata Announces 0402 Automotive Chip Ferrite Beads for V2X

19.6.2025
24

TDK Releases Automotive Power-Over-Coax Inductor for Filters

18.6.2025
13

Advanced Conversion Announces Mass Production of 200C Film Capacitors

18.6.2025
21

VinaTech Supercapacitors: Enhancing Smart Meter Reliability and Efficiency

17.6.2025
20

Bourns Introduces New Automotive Grade BMS Signal Transformer

17.6.2025
12

YAGEO Releases High-Sensitivity Residual Current Detectors for Safer EV Charging

17.6.2025
16

Chinas MLCC Makers Reach 10% Market Share

16.6.2025
80

Upcoming Events

Jun 24
16:00 - 17:00 CEST

Limitations of PSFB converters and improvements by a variable inductor ft. Sam Ben-Yaakov

Jun 24
17:00 - 18:00 CEST

Ultra-Compact and Efficient Switched-Capacitor Power Converters

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