High-voltage electrical architectures are reshaping how electric vehicles (EVs) distribute power, manage safety boundaries, and integrate increasingly dense electrical systems.
Romit Sarkar, Product Manager for E-mobility at TE Connectivity Automotive
As voltage levels rise, design teams must balance creepage and clearance requirements, connector durability, validation rigor, and platform scalability, while also accounting for mixed high- and low-voltage environments within the vehicle.
To explore these challenges, we spoke with Romit Sarkar, Product Manager for E-mobility at TE Connectivity Automotive, who brings a component and system-level perspective on high-voltage power distribution in EVs. TE develops high-voltage connectors and interconnect solutions used across automotive powertrain, auxiliary, and charging applications.
In this Q&A, Sarkar discusses the engineering challenges associated with high-voltage EV architectures, including material selection, validation testing, platform adaptability, and the role of simulation and emerging standards in shaping future designs.
Here’s what he has to say…
As EV architectures move toward 800 V and higher, what are the most critical design considerations for maintaining safety and performance?
As vehicle architectures move toward 800 V and higher, the most critical design considerations include ensuring adequate creepage and clearance distances to prevent arcing, which is essential for safety and reliability. Designers must also account for environmental factors, such as dirt or particles that could also reduce creepage and clearance, often applying a safety factor to the operating voltage to handle overvoltage scenarios.
From a performance perspective, higher voltage allows for reduced wire sizes, enabling cost savings, or improved performance with higher current carrying capacity on same wire size.
What are the tradeoffs between current capacity, conductor size, and system footprint in high-voltage EV powertrains?
System-level view of high-voltage power distribution in an electric vehicle, illustrating integration across the battery, power electronics, drivetrain, and auxiliary systems.
The key trade-offs between current-carrying capacity, conductor size, and overall system footprint involve balancing voltage and material choices.
Higher voltage enables smaller conductor sizes due to reduced current, resulting in weight and cost savings.
Designers can choose to use smaller copper wire sizes or use bigger aluminum wire sizes, which are also less costly, while maintaining the same power running through the system.
Which materials or surface treatments best prevent contact resistance degradation over repeated cycles?
The material and surface treatment that shows the most potential for maintaining low contact resistance and preventing degradation is silver plating, commonly used for high-current applications. To ensure durability, connectors are tested to industry standards, such as USCAR and LV, as well as any other harsher customer requirements over and above ensuring resistance to corrosion and wear over repeated connection cycles.
Note: USCAR and LV standards are automotive qualification specifications that validate connector reliability by testing electrical, mechanical, and environmental performance under conditions representative of real-world EV operation.
How do engineers validate the safe operation of high-voltage components exposed to thermal, electrical, and mechanical stresses?
Engineers validate the safe operation of high-voltage components under combined thermal, electrical, and mechanical stresses through design validation (DV) and production validation (PV) testing. DV focuses on validating the design under worst-case operating conditions, while PV confirms robustness and repeatability under production manufacturing variability.
This includes vibration testing performed during temperature cycling to simulate real-world vehicle operating conditions. Connectors are also pre-conditioned through repeated mating and unmating cycles to represent mid-life or end-of-life wear prior to testing, ensuring durability and safety requirements are met.
High-voltage connectors and power electronics in an electric vehicle must maintain electrical performance, durability, and safety under thermal, mechanical, and environmental stress.
What challenges arise in creating high-voltage systems that are scalable and adaptable across multiple vehicle platforms and configurations?
Creating high-voltage systems that are scalable and adaptable across multiple vehicle platforms involves addressing space constraints and designing smaller connectors that can handle high currents. One design approach uses scalable connectors that work across multiple applications (such as auxiliary systems and drive units), by optimizing size and current capacity.
This approach reduces costs while meeting the diverse requirements of different platforms.
How are hybrid electrical architectures that integrate high and low-voltage networks changing design priorities for safety and system integration?
These systems introduce additional complexities in managing high and low-voltage networks. This requires careful consideration of safety, packaging, and integration to ensure seamless operation. High voltage connections generally require shielding to protect low-voltage connections from EMI interference. This adds a layer of difficulty to high voltage connectors, which suppliers need to account for in the design process.
In what ways are simulation tools and artificial intelligence (AI) improving component design, validation, and optimization for EVs?
Simulation tools and AI are improving high-voltage component design, validation, and optimization by enabling engineers to optimize material usage. This includes reducing excess plastic in components and simulating real-world operating conditions, like transient current cycles.
AI also accelerates problem-solving by providing insights from other business units or industries, offering data-driven solutions and reducing the need for lengthy design reviews.
How will evolving global standards likely shape system design practices, materials, and testing approaches?
Upcoming global standards and regulations for high-voltage systems are influencing design practices, material choices, and testing requirements by emphasizing sustainability and compatibility.
In high-voltage designs, it’s important to prioritize the use of sustainable materials, such as specific resin grades. Additionally, products should be tested to meet the harshest global standards, ensuring they are compatible across multiple markets. For example, vibration testing is designed to exceed the most stringent customer requirements.
Filed Under: Featured, Featured Contributions, High Voltage Systems (> 60 VDC), Power Electronics, Q&As, Safety Systems