Power electronics

Semiconductor circuits that convert and control electrical energy: in the car mainly the inverter for the motor, in a DC charger the rectifier and the DC/DC converter.

Explained in

eMobility and EV basics · Stop 03How does an electric motor drive the wheels?Battery, inverter, motor, one fixed gear: the short path from stored energy to turning wheels, and why electric cars have to make a sound at low speed.

The core components are the same in almost every electric car: traction battery, power electronics, electric motor, a simple transmission, plus an onboard charger and a thermal system.

From “Few parts, little loss”, stop 03

Also in

  1. Charging infrastructure · Stop 05Which chargers suit which site?Cost per charge point
  1. InverterPower electronics that turn the battery's direct current into alternating current for the motor, and back when the car regenerates.
  2. Onboard chargerThe converter in the car that turns AC from a wallbox or public AC charger into DC for the battery; its rating limits AC charging power.
  3. RectifierThe first stage of a DC charger, which turns the grid's alternating current into an intermediate direct voltage.
  4. DC/DC converterThe stage of a DC charger that turns its internal DC voltage into the voltage and current the car asks for, moment by moment.
  5. AVASAcoustic vehicle alerting system: the sound EU law requires from electric and hybrid cars up to about 20 km/h and when reversing.
  1. U.S. Department of Energy, Alternative Fuels Data Center: How do all-electric cars work?. https://afdc.energy.gov/vehicles/how-do-all-electric-cars-work. Checked 09 Oct 2026.