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DC Contactor Supports Reliable Disconnects in EVs, Chargers, and Storage Systems

July 14, 2025

TDK’s rugged DC contactor handles battery connect/disconnect at up to 1,500 V in electric vehicles, energy storage systems, and megawatt charging systems.

Lee Goldberg

Related To:

Electronic Design

The HVC50 high-voltage DC contactor enables safe, reliable connect/disconnect of large battery packs used in EV traction applications, energy storage systems (ESS), and megawatt charging systems (MCS). Rated for continuous currents of up to 750 A (1,000-A surge), the contactor can reliably disconnect DC voltages of up to 1,500 V in less than 30 ms.

The HVC50, developed by TDK, features a gas-ceramic arc chamber that ensures rapid and safe current disconnection even under extreme conditions. Its integrated mirror contact, compliant with IEC 60947-4-1, enhances operational safety by providing precise switching feedback.

Thanks to its bidirectional capability, the contactor supports V2G and power banking. A dual-coil design for operating voltages of 12 or 24 V ensures energy-efficient operation. The making power is 50 W, whereas steady-state power is just 6 W because after some 200 ms, one of the coils can be switched off.

Weighing 1.7 kg and measuring 97.8 × 140 × 94.2 mm, the HVC50 is compact and easy to integrate in nearly any application. Additional information can be found here.

About the Author

Lee Goldberg | Contributing Editor

Lee Goldberg is a self-identified “Recovering Engineer,” Maker/Hacker, Green-Tech Maven, Aviator, Gadfly, and Geek Dad. He spent the first 18 years of his career helping design microprocessors, embedded systems, renewable energy applications, and the occasional interplanetary spacecraft. After trading his ‘scope and soldering iron for a keyboard and a second career as a tech journalist, he’s spent the next two decades at several print and online engineering publications.

Lee’s current focus is power electronics, especially the technologies involved with energy efficiency, energy management, and renewable energy. This dovetails with his coverage of sustainable technologies and various environmental and social issues within the engineering community that he began in 1996. Lee also covers 3D printers, open-source hardware, and other Maker/Hacker technologies.

Lee holds a BSEE in Electrical Engineering from Thomas Edison College, and participated in a colloquium on technology, society, and the environment at Goddard College’s Institute for Social Ecology. His book, “Green Electronics/Green Bottom Line - A Commonsense Guide To Environmentally Responsible Engineering and Management,” was published by Newnes Press.

Lee, his wife Catherine, and his daughter Anwyn currently reside in the outskirts of Princeton N.J., where they masquerade as a typical suburban family.

Lee also writes the regular PowerBites series.