Sensata Technologies has announced the STEV series of high-voltage contactors for battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, positioning the parts as high-efficiency switches with “robust protection” for modern electrified vehicle platforms. Sensata says the series targets OEM needs around safety, efficiency, and integration in high-voltage power architectures.
The contactors are high-voltage switches that open and close an electrical circuit thousands of times over a vehicle’s life. In EVs contactors control power flow between the battery and systems such as the inverter and charger, making them part of the vehicle’s protective architecture and linked to safety, efficiency, and reliability.
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Sensata says the STEV series scales from plug-in hybrid passenger cars to battery electric pickup trucks and Class 8 heavy-duty trucks. This scalability can help OEMs standardize switching technology across multiple vehicle lines to simplify integration and reduce development time.
On design and qualification, Sensata says STEV contactors are customizable and based on core switching technology “refined over years of development.” The series is engineered to meet automotive safety and quality requirements, including compliance with Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) processes and other OEM certification requirements, for integration into global vehicle platforms.
“We don’t just manufacture components. We engineer solutions with our customers, adapting our STEV contactors to the unique demands of leading OEM’s applications,” said Markus Schwabe, EVP, Automotive and Aftermarket at Sensata Technologies.
The STEV series supports continuous current carry ratings from 150 A to 600 A and “high short-circuit withstand capability greater than 20 kA,” enabled by hermetic sealing and modular designs.
Sensata also lists low contact resistance and minimized heat generation, along with: single- or dual-assembly options; bidirectional current capability on select models via non-polarity main contacts; hermetic ceramic sealing for arc containment and environmental protection (with IP67 ingress protection available on specific variants); and electrical isolation specs including coil-to-contact dielectric strength up to 3.0 kV and insulation resistance of 1000 MΩ at 1000 VDC.
Sensata supplies high-voltage solutions through engineering and manufacturing sites across North America, Europe, and Asia to support in-region production and localization.
Source: Sensata Technologies
