The transition from 12V to 48V in automotive reduces wire harness weight and cost, unlocking opportunities to add new electronic features as vehicles continue to evolve toward L3+ autonomous driving and improve fuel efficiency and drive range. Our broad portfolio of intelligent and scalable solutions enables a seamless transition to 48V automotive architectures, providing safe power distribution, efficient power conversion, reliable load actuation and robust electronic control unit (ECU) communication. Our reference designs, technical resources and system expertise provide the support you need at every step to help you confidently navigate the transition.
Featured applications
- Accelerating the evolution of passenger comfort and convenience
- Create pixelated, scalable and efficient automotive lighting solutions
- Advance the adoption of electric vehicles worldwide using our continuous innovation and system expertise in battery management system (BMS) solutions
- Maximize driving range and lower cost of electric vehicles (EVs) with efficient system solutions for evolving EV thermal management architectures
Why choose TI for your 48V automotive systems?
Seamlessly transition to 48V
Streamline development with 48V solutions that leverage processes and features from our established 12V portfolio.
Provide comprehensive 48V solutions
Take advantage of our portfolio as we expand into 48V automotive solutions including DC/DC converters, motor drivers, high- and low-side switches, and smart eFuses.
Optimize electromagnetic compatibility and efficiency
Leverage our packaging expertise and features to develop compact designs with high power density and improved EMC performance.
48V solutions
Smart eFuse high-side switches, ideal diodes and current-sense amplifiers
48V power distribution requires reliable and safe distribution to downstream electronics.
Our 48V power distribution solutions offer:
- Integrated I2t wire protection.
- Integrated and external gate field-effect transistor (FET) solutions.
- Efficient reverse-current protection for power supply ORing.
- Precise integrated or external current sensing with bidirectional options.
A combination of smart eFuse high-side switches, ideal diodes and current sense amplifiers are needed to achieve safe and reliable 48V power distribution.
48V zone reference design
This reference design demonstrates trends in advanced automotive 48V low-voltage rail architectures. The design includes the 48V backbone architecture and 48V to 12V power conversion.
White paper
Smarter Power Distribution: Shaping the Future of Automotive Technology
This white paper discusses how the emergence of zone architectures, 48V systems and other trends have enabled smarter, safer and more optimized power distribution in vehicles.
Analog Design Journal
Cascaded ideal diodes: Solving 48V EV power challenges
The article discusses the challenges of designing an ORing stage for a 48V system and how a cascaded ideal diode configuration offers a robust solution for safely handling input supply interruptions and external transient events.
TPS4812-Q1ACTIVE
Automotive 100V low IQ high-side driver with bi-directional current monitoring, I2t, and diagnost
LM74700D-Q1ACTIVE
Automotive, 3.2-V to 70-V, 80-µA reverse battery protection ideal diode controller
INA241A-Q1ACTIVE
AEC-Q100, -4V to 110V bidirectional ultraprecise current sense amplifier with enhanced PWM rejection
DC/DC converters, battery chargers and USB Type-C® PD
48V architectures require various power solutions to supply vehicle electronic systems and loads while minimizing heat dissipation and EMI. Our solutions improve efficiency, decrease design size, and reduce EMI in your 48V applications.
Important 48V applications include:
- 800V or 400V to 48V conversion.
- 48V to 0.5V-16V conversion.
- 48V lithium-Ion battery and supercapacitor charging.
- 48V to USB Type-C PD.
- 48V to audio amplifier supply.
Application note
Reducing Conducted EMI in a Buck Converter for 48 V Automotive Applications
This application note discusses some of the challenges of EMI in buck converters, particularly in automotive systems where the power rail increases to 48V DC.
Automotive 48V to Core High Power Reference Design
Watch this video to learn about our solution for supplying the core voltage rail directly from a 48V power supply.
30V to 60V input, 240W buck converter reference design with GaN switches
This reference design comprises a power supply generating a regulated 12V output from a nominal 48V battery input (ranging from 30V to 60V).
LM5137F-Q1ACTIVE
Automotive, 80V, 100% duty cycle, dual-channel, functional safety synchronous buck controller
LM65680-Q1PREVIEW
Automotive 65V, 8A synchronous buck converter optimized for low-EMI
BQ25856-Q1ACTIVE
Automotive I2C controlled 70-V bidirectional buck-boost charge controller
Motor drivers, high- and low-side switches, and LED drivers
48V motor, lighting and other electrical loads require drivers that can handle high transient voltages while limiting heat dissipation.
Our 48V load actuation solutions provide:
- >70V maximum input voltage.
- High thermal density packaging for compact printed circuit board designs.
- Scalable drivers with integrated and external FET solutions.
- TI Functional Safety-Capable devices.
- Intelligent diagnostics features.
- Integrated slew-rate control and other electromagnetic interference (EMI) reduction techniques.
Application note
Motor Driver Slew Rate Considerations for 48V Automotive Systems
While there are multiple new system-level considerations at the 48V voltage level, this application note focuses on MOSFET power losses and how the power losses change when transitioning from 12V to 48V systems.
White paper
Design Considerations for 48V Automotive Body Motor Applications
The transition to 48V systems brings many benefits, but also presents several challenges for body motor designs commonly used in applications such as door modules, window lifts, wipers and power seats.
48V 300W HVAC pump, blower, and fan reference design
This design demonstrates a 48V, 300W-peak smart motor brushless direct current (BLDC) implementation. The discrete approach enables compact and flexible form factors while maintaining low-power performance.
DRV8263-Q1ACTIVE
Automotive 48V full-bridge motor driver with diagnostics and internal current sense
NEW
DRV3263-Q1PREVIEW
Automotive, 48V battery three-phase gate driver unit with accurate current sensing
CAN and LIN transceivers for 48V automotive networks
48V systems require robust communication among distributed ECUs in electrically harsh environments. CAN and LIN transceivers enable reliable in-vehicle networking while ensuring signal integrity and system protection.
Our solutions offer:
- High electromagnetic immunity with a wide ±30V common-mode range for improved signal integrity.
- Integrated bus fault protection including short-to-battery (up to 70V), short-to-ground, and overvoltage protection, with transient protection up to 85V.
- CAN FD support for higher data rates and improved bandwidth efficiency.
- Low-power standby modes with local and remote wake-up capabilities.
TCAN1051HG-Q1ACTIVE
Automotive 70-V bus-fault-protected CAN FD transceiver with 5-Mbps flexible data-rate and sleep mode
TLIN4029A-Q1ACTIVE
Local interconnect network (LIN) transceiver with dominant state timeout and ±70V fault protection
The shift to 48V systems presents both opportunities and challenges for in-vehicle audio. Solutions from TI allow us to maintain our premium sound quality standards while adapting to new voltage architectures, helping our OEM partners accelerate their 48V adoption without compromising the driver experience.
– Jim Walter | Executive Director of Advanced Engineering
Technical Resources
White paper
48V Automotive Systems: Why Now?
In this paper, we discuss the growing interest in 48V low-voltage rail systems for electric and hybrid vehicles and how engineers can use them to reduce wire harness size and cost while enabling new features.
White paper
Smarter Power Distribution: Shaping the Future of Automotive Technology
This white paper discusses how the emergence of zone architectures, 48V systems and other trends have enabled smarter, safer and more optimized power distribution in vehicles.
Technical article
4 critical design challenges for 48V systems
This article covers four design challenges introduced by the shift to 48V automotive systems: safe and reliable power distribution, efficient load actuation, protection from 48V short faults and communication integrity.