onsemi Electric Commercial Agricultural Vehicles (eCAVs)
onsemi Electric Commercial Agricultural Vehicles (eCAVs) are transforming modern agriculture, replacing diesel and gasoline engines with battery-electric, hybrid-electric, and range-extended drivetrains across tractors, harvesters, sprayers, loaders, utility and transport vehicles, and autonomous field robots. Advancements in lithium-ion and LFP batteries, government incentives, rising fuel and maintenance costs, and growing pressure to reduce emissions have helped drive the global eCAV market from $2.0 billion in 2025 to $4.63 billion by 2031, representing a 14.99% CAGR. The result is quieter, lower-maintenance machines that deliver instant torque, regenerative braking, and lower operating costs per hour.
onsemi is uniquely positioned to support this transition, offering a comprehensive solution stack that addresses up to 90% of the semiconductor BOM in a typical eCAV. The portfolio is backed by an in-house supply chain that helps ensure quality, delivery continuity, and reduced design risk.
The portfolio includes EliteSiC and IGBT power modules and discretes up to 1200V for traction inverters and on-board chargers, plus low- and medium-voltage PowerTrench® MOSFETs for electric motors and actuators. It also features isolated gate drivers, Hyperlux™ and XGS image sensors, LED drivers, 10BASE-T1S Ethernet solutions, and a broad range of sensing, signal, and protection components.
Combined with design tools such as the Elite Power Simulator, interactive block diagrams, and system solution guides, onsemi helps engineers accelerate time-to-market while delivering the efficiency, power density, and reliability required by modern eCAV designs.
Block Diagram
OBC
Includes parts used in the on-board charger, including AC input power factor correction, DC-DC conversion, gate driving, monitoring, and protection. Typical parts include PFC devices, DC-DC components, gate drivers, LDOs, voltage supervisors, protection devices, and sensing components.
Auxiliary Power Supply
Provides components for generating auxiliary power rails for isolated or secondary system loads. Typical parts include GaN FETs used in compact power-supply designs.
Battery protection
Focuses on components used for battery disconnect, protection, and current monitoring. Typical parts include switching devices and current-sensing components.
Three-Phase Inverter
Includes parts used to convert DC battery power into three-phase motor drive power. Typical parts include gate drivers, inverter power-stage devices, exciters, digital isolators, MCU interface devices, voltage/current sensing, auxiliary power, DC-DC converters, LDOs, supervisors, and protection components.
Vision System
Group components used in camera, perception, and machine-vision subsystems. Typical parts include image sensors, image-sensing support devices, power-management parts, level translators, memory, ESD protection, radar, GPS, rain/light sensors, ultrasonic sensors, and wired interfaces.
Sensing
Identifies components used to measure current, distance, position, or other operating conditions. Typical parts include LiDAR-related devices and current sense amplifiers.
Communication
Contains components used for data communication, isolation, and interface protection between vehicle subsystems. Typical parts include Ethernet controllers, ESD protection diodes, digital isolators, and wireless communication devices.
Low Voltage Motor Control
Lists components used to drive and control low-voltage motors and actuators. Typical parts include motor drivers, gate drivers, MOSFETs, encoder components, and motor-drive power devices.
Light Control
Includes components used to drive and control vehicle lighting. Typical parts include LED drivers.
Hydraulic & Pneumatic Control
Applies to electrically controlled hydraulic and pneumatic functions. Typical parts include e-compressor devices, position sensors, operational amplifiers, and sensing components.
Electric Power Steering & Throttle Control
Supports electric steering and throttle-control systems. Typical parts include low-voltage MOSFETs, gate drivers, motor drivers, operational amplifiers, position sensors, and current-sense devices.
Main Controller
Provides control, signal routing, protection, and interface support components. Typical parts include memory, ESD protection, level translators, and analog switches.
eCAV FAQs
1. What semiconductor blocks are typically needed in an electric commercial agricultural vehicle reference design?
An eCAV reference design commonly includes a traction inverter, on-board charger, battery protection, auxiliary power supply, motor control, sensing, communication, lighting, and main controller functions. These blocks use components such as SiC and IGBT power modules, discrete MOSFETs, gate drivers, current-sense amplifiers, image sensors, Ethernet controllers, LED drivers, LDOs, voltage supervisors, ESD protection, memory, and level translators.
2. How do I choose parts for a 400V to 800V eCAV powertrain?
Higher-voltage eCAV systems typically require power devices and gate drivers rated for high-voltage operation, including SiC MOSFETs, IGBT modules, SiC modules, isolated gate drivers, current sensing, and protection devices. Designers should evaluate voltage rating, current rating, switching losses, thermal performance, isolation requirements, and package type for the traction inverter, OBC, and DC-DC stages.
3. What parts are used in an eCAV traction inverter?
A traction inverter generally includes the inverter power stage, gate drivers, voltage and current sensing, isolation, auxiliary power, protection, and control interfaces. Common part types include SiC power modules, IGBT modules, SiC or IGBT discretes, isolated gate drivers, digital isolators, current sense amplifiers, LDOs, voltage supervisors, and MCU interface components.
4. What is the role of SiC in electric agricultural vehicle designs?
SiC devices are used where high efficiency, high voltage capability, and thermal performance are important, especially in traction inverters, OBCs, DC-DC converters, and high-power switching stages. SiC MOSFETs and SiC modules can support 400 V, 800 V, and higher-voltage architectures while helping reduce conduction losses and improve power density.
5. When should an engineer consider IGBT modules instead of SiC modules for an eCAV?
IGBT modules may be suitable for lower-cost or less efficiency-sensitive high-power applications, while SiC modules are typically considered when switching efficiency, power density, and thermal performance are higher priorities. The best choice depends on power class, voltage, switching frequency, thermal limits, and system cost targets.
6. What components are needed for an eCAV on-board charger?
An on-board charger can include a PFC stage, DC-DC stage, gate drivers, auxiliary bias rails, current and voltage sensing, LDOs, voltage supervisors, and protection components. Depending on the topology, engineers may use SiC MOSFETs, superjunction MOSFETs, IGBTs, SiC or IGBT gate drivers, isolated drivers, and supporting power-management devices.
7. What parts support sensing and perception in eCAV systems?
eCAV sensing and perception systems may include cameras, LiDAR, radar, ultrasonic sensors, rain and light sensors, GPS, and current or voltage sensors. Relevant part categories include image sensors, image signal processors, SiPM devices, RF devices, ultrasonic sensor interfaces, current sense amplifiers, operational amplifiers, power-management ICs, ESD protection, and wired communication interfaces.
8. Which image sensor technologies are relevant for eCAV machine vision?
Machine-vision designs may use rolling-shutter, global-shutter, iToF depth-sensing, SWIR, and low-light image sensor families, depending on the application. Key selection factors include resolution, shutter type, dynamic range, low-light performance, NIR response, power consumption, sensor size, and whether depth information is required.
9. How can communication be implemented across eCAV subsystems?
Vehicle subsystems can use wired and wireless communication depending on bandwidth, topology, and system requirements. For wired networks, 10BASE-T1S Ethernet can support multi-drop communication over a single twisted pair without a switch, while supporting components may include Ethernet controllers, ESD protection diodes, digital isolators, and wired transceivers.
10. What design tools and resources help engineers select eCAV reference-design parts?
Engineers can use interactive block diagrams, system solution guides, product recommendation tools, current-sense design tools, the Elite Power Simulator, evaluation boards, and application notes to narrow down part selection. These resources can help compare power modules, discrete devices, gate drivers, sensing parts, and power-management components for traction inverter, OBC, motor control, lighting, communication, and vision-system designs.