Sensata Technologies has launched its STEV series of high-voltage contactors for battery electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, expanding its electrification portfolio with components designed to scale across passenger and commercial vehicle platforms.
The STEV series is intended to serve as a common switching solution for a wide range of powertrain architectures, from plug-in hybrid passenger cars to Class 8 heavy-duty trucks. Sensata said the contactors are designed to manage critical high-voltage switching tasks between the battery pack and systems such as inverters and onboard chargers.
High-voltage contactors play a central role in electric vehicle architectures, opening and closing circuits thousands of times over a vehicle’s lifetime. Their performance directly affects safety, reliability and efficiency, as they are responsible for controlling power flow and isolating high-voltage systems when required.
The STEV platform covers continuous current ratings from 150 amperes to 600 amperes and features hermetically sealed designs intended to support durability in demanding operating environments. According to Sensata, the contactors offer short-circuit withstand capability exceeding 20 kiloamperes, along with modular configuration options to suit different vehicle layouts.
By using a scalable contactor platform, vehicle manufacturers can standardise components across multiple models and segments, reducing development time and simplifying integration across global product lines, the company said.
“We don’t just manufacture components. We engineer solutions with our customers, adapting our STEV contactors to the unique demands of leading OEM applications,” said Markus Schwabe, executive vice president for automotive and aftermarket at Sensata Technologies.
The STEV contactors are available in single or dual configurations and include variants with bidirectional, non-polarised main contacts for advanced power system designs. Sensata said selected models offer hermetic ceramic sealing with ingress protection ratings up to IP67, low contact resistance to limit heat generation, and dielectric strength of up to 3.0 kilovolts between coil and contacts.
Sensata added that the new series complies with automotive advanced product quality planning (APQP) processes and meets original equipment manufacturer certification requirements for use in global vehicle platforms.
Manufacturing and engineering support for the STEV series is provided through Sensata’s facilities in North America, Europe and Asia, a footprint the company said helps support localisation strategies and supply-chain resilience for automakers.
The launch comes as suppliers and vehicle manufacturers continue to expand electrified powertrain offerings across a broader range of vehicle classes, increasing demand for scalable, high-voltage switching components.
