Inside EV Electrical Systems: Understanding High Voltage, Low Voltage & CAN Networks

Date: Wednesday, March 25th

Time: 11:00am ET

Speakers:

Jose Meza, Applications Engineer, Cadonix

Justin Schemanske, Customer Success Manager, Cadonix

As electric vehicles move toward higher voltages, software-defined architectures, and global manufacturing scale, electrical system complexity has become a critical constraint on EV program success. In this webinar, we’ll explore how high-voltage propulsion systems, low-voltage power distribution, and in-vehicle communication networks converge within the wire harness, making harness design a defining factor for safety, cost, and manufacturability.

Jose Meza and Justin Schemanske will walk through the core elements of EV electrical architecture, including the high-voltage propulsion system, the low-voltage electronics that power vehicle controls and safety systems, and the CAN communication networks that enable real-time coordination across dozens of electronic control units.

The session will also examine how these systems physically come together within the vehicle’s wire harness and why increasing voltage levels, ECU density, and electrical complexity are creating new challenges for harness engineers.

Finally, we’ll discuss how modern ECAD platforms help engineering teams manage these challenges by keeping schematics and harness designs synchronized, improving design traceability, and reducing errors that can impact manufacturing and program timelines.

Key Takeaways

• Understanding the high-voltage EV powertrain architecture
  • How battery packs are structured from cells and modules, the role of the Battery Management System (BMS), and why thermal management is essential for safety and performance.

• How low-voltage systems power modern EV electronics
  • Why EVs still rely on 12V or 48V electrical systems and how DC-DC converters supply power to control modules, safety systems, and vehicle electronics.

• How CAN communication networks coordinate vehicle systems
  • How ECUs communicate across high-speed CAN, low-speed CAN, and CAN FD networks to enable real-time vehicle control and diagnostics.

• Why wire harness engineering is becoming more complex in EV platforms
  • How high-voltage integration, electromagnetic interference, connector safety requirements, and late-stage design changes increase engineering difficulty.

• How modern ECAD platforms help manage EV electrical complexity
  • How integrated tools keep schematics and harness designs synchronized, track engineering changes, and reduce errors that can impact manufacturing and production timelines.