WCX 2025: Vicor’s New Power Modules Arrive with 48V

April 7, 2025

Sebastian Blanco

The Vicor BCM6135 offers 2.5kW of power and weighs 65 grams (0.14 lbs). (Vicor)

As the automotive industry debates the merits of a 48V power network compared to keeping legacy 12V power networks, Vicor will present some of its newest high-power-density DC-DC converter power modules at the SAE World Congress Experience (WCX) 2025 in Detroit this week. The company said these new power modules offer a modular solution for automakers considering converting their high-voltage battery voltages direct-to-load (48V and 12V).

Vicor DCM3717 and DCM3735, non-isolated regulated 48V-12V converters ease the migration to 48V power delivery. (Vicor)

That will be the topic of a presentation given by Vicor’s automotive principal field application engineer for North America, Patrick Kowalyk, titled “Optimize High Voltage to SELV Performance While Eliminating a 48V Battery and Super Caps.” The session will explain “how bidirectional, high power density DC-DC converter power modules, using soft switching topology at frequencies > 1.4 MHz, can downsize the power delivery network, enhance efficiency and improve overall system performance.”

In March, Vicor expanded its DCM37xx series of regulated 48V-to-12V DC-DC converters. These high-density modules, called DCM3717 and DCM3735, range in power levels from 750W to 2kW. Vicor said the modules have a power density of 5kW/in3 and can be installed in an array configuration of up to four units. They have an input range of between 40 and 60VDC, a trimmable output range of between 10.0 and 12.5VDC and PMBus-compatible telemetry.

Vicor originally released the DCM3735 in October 2024, one of three automotive-grade power modules for 48V electric vehicle systems Vicor released at the time. These modules can be arranged in over 300 configurations, which allows automotive engineers new ways to reduce a power system’s size and weight, and will be used in automotive OEM and Tier One production in 2025. All three of the modules – BCM6135 and PRM3735 in addition to DCM3735 – use AEC-Q100 certified Vicor-designed ICs and have completed the Production Part Approval Process (PPAP) with automotive customers, the company said.

“Vicor has set a new standard for power density in the automotive industry with these scalable and flexible miniature power modules,” said Patrick Wadden, VP of the Vicor Automotive business unit. Our power modules make it easy to convert from the primary battery (800V or 400V) to 48V and down to load. They are very versatile, and our customers are using the modules to improve efficiency while also removing size and weight from their power systems.”