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SEPTEMBER 2025 I SMT007 MAGAZINE 37 blurred boundary between hard- ware and software failures. Diag- nosing an issue often requires a multidisciplinary approach, where electrical, software, mechanical, and thermal domains intersect. Engineering for High Volt- age and High Current Electrification brings with it an entirely new tier of design considerations. High-voltage architectures ranging from 400V to 800V (and beyond) introduce insulation, spacing, and arcing challenges that ICE platforms never had to address. Likewise, current-carrying requirements are pushing the limits of PCB trace width, copper thickness, and thermal dissipation. Traditional FR-4-based PCBs may not be adequate for many of these high-power applications. Materials like aluminum nitride, direct-bonded copper (DBC), and insulated metal substrates (IMS) are increasingly being used for their thermal and dielectric prop- erties. Meanwhile, the integration of heavy copper layers in FR- 4-based materials complicates the etching process and raises new concerns about consistency and trace uniformity 9 . From interconnects like press- fit and sintered silver die-attach, to embedded heat-pipe solu- tions and 3D thermal vias, the toolkit for high-reliability power electronics is evolving rapidly. The Road to Reliability Despite real-world reliability challenges, EVs are poised to ulti- mately outperform ICE vehicles in long-term dependability because they have fewer moving parts, regenerative braking reduces wear, and over time, the technol- ogy matures through field feed- back and iterative improvement. But this optimism must be tempered by current gaps. Stud- ies show that public charging reliability hovers around 78%, far from the reliability consumers expect from their fueling experi- ence 10 . Concerns about battery lifespan and software malfunc- tions continue to drive hesitation among would-be buyers. OTA updates, though promising, have led to recalls when poorly tested. In this context, the road to reli- ability must be deliberate, trans- parent, and engineered from the ground up. Manufacturers that invest in comprehensive valida- tion, including thermal stress test- ing, EMC shielding, failure mode analysis, and software simulation, will be better equipped to deliver robust EV systems. Reliability = Sustainability There's a final, often overlooked linkage: Reliability and sustainability are two sides of the same coin. Every time a component fails and is replaced, the environmen- tal cost rises through resource extraction, manufacturing, and logistics. Extending the lifetime of components through better design, process control, and predictive maintenance reduces waste and improves circularity. A recently published white Extending the lifetime of components through better design, process control, and predictive maintenance reduces waste and improves circularity. " "