Battery tech is largely impenetrable to the average Joe/Jane. And yet absolutely vital for EV buyers and owners alike. So, let me lay it out for you and why you should care. Think of electricity like traffic. Old-school silicon is a busy city street: it works, but it wastes time and heat. Silicon carbide is that same street repaved with tougher material that handles higher voltage without crumbling. Gallium nitride is more like a slick express lane built for quick lane changes — it switches power faster with less waste.
Why you care: less waste = less heat. Less heat = smaller coolers, steadier power, and more of your battery turning into miles or charge rate instead of hot air. Analysts expect strong 2025 growth in these advanced power chips as carmakers rework inverters, onboard chargers, and DC-DC units.
SiC Powers the Drive, GaN Powers the Charge
Two boxes matter in an EV, and they do different jobs. The traction inverter feeds the motors while you drive. It’s the heavy-load part, and on modern 800-volt cars silicon carbide (SiC) is the right tool. Testing from Infineon shows meaningful efficiency gains in 800-V traction inverters versus older silicon, which translates to steadier range and cooler running.
SiC stays efficient when you’re rolling hard and the heat builds, which translates to steadier highway range and cooler running on hot days or mountain grades. The onboard charger (OBC)—plus some DC-DC hardware—does its work while you’re plugged in. Here gallium nitride (GaN) is the star. It switches power so fast the charger can be smaller and lighter, and it wastes less energy between the wall and the pack. Real designs back it up, including a 6.6-kW automotive GaN onboard charger that shows the packaging and efficiency upside. A detailed Texas Instruments reference design walks through control strategy and high-frequency switching in a modern GaN OBC
All of this means shorter plug times from the same outlet and less heat crammed into the nose of the car. Automakers mix the two: SiC for the main inverter, GaN in the charger—each material where it makes the biggest difference.
What You’ll Actually Feel: Faster Charging and Better Range
Here’s what you’ll feel on the road. A GaN-based charger wastes less power, so more juice reaches the pack. That shaves minutes off a nightly top-up and helps fast-charge sessions hold their target rate longer before they taper. A SiC inverter throws away less energy as heat when you’re cruising or passing, which boosts real-world efficiency and keeps more thermal headroom when it’s hot, you’re loaded up, or you’re towing. With less heat overall, fans and pumps don’t work as hard, so the hardware runs quieter and cooler—good for ride comfort now and durability later.
Are SiC and GaN Worth the Extra Cost?
Today, SiC parts still cost more than old silicon, and GaN chargers are newer to mass production. But volumes are rising fast, and the pieces are moving into mainstream trims. The reason is simple: efficiency saves (you!) money—in smaller radiators, lighter boxes, and fewer watts wasted every single mile.
My verdict
If the spec sheet mentions SiC in the traction inverter, expect cooler running and steadier range on 800-V platforms. If it touts GaN in the onboard charger, expect cleaner power transfer and less time plugged in. Different tools, different wins — and you feel both every time you drive or charge. They’re very different. You might get to choose; be informed.
