Accelerate 400V, 800V, and 1200V traction inverter validation with current-fed DC power supplies (1.5 kW to 10 MW) and ultra-low noise linear MOSFET electronic loads (to 20 kW+).
From electric passenger vehicles and heavy mining trucks to high-speed rail and urban transit, Magna-Power Traction Controller Test Equipment delivers absolute control under extreme dynamic conditions.
Traction controllers (inverters) govern the bidirectional flow of electrical energy between high-voltage energy storage systems and traction motors. Testing these complex power electronics demands specialized DC power infrastructure capable of emulating harsh battery impedance profiles, handling sudden regenerative energy surges, and enduring inverter shoot-through faults without hardware failure.
Traditional voltage-fed DC power supplies store substantial energy in large output capacitor banks. When connected to a high-speed traction inverter operating under dynamic pulse-width modulation (PWM), legacy supplies exhibit severe ringing, high voltage overshoot during load rejection, and catastrophic over-current trips when faced with rapid dI/dt transients or phase shoot-through events.
Furthermore, during regenerative braking tests—where the traction controller acts as a generator feeds kinetic energy back to the DC bus—standard unipolar power supplies risk over-voltage destruction unless paired with expensive external active load banks or specialized blocking circuits.
The Magna-Power Current-Fed Solution: MagnaDC programmable power supplies utilize a proprietary current-fed power conversion topology. By locating the primary energy storage inductor on the internal DC bus rather than large output electrolytic capacitors, Magna-Power systems deliver inherent immunity to output short circuits, instantaneous response to dynamic load changes, and stable low-capacitance output characteristics essential for high-frequency SiC and GaN inverter testing.
Magna-Power offers modular, scalable hardware families optimized for every phase of traction controller development—from early Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) desk testing to full megawatt End-of-Line (EOL) production stress testing.
Scalable from 1.5 kW 1U rack-mount units to 10 MW water-cooled megawatt cabinets. Featuring low output capacitance, current-fed topology, optional high slew rate outputs (+HS), and software-configurable voltage/current compliance modes to accurately mirror battery pack internal resistance under high dynamic loads.
Designed for ultra-low noise sinking and fast dynamic load steps up to 20 kW+ per chassis. Unlike switching electronic loads that introduce harmonic noise into traction measurements, the ALx linear MOSFET topology provides smooth, ripple-free power absorption across constant current (CC), constant voltage (CV), constant resistance (CR), and constant power (CP) modes.
| Test Stage | Traction Voltage Range | Recommended Magna-Power System | Cooling Method | Primary Engineering Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Component & HIL Testing | 400V / 800V DC Bus | SLx Series (1U) / XR Series (2U) | Air Cooled | Compact rack footprint, rapid SCPI commands, isolated analog I/O for real-time hardware simulation. |
| Subsystem Integration Bench | 600V – 1000V DC Bus | TS Series (3U–16U, 5 to 100 kW) | Air Cooled | High power density, optional blocking diode (+BD) for back-EMF protection, optional high slew rate (+HS). |
| Megawatt Powertrain EOL Test | 800V – 1500V DC Bus | MT Series (Air) / ML Series (Water) | Air / Water Cooled | 150 kW to 10 MW scale. Zero thermal room load with water cooling, master/slave digital paralleling. |
| Dynamic Braking & Stress Load | 0V – 1000V DC Bus | MagnaLOAD ALx Series (1.25 to 20 kW+) | Air Cooled | Linear MOSFET power stage rejects switching noise, permitting clean ripple analysis on inverter motor drives. |
Need assistance sizing your traction controller test system? Our application engineers provide turnkey bus calculations.
Inquire NowA closer examination of the electrical topologies, signal processing loops, and fault isolation mechanisms engineered into Magna-Power test equipment.
Modern SiC traction inverters switch at frequencies exceeding 20 kHz with dV/dt edges sharp enough to corrupt unshielded DC power instrumentation. Magna-Power DC supplies feature internal high-frequency filtering and low-inductance bus design, keeping output ripple minimal while maintaining stiff DC bus regulation under aggressive inverter modulation patterns.
When a traction motor decelerates, the inverter directs kinetic energy back into the DC bus as reverse current. Pairing MagnaDC power supplies with an integrated blocking diode option (+BD) or coupling them in parallel with MagnaLOAD electronic loads allows the test rack to instantly sink regenerative energy pulses, preserving stable voltage line control without triggering over-voltage trips.
Equipped with standard Ethernet/LXI, USB, RS-232, and high-speed user-configurable isolated analog I/O (0-10V), Magna-Power hardware interfaces seamlessly with real-time simulators such as dSPACE, Opal-RT, and National Instruments. Commands can execute deterministic voltage profile sweeps to simulate rapid battery state-of-charge (SoC) drops or sudden thermal degradation.
Compliance testing under ISO 26262 requires intentional short-circuit fault testing. Thanks to our current-fed power converter stage, if an inverter under test experiences phase shoot-through or terminal short circuit, current is naturally limited by the main power inductor. The supply safely enters constant current mode without destroying switching components or blowing internal fuses.
Procurement directors and test lab managers face rapidly evolving powertrain standards. Sourcing modular, future-proof test equipment is critical to controlling long-term capital expenditure (CapEx) and operational costs (OpEx).
Passenger EVs are standardizing on 800V architectures, while heavy commercial vehicles, mining haulers, and railway systems are pushing past 1200V to reduce current draw and conductor mass. Procurement teams are specifying test power supplies with nominal voltage ceilings of 1000V to 1500V DC to prevent premature equipment obsolescence.
As test powers cross into hundreds of kilowatts per bay, air cooling creates unbearable acoustic noise and massive HVAC demands. Procurement trends favor direct water-cooled instruments (like MagnaDC ML Series), transferring 95%+ of waste heat directly into facility chillers and permitting dense, quiet, cleanroom-compatible test benches.
Instead of buying single-purpose static power supplies for specific vehicles, test managers now mandate master-slave digital paralleling. A 500 kW system must easily split into two independent 250 kW channels for smaller passenger car inverters or combine into a 1 MW power supply for heavy rail traction testing.
Next-generation electric drive validation relies on tighter digital control loops, AI-assisted telemetry, and hardware-in-the-loop fidelity.
Software algorithms are achieving microsecond loop execution, updating voltage-current output curves based on real-time state-of-charge (SoC), internal resistance, ambient temperature, and cell aging parameters.
Physical traction controller test benches are synchronized continuously with cloud-hosted digital twin models. Real-world stress data is fed directly into predictive reliability models to uncover latent semiconductor defects.
Linear MOSFET loads (such as MagnaLOAD ALx) are taking over switching loads to prevent high-frequency harmonic feedback, enabling precise measurement of switching losses and parasitic inductance in next-gen wide-bandgap traction inverters.
Our engineering team in Flemington, NJ works directly with global automotive OEMs, Tier-1 suppliers, and rail locomotive builders to architect customized traction controller test systems.
For over four decades, Magna-Power Electronics, Inc. has engineered and built premium programmable power hardware inside its vertically integrated production facility in Flemington, New Jersey, USA. Our hands-on manufacturing model ensures unparalleled quality control and industry-leading delivery times.
Magna-Power supplies are deployed in elite traction test bays, aerospace propulsion labs, and high-speed rail research centers worldwide.
Built-in protection mechanisms prevent damage from sudden reverse electromotive force generated during rapid traction motor deceleration.
Delivers full rated power across a broad voltage and current dynamic range, allowing one unit to test multiple voltage-class traction inverters.
Standard Ethernet/LXI and SCPI command interfaces execute rapid voltage ramps without command buffer latency or communication lockups.
“To do what Magna-Power does with one power supply, we would have needed three from the other guys. On top of that, Magna-Power was less expensive, so the bang for buck and size was excellent.”Paul K.Lockheed Martin
“Below is the scope capture from the XR connected directly in place of the previous supply. We were amazed. I am impressed with the build quality of the unit — chalk one up for Made in the USA.”Tom S.QinetiQ
“High quality products from Magna-Power. I have worked with other manufacturers and faced different problems such as EMI noise, but no problem with Magna-Power.”Amin S.University of Houston
Contact our senior power applications team to review your voltage, current, dynamic slew rate, and software integration requirements.
