Baglino: Silicon carbide inverters saved Tesla $400 to $500 in battery costs
Drew Baglino · The rise of grid power electronics with Drew Baglino · Feb 19, 2026 · at 13:39
Drew Baglino, former SVP of Powertrain and Energy at Tesla and founder of Heron Power, explains the economic trade-offs of power semiconductors in electric vehicle architectures.
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“You know, while I was at Tesla, we started using silicon carbide to make drive inverters in cars because the incremental cost of the more expensive transistor was more than outweighed by the savings in battery because the drive inverter could be so much more efficient using silicon carbide. So while you might spend a hundred dollars more on silicon carbide devices in the car, you'd save four or 500 dollars in the battery.”
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