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Throughout this series, we have examined the technologies, materials, architectures, and environmental challenges that influence the reliability of EV electronics. Yet reliability is ultimately judged in only one place: the field. Customers do not experience qualification reports, design reviews, or accelerated test results. They experience vehicles that either perform as expected or do not.
As EV adoption expands globally, the industry has accumulated a growing body of field experience. These lessons reveal both the strengths of current designs and the areas where improvement remains necessary. They also reinforce an enduring reality of electronics engineering that failures are often the result of multiple contributing factors rather than a single root cause. Design decisions, manufacturing variation, environmental exposure, software behavior, and operational stresses can interact over time to produce outcomes that were not fully anticipated during development.1,2
The good news is that the industry is gaining access to tools, data, and standards that can help identify emerging issues before they become widespread field failures. The challenge is learning how to use them effectively.
What the Field Has Taught Us
Many of the most visible EV reliability events during the past decade have involved battery systems. While public attention frequently focuses on the battery cells themselves, investigations often reveal contributions from electronic controls, sensors, connectors, thermal management systems, contactors, and software.
Several major recalls have highlighted the importance of system-level reliability management. The Chevrolet Bolt EV battery recall demonstrated how manufacturing variation, when combined with specific operating conditions, can create conditions that lead to thermal events.3 Hyundai and Kia conducted extensive recall campaigns involving battery systems and charging-related concerns.4 Jaguar’s I-PACE experienced battery-related recalls and software updates intended to reduce risk while long-term corrective actions were developed.
To continue reading this article, which originally appeared in the July 2026 edition of SMT007 Magazine, click here.
