In summary, in the event of an electric or hybrid vehicle service or maintenance call the capacitors within the DC power module must be fully discharged. This is one of the areas where the PTC-ICL thermistor plays a critical role, in the draining of the charging system. The PTC-ICL for the application of the charging and discharging of the battery packs in a hybrid electric or electric vehicle are designed to replace a fixed power resistor in the circuit in order to absorb the currents during a failure mode situation. Two common main failure modes involving a DC-Link circuit are an open circuit condition in the capacitor and a failure in a relay or a switch. The PTC-ICL device is designed to absorb this energy and cut off the circuit.