A power converter is the generic name for any device which converts power (presumably electrical charge) from one mode to another. A power converter is used to take power input from a source in one form and output it into another form, more useful to the task at hand. This can take many forms, such as tapping the main municipal power supply of a locality, which is likely to be extremely powerful - or else weaker than needed - and converting it to a form which could be used for taking the power produced by a vehicle's power plant and converting it to operate the vehicle's systems, such as display panels or engines.