Automotive TVS with a known end-of-life
The 1.5KE12CHE3/73: It clamps transients at 17.3 V maximum with a 9.72 V reverse standoff, making it a fit for 12 V nominal automotive bus protection where the steady-state rail sits below the standoff threshold.
Clamping parametrics and the so-what for the BOM
Breakdown occurs at a minimum of 10.8 V, so the device starts conducting before the protected circuit sees a damaging overvoltage. The single bidirectional channel handles both positive and negative transients, simplifying the BOM for a 12 V automotive bus where reverse-battery and load-dump events can swing either polarity.
Obsolete — sourcing reality for sustainment programs
Vishay has marked the 1.5KE12CHE3/73 as obsolete. The DO-201AA axial-lead package (also known as DO-27) is a standard through-hole footprint shared across the 1.5KE family. A pin-compatible functional replacement from the same family may exist, but no direct cross-reference is recorded in the manufacturer's lifecycle documentation.