Electric vehicle drive system

An electric vehicle drive system comprising:

• an electric-vehicle power conversion device that converts DC power or AC power supplied from an overhead wire into desired AC power to drive an electric motor as a load;
• a first breaker that blocks an electric current flowing between the overhead wire and the electric-vehicle power conversion device;
• and
• a grounding switch that grounds the first breaker,
• wherein the electric-vehicle power conversion device includes a main circuit unit and a second breaker, where the main circuit unit includes at least a smoothing circuit unit that contains a filter capacitor that receives and stores therein power supplied from the overhead wire, and an inverter that converts a DC voltage from the smoothing circuit unit into an AC voltage to drive the electric motor as a load, and where the second breaker blocks a power supply path between the first breaker and the inverter,
• wherein the grounding switch is configured as a single-throw switch that includes three or more pole switching contacts, and
• wherein a predetermined resistor that is one of circuit elements that constitute the main circuit unit is connected to a switching contact of the grounding switch such that when the switching contact of the grounding switch is closed, the predetermined resistor is electrically connected between a positive electrode and a negative electrode of the filter capacitor.