Integration of photovoltaic (PV) technology with electric vehicles (EVs) is instrumental in advancing green and sustainable transportation solutions. Besides curtailing carbon emissions, this technology also reduces the reliance on grid electricity. However, the variability in PV energy and the significant power requirements of EV powertrains present challenges in ensuring stable power management and adequate current protection. Thereby, a novel high-gain DC–DC converter with neural network (NN) controller is presented in this work to secure the safe operation of PV-based EV. The presented high-gain coupled-inductor boost (HGCLB) converter interfaces PV with a high-voltage DC (HVDC) bus for ensuring efficient energy transfer. The HGCLB converter significantly boosts the low-voltage PV output, making it compatible with HVDC bus. This high gain allows for more effective energy utilization from PV sources, reducing dependency on grid electricity. A recurrent neural network (RNN) controller is employed to provide closed-loop control with robust current protection that safeguards the system against overload conditions and electrical surges. In addition to PV system, the EV powertrain also incorporates a supercapacitor and a propulsion battery, both connected to the HVDC bus via bidirectional converters. The DC power from these sources drives the EV motor, interfaced with the HVDC bus through a three-phase voltage source inverter (VSI). The HGCLB and RNN controller are analyzed for effectiveness using simulations in MATLAB.