This article introduces an innovative single-source-based 19-level switched capacitor multilevel inverter (SCMLI) and its generalized structure. Unlike other SCMLIs, this proposed SCMLI eliminates the need for an H-bridge circuit for polarity generation, thereby reducing the inverter’s total standing voltage (TSV). The article provides a circuit description of the proposed inverter, its operating principle, and the modulation strategy employed. Furthermore, the article outlines an optimal capacitor selection method and conducts various power loss analyses for the 19-level proposed SCMLI. A detailed comparative study with similar SCMLIs shows that the proposed SCMLI achieves higher output voltage levels while utilizing fewer components such as switches, drivers, diodes and capacitors. Furthermore, it offers a more cost-effective function per output voltage level than recently reported similar SCMLIs. An extensive experimental study has been conducted on a prototype of the 19-level SCMLI to validate its performance.