Affordable Bi-directional Onboard EV Charger
Team: Amaya Francom, Aaron Johnson, Karl Kraus, Hunter Larson, Patrick Owen and Isaac Stoll
Project
- Increased number of EVs while charging infrastructure is not always available
- Bi-directional chargers aid in reducing grid load
- Project Consists of a two-stage design
- Utilizes custom wound inductors and transforms to meet specific requirements
- Affordable components were chosen to help accelerateEV industry adoption
- This project is compact with an energy density of 2KW per liter
- This project provided invaluable experience for the teams
System
Methods
| Requirement | Solution |
|---|---|
| 120/230 VAC Input | Full Bridge Rectifier - Active Front End |
| Nominal 400 VDC Output | Series Resonant Dual Active Bridge |
| 1 kW Power Output | Phase Shift of the DAB |
| Bidirectionality | Phase Lead and Phase Lag of the DAB |
| Galvanic Isolation | Custom Transformer |
| 2 kW/L Power Density | Enclosure to Limit Volume |
| Power Factor Correction > 0.96 | Hybrid High and Low Switching Active Front End |
| Target Efficiency of 92% or greater | Zero Volt Switching, Low Ron Resistance, and Custom Inductors |
| Galvanic Isolation (Transformer) | Custom Transformer Design |
Conclusion
The IFEC team attended the semi-finals in San Antonio, Texas. The team is actively awaiting confirmation for finals in Belgium.
- Simulation results show proof of concept and sound design.
- Once the PCB arrives, a full hardware test can be performed to confirm simulation results.
- The simulations show that an affordable charger is possible, allowing greater accessibility for EVs to reduce grid load.
- The IFEC team gained experience in magnetic design, circuit design, component selection, thermal regulation, CAD modeling, project organization, and public speaking.
- A full hardware test and full charger