Ultra-Fast Chargers for Electric Vehicles

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Current worldwide government incentives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions have spurred electric vehicle (EV) development, particularly for urban use. The number of such vehicles is expected to grow exponentially to 30 million by 2040. However, unless affordable, efficient and sufficient battery charging technologies are developed, EVs will not be adopted, deployed and utilized to full advantage. One of the major challenges in mass deployment of battery electric cars is the lack of charging stations in shopping areas and workplaces. At present, in most urban areas, the main option is to charge EV batteries using the on-board charger, which can take up to twenty hours to complete. Even fast charging stations require a half hour for recharging, and are few and sparsely situated. In either case, the conventional technology has low power conversion efficiency, requiring fans to manage heat dispersal which often break down, and are so bulky in design that they require cranes and other heavy duty equipment to install. The proposed NSERC Alliance Mission project promises to develop a novel battery charger architecture for EVs that will be attractive to consumers, not only in increasing speed of recharging and reducing the amount spent on electricity, but also in decreasing unnecessary energy losses and physically building compact charging stations to meet a global demand. The research will result in a highly efficient power architecture for ultra-fast charging stations that can charge EVs in about the time it takes to fill a conventional car with gas. Through prototype development for ultra-fast charging stations for energy storage batteries, this Project will help EVs become a mainstream transportation option.