Can an EV charger multi-task? Researchers at Kettering University in Michigan say they are creating an EV charger that will do far more than give our cars a zap of electricity.
Kettering reports that Nelson Wang, co-founder of Carbon Zero Advanced Research (CZAR), has come up with a ‘smart’ charger that he compares to a cellphone.
“A long time ago, we only used cellphones to make calls,” Wang said. “But now, most people use their phone as an entire system. We want to apply that idea to the charger. It will potentially have a big impact on society.”
The charger would act as a hub connecting several energy sources — the battery, the storage system and the electric utility. Wang described it as forming “a small micro-grid system.”
“Once successful, this technology will allow renewable energy to be connected to infrastructure, thereby charging vehicles more economically,” said Kevin Bai, associate professor of electrical engineering at Kettering. “It will promote future microgrid development, resulting in a less centralized grid. So, for example, if a blackout happens, this charging technology would allow a house or vehicle to still have access to power.”
The charging technology is bidirectional in power flow and accepts inputs from the solar power to charge EVs or other battery systems.
The research team, which began work in March at Kettering’s Advanced Power Electronics Lab, has fully tested the system and is now working on making it more efficient and increasing its power density.
Some of the initial tests have been promising, including showing about 96 percent efficiency, according to a news release issued by Kettering. Researchers also are working to connect the charging station to the Internet, so that drivers can obtain the location of the charging station through their phones. They’d also be able to monitor the usage of solar energy generated versus the amount of energy used from the grid and calculate the real cost for electricity used.
“We’re developing a charger for electric vehicles, but the key differentiation from existing charging technology is we’re trying to make it ‘smart,'” Wang said. “No one else has a charger like what we’re developing. We think of it differently — we want it to be communicating with renewable energy sources, like solar.”
CZAR Power says investors have expressed interest from Japan and China. More details are here.
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