EV Charging
Introduction
The world is moving towards a more sustainable future, with global agreements like the Paris Agreement focusing on reducing carbon emissions and pollution. This has led to the rise of electric vehicles as a substitute for cars with internal combustion engines. During the first half of 2022, a total of 4.3 million new BEVs and PHEVs were delivered, which is a 62% increase compared to the first half of 2021. However, a large number of electric vehicles require a large charging infrastructure to charge the batteries in the cars. These chargers contain many electric switching devices.
Working principle
There are various types of charging stations available, ranging from normal to fast charging, with 1 to 100 battery charging points in the same location, and using DC or AC technology. These charging stations consist of different modules, such as power modules, charge control devices, driver touchscreens, and communication devices. Due to the compact design and high integration of power semiconductors, harmonic current distortion on the grid can occur, and there may be electromagnetic interference to nearby devices due to radiation.
Damaging effects
As mentioned in the introduction, the increasing number of switching devices in high-power charging modules has some drawbacks, including high-frequency current distortion on the grid and electromagnetic radiation near these stations. These issues need to be considered in the early stages of construction to include remedial actions in the charging stations.
The Solution
To reduce line harmonics and radiated noise, passive elements such as impedance for high-frequency currents can be included. This simple mitigation technique can be achieved by using Blueferrite nanocrystalline cores, which can be mounted on the cables in front of and after the power modules to reduce electromagnetic noise. These nanocrystalline cores are available in different sizes and shapes and can be installed inside the charging stations.