The popularity of electric vehicles (EVs) has greatly contributed to environmental protection by eliminating exhaust emissions and reducing pollution. A crucial component of EVs is the battery, which requires charging equipment, namely, the EV charger.
Nowadays, EV chargers are being installed in major cities, residential areas, and even by individuals, providing significant convenience. Here, we will introduce some essential knowledge about EV chargers.
Onboard Charging Devices: These are installed in the electric vehicle and use AC power from the grid and onboard power sources to charge the battery pack. They include onboard chargers, onboard generator sets, and regenerative charging devices. Charging is done by plugging an AC power cable directly into the EV’s charging socket. Onboard charging devices typically use simple, easy-to-control conductive chargers, but inductive chargers can also be used. These devices are designed specifically according to the type of onboard battery, making them highly targeted.
Offboard Charging Devices: These are ground-based charging devices, including dedicated EV chargers, specialized EV chargers, general EV chargers, and public EV charging stations. They can accommodate various charging methods for different batteries. Generally, offboard chargers are larger in power, size, and weight to adapt to different charging methods.
Charging Methods: Depending on the energy conversion method during battery charging, charging devices can be divided into conductive and inductive types. With the rapid development of power electronics and conversion control technology, high-precision controllable conversion technology has matured and become widespread. The staged constant current charging method has largely been replaced by the constant voltage current-limiting charging method, where charging current and voltage change continuously. The dominant charging technique remains the constant voltage current-limiting method. The major issue with conductive charging is safety and versatility. To meet stringent safety standards, various circuit measures are necessary to ensure safe charging in all environments. Both constant voltage current-limiting and staged constant current charging are conductive charging techniques.
Inductive Charging Technology: New inductive charging technology for EVs is developing rapidly. Inductive chargers use the principle of high-frequency AC magnetic fields to transfer energy from the primary side off the vehicle to the secondary side onboard, thereby charging the battery. The significant advantage of inductive charging is safety since there is no direct electrical contact between the charger and the vehicle. This eliminates the risk of electric shock, even in adverse weather conditions like rain or snow.
Today, we have provided a detailed introduction to the charging technology of EV chargers. We hope you find this information useful. For more knowledge about EV chargers, please continue to follow our website.
