Advanced Power Electronics to Enable Fast Charging While Avoiding Grid Upgrades

Enabling Widespread Fast Charging While Avoiding Grid Upgrades

Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Low Carbon Transportation

Intertie Incorporated

Recipient

San Francisco, CA

Recipient Location

11th

Senate District

19th

Assembly District

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$1,739,115

Amount Spent

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Active

Project Status

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Project Update

In 2022, the top-level vision and user level use case requirements were completed on schedule and provided the foundation of the detailed engineering design. The team completed system engineering and built a bench test prototype that included hardware, firmware, and EMS software. The team has begun testing by connecting to the DC input of a 125 kW power conversion unit to simulate the input to a 150kW fast charger.

The Issue

Most commercially available fast chargers connect directly to the grid and have high power requirements. Ultra-fast charging, which can be defined as greater than 100kW, exacerbates this problem, requires more costly electric upgrades, and has higher operating costs due to high demand charges. This barrier makes it difficult and cost-prohibitive to install fast chargers where they would be most convenient for drivers, such as gas stations, multi-unit dwellings, and commercial properties. Without this charging infrastructure in place, EV ownership can be inconvenient and economically unsuitable for many California residents, which could severely inhibit the state’s rate of EV adoption.

Project Innovation

Intertie’s EV ChargePod™ overcomes the key barrier of costly electric infrastructure upgrades for ultra-fast charging by decoupling the charger from the AC grid. This is a productized DC microgrid that connects a fast charger, energy storage, and grid-tied bidirectional AC/DC converter sized to available grid capacity. Furthermore, adding DC-coupled distributed solar to the microgrid improves the economics and resilience of the ultra-fast charging process. The project seeks to develop a commercially available ultra-fast charger that supplies high power to electric vehicles via a low amp grid connection that can be deployed quickly at almost any location.