ADAPTIVE V2V CHARGERS

The students of Mahindra University Hyderabad developed adaptive V2V chargers using bidirectional converters, and claimed to enhance EV charging flexibility, writes Richa Tyagi.

- Richa Tyagi

In today's age, there is an ongoing debate on the usage of fossil and it's alleged significant contribution to carbon emissions. With the transportation sector known to being the second largest consumer of fossil fuels, to restore the balance, Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) are the flavour of the season. However, a major challenge with the widespread adoption of EVs is the limited availability of charging infrastructure leading to longer charge times and inconvenience for users. A potential solution to eliminate this problem is to use Vehicleto-Vehicle (V2V) chargers. V2V chargers in a way take the load of the grid and are positioned as the next best alternative to enhance the infrastructure.

The students of Mahindra University developed versatile and adaptive V2V chargers derived from bi-directional converters. Bi-directional converters' significance increasing rapidly as these can be used for Vehicle-toGrid (V2G) and Grid-to-Vehicle (G2V) applications. Various bidirectional converters are available for these types of applications in isolated and non-isolated topologies.

➤ Non-isolated bidirectional converters

A non-isolated bidirectional converter, featuring a half-bridge configuration with two switches, inductors, and capacitors on either side, serves as an effective method for charging one EV with another. This converter is designed with fewer components, costeffectiveness, and ease of operation when compared to alternative nonisolated topologies.

In the development and testing phase, this bidirectional converter simulated real-world EV scenarios positioning two batteries on either side of the converter to mimic the dual battery setup found in cars. The power flow is controlled using a current reference, allowing the high-side battery to charge the low-side battery and vice versa.