Achieving Fast Electric Vehicle Charging on a Limited Domestic Supply “Power Harvester”

Abstract:
An increasing number of households are purchasing electric vehicles due to their well-known advantages and environmental friendliness. However, the time required to charge these vehicles remains a major issue. Although technologies exist to charge vehicles at rates of up to 50kW or even 120kW for certain models, access to fast charging is limited to dedicated community charging locations where sufficient power is available. Most residential properties have a total power availability in the range of 25kW, with a maximum power rating of 7.2 kW for domestic EV chargers after allowing for household electric usage. As a result, charging a long-range car at home can take over 10 hours, requiring careful planning. This problem is exacerbated if a single residence has more than one electric vehicle. To address this issue, a patented solution that dynamically provides the maximum available power for charging electric vehicles is presented here, along with details of a proof-of-concept sample.