World’s first ‘solar powered’ bidirectional Vehicle to Grid (V2G) fast charger

In cooperation with the TU Delft and Last Mile Solutions, PRE Power Developers developed and produced a 10kW solar powered bidirectional EV charger. The system charges electrical cars directly using solar (PV) power and is 17% more efficient than the current chargers. The charger prevents the conversion losses from DC to AC (and back) and is the first of its kind. On Wednesday April 11th 2018, this innovation won an IDTechAward in Berlin for the Most Significant Innovation in Electric Vehicles.

Electric vehicles are seen as the sustainable future of transport. However they are only truly sustainable if the electricity used to charge them, comes from sustainable sources and not from fossil fuels. Sustainable sources such as solar panels can be used well for charging. Currently the charging of electrical vehicles is always via the power network. Direct current (DC) of the solar panels is converted into alternating current (AC) for the electricity grid and the AC of the electricity grid is converted back into DC for the battery pack of the car. A small 10% of the energy is lost in both conversion steps: a total of 19%. PRE Power Developers, TU Delft researcher Gautham Ram and Last Mile Solutions thought that it would have been smarter to avoid these unnecessary conversion steps. For this reason they developed a charging station that allows for the direct charging of electric cars using solar panels, even without a main grid connection. Gautham Ram graduated cum laude on this research on 26th March 2018 and PRE has been responsible for the development of the power module.

V2G Vehicle to Grid Module
The charger is a bidirectional AC-DC converter. As a result, the energy from the battery can also be used to deliver back to the grid (Vehicle to Grid). The charger can handle four different power flows:
1) from solar panels to electric vehicle
2) from electric vehicle to the grid
3) from the grid to electric vehicle
4) and from the solar panels to the grid

The V2G 10kW charging module is a smart integration between an MPPT solar module and an EV charging module. The modules can be used modularly, making it possible to place the modules in parallel to achieve a power of 150 KW.

Due to the integrated solution, fewer components are required, the power density is three times higher, resulting in much lower costs. By using silicon carbide and quasi-resonant technology, efficiency of more than 96% is achieved for both full and partial loading. The first series of these modules has been produced.

Award winning innovation
The V2G Vehicle to Grid Module brings the worlds of sustainable energy and electric transport together for the first time. As a result, there is a lot of attention for this innovation. The innovation gains recognition at leading international trade fairs. Last year, the research came in the final of the eMotive360 ° (Munich). Now that the research is finalized and the first chargers are produced a new phase will start. The IDTechAward is the first prize for the produced EV bidirectional charger.

PRE Power Developers (Power Research Electronics) will be exhibiting at the Hannover Messe from 23rd to 27th April 2018 where they expect to receive a lot of attention for the V2G and other Fast Charging solutions.

About PRE Power Developers
PRE Power Developers is specialized in power electronics. From 2009, PRE is active in the market for EV DC Fast Charging and has built up a lot of knowledge about EV charging. PRE has a complete package of power modules for all common Fast Chargers:

• DC wall boxes
• Public chargers (150kW)
• Energy storage systems
• Charger parks (1MW)

With the modules of PRE, the Fast Charger brings unique USPs with it:

• Proven high reliability
• High efficiency and low heat development, all chargers work to 50C ambient
• Water- and dust-proof, maintenance-free chargers (dust filter free design)

Click here for the complete portfolio of the PRE EV Charging Solutions.

Power Research Electronics BV
Minervum 7073
4817 ZK Breda, The Netherlands

T  +31 (0) 76 58 11 077
F  +31 (0) 76 58 11 237
E  info@pr-electronics.nl