Vehicle Electrification: Technologies, Challenges, and a Global Perspective for Smart Grids

Abstract

Nowadays, due to economic and climate concerns, the private transportation sector is shifting for the vehicle electrification. For this new reality, new challenges about operation modes are emerging, demanding a cooperative and dynamic operation with the power grid, guaranteeing a stable integration without omitting the power quality. Besides, new attractive and complementary technologies are offered by the vehicle electrification in the context of smart grids, valid for both on board and off board systems. In this perspective, this book chapter presents a global perspective and deals with challenges for the vehicle electrification, covering the key technologies toward a sustainable future. Among others, the flowing topics are covered: (1) Overview of battery charging systems, including on board and off board systems; (2) State of the art of communication technologies for application in the context of vehicular electrification, smart grids and smart homes; (3) Challenges and opportunities concerning wireless power transfer with bidirectional interface to the electrical grid; (4) Future perspectives about bidirectional power transfer between electric vehicles (vehicle to vehicle operation mode); (5) Unified technologies, allowing to combine functionalities of a bidirectional interface with the electrical grid and motor driver based on a single system; and (6) Smart grids and smart homes scenarios and accessible opportunities about operation modes.

Unified Power Converter Based on a Dual-Stator Permanent Magnet Synchronous Machine for Motor Drive and Battery Charging of Electric Vehicles

“…Energies 2021, 14, x FOR PEER REVIEW 2 of 24 battery-charging systems, there is a significant investment in the development of solutions for electric mobility [5,6]. An EV has a power converter that drives the electric machine accountable for the motor drive.…”

“…These bidirectional systems can appear as an asset for the power grid. Taking into consideration the existing opportunities, not only in the development of powertrain systems, but also in battery-charging systems, there is a significant investment in the development of solutions for electric mobility [5,6].…”

A Review on Power Electronics Technologies for Electric Mobility

“…The circuit used to implement the rectifier can be made, by design, the same as that used in the inverter, such as the full-bridge converter/rectifier, case when only the control of the gates of the converters will differ, from primary to secondary. This facilitates the implementation of bidirectional IWPT [123][124][125] which may be very useful in V2G or vehicle-to-home (V2H) applications [126,127]. As vehicular bidirectional battery charging itself generates more possibilities for applications, even in conductive charging, it can be expected that bidirectional IWPT also becomes popular.…”

“…SAE J2954 admits that conformity may still be observed if this additional requirement is not met in these critical spaces, but in this case, steps should be taken to warn pacemaker wearers to avoid this region, that is, to stay away from the car. In practice, in order not to restrict in any manner the use of cars by passengers with IMD, this additional requirement has to be observed [127].…”