Comprehensive Topological Analysis of Conductive and Inductive Charging Solutions for Plug-In Electric Vehicles

TLDR

The global energy crisis is driving the automotive industry toward electrified vehicles, and the adoption of plug‑in electric vehicles depends largely on the charging solutions they use. This paper surveys the topologies of current plug‑in electric vehicle charging solutions. The review classifies chargers by charging type (conductive or inductive), conversion stage (single or two‑stage), power level (L1–L3), and semiconductor technology (Si, SiC, GaN).

Abstract

The impending global energy crisis has opened up new opportunities for the automotive industry to meet the ever-increasing demand for cleaner and fuel-efficient vehicles. This has necessitated the development of drivetrains that are either fully or partially electrified in the form of electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (EVs and HEVs), respectively, which are collectively addressed as plug-in EVs (PEVs). PEVs in general are equipped with larger on-board storage and power electronics for charging or discharging the battery, in comparison with HEVs. The extent to which PEVs are adopted significantly depends on the nature of the charging solution utilized. In this paper, a comprehensive topological survey of the currently available PEV charging solutions is presented. PEV chargers based on the nature of charging (conductive or inductive), stages of conversion (integrated single stage or two stages), power level (level 1, 2, or 3), and type of semiconductor devices utilized (silicon, silicon carbide, or gallium nitride) are thoroughly reviewed in this paper.