Delta Electronics, provider of solution for power-supply management and heat dissipation, has obtained subsidy from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for joint development of 400 kW high-speed electric-car charger XFC, with 10-minute charging capable of powering electric cars for 180 miles (288 kilometers) of driving distance, announced the company on Aug. 30.

The charger will employ SST (solid-state transformer) technology, boasting 96.5% conversion rate from grid-power input to electric-car energy output, at size only half and weight one fourth of those of existing DC chargers. The charger is furnished with a HVDC (high-voltage DC) port, facilitating integration of energy-storage and renewable energy systems and establishment of micro-grids, so as to alleviate the load of charging stations on grid.

Delta pointed out that the research project will be undertaken jointly by the company's R&D team in Detroit, which has profound auto expertise, and the Delta Power Electronics Laboratory (DPEL) in Raleigh of North Carolina, plus participation by a number of other units, including General Motors, DTE Energy, the CPES of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, NextEnergy, the Michigan Energy Office of the Michigan Agency for Energy, and the Detroit Office of Sustainability. The three-year project calls for a US$7 million budget, half of which will be subsidized by the U.S. Department of Energy.

Huang Ming-hsiao, president of Delta Electronics (America), noted that Delta is honored to oversee the important project and is glad to collaborate with topnotch researchers and business partners in developing the cutting-edge technology. Via the employment of SST technology, the project will create unprecedented charging speed and convenience, set up industrial standards for electric-car fast charging, and help the U.S. Department of Energy attain the strategic objective of popularizing electric cars.

Delta pointed out that the 400 kW high-speed charger will employ SiC MOSFET component and introduce innovative SST topology, substituting for traditional low-voltage AC industrial frequency transformers, capable of converting directly 4.8 kV or 13.2 kV medium-voltage AC power for use by electric cars, at rapid 3C charging speed. For electric car models with high cruising range in the future, 10-minute charging with the charger will enable the cars to travel half of the maximum cruising range. Take a model with 360 miles of cruising range, which will be able to travel 180 miles with only 10-minute charging. The system efficiency of the charger is expected to hit 96.5%, 3.5 percentage points higher than existing high-speed DC charger. With the built-in high-voltage DC port, the charger can operate under micro-grid, lowering the load of electric-car fast charging on grid. The prototype is expected to be completed for trial run by 2020.

Delta remarked that in addition to the upgrading of electric-car charging technology, the project can benefit automakers with its data and results and enable technology providers, urban governments, and utilities have a firmer grip on the effect of electric-car fast charging on power demand and ways for integration of renewable energies by charging stations, thereby alleviating pressure of massive fast charging on grid.  

(First photo courtesy of TechNews)