3.3kW Onboard Battery Chargers for Plug-in Vehicles: Specifications, Topologies and a Practical Example

Journal article, 2016

Battery chargers are essential components for further development of plug-in vehicles including electric or hybrid electric vehicles. The 3.3kW battery charges are widely used in plug-in vehicles in which the power source is the single phase ac grid. The auto industry has stringent requirements on the size, efficiency, temperature and packaging of the onboard chargers that are reviewed in this paper. Usually there is a power factor pre-regulator and an isolated DC/DC stage in a typical onboard charger. Different circuit topologies are feasible for both stages. Some of the most used topologies are reviewed in this paper. Some simulation results are provided and a practical example is presented. Different practical aspects of these chargers are presented and explained.