Researchers in India have developed new grid technology that could make fast electric vehicle charging more efficient and environmentally friendly, reported TechXplore.
The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) has designed a multiport converter that plugs directly into the power grid. In simple terms, it bypasses the heavy, expensive transformers normally needed to step electricity up and down before it reaches a car.
Conventional high-powered chargers require multiple conversion stages, making them more costly and less efficient. "Our invention simplifies this process and offers a 3-5% improvement in energy efficiency," said the corresponding author of the study, Kaushik Basu, per TechXplore.
"At a megawatt scale, this leads to energy saving, significant reductions in cost, and a smaller material footprint, which makes the charging stations environmentally friendly."
The new converter design also allows for a compact charging hub that can both store electricity and send it back to the grid when needed, TechXplore reported. This "two-way" power flow means stations could keep cars running and also act as backup power sources during emergencies.
"We made the solution much smaller and more compact compared to existing solutions," said Harisyam PV, first author of the study, per TechXplore.
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The innovation in India means stations could charge multiple vehicles at once, hook up directly to renewable sources such as solar, and even provide emergency power to places like hospitals during outages.
The breakthrough will make charging electric cars faster and cheaper for drivers while also enabling stations to operate more efficiently when multiple cars require power simultaneously. Because it wastes less energy, it can also lower pollution and reduce the need for heavy materials.
It comes at a time when other advancements in charging technology are taking shape, including solar-powered EV chargers, wireless charging, and increased battery storage capacity.
The researchers in India tested a prototype that delivered power at more than 95% efficiency, and they now plan to scale up to systems that can charge buses and cars together, per TechXplore.
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Beyond EV charging, the converter could be applied to data centers, wind power, and railway systems. Basu said it is "part of a national effort to implement fast EV charging technology across India within the next five years."
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