Ally Winning, European Editor, PSD
Welcome to the August edition of Power Systems Design Europe. August is at the centre of the summer holiday period in Europe. If you are reading this on vacation, I hope you have a great break and come back fully refreshed for the remainder of the year. For myself, I will wait until September when the temperatures have dropped a bit before I take my main holiday. As I write this, Europe is in the middle of another heatwave and temperatures of over 40oC are just a bit too hot for me, but they seems to becoming the norm at this time of year, rather than the exception.
In the Special Report this month, we return to one of the most fascinating subjects in the industry - EVs, Hybrids and Charging Infrastructure. After the initial enthusiasm and investments in EVs and EV infrastructure, things seemed to have cooled off a little and some countries seem to be reconsidering their dates for the phase out of the sale of ICE vehicles as the infrastructure for electrical vehicle is struggling to reach the capacity required to support the changeover. This has led to a drop in EV sales, meaning that these countries are not in the position that they expected to be at this point in time. That doesn’t mean to say that the companies in our industry are standing still. Innovation is still proceeding very quickly in the area.
Batteries are key to the successful adoption of electric vehicles. Both range and charging speed are perhaps the most important specifications for potential owners when making purchasing decisions. Innovation in batteries ensure that they are improving all the time, but until we have those improvements commercialized with the power density to accomplish longer ranges and achieve rapid charging, it is essential to use every drop of energy possible from our current battery packs. The first article in this month’s Special Report was submitted by Keysight. It looks at how accurate battery measurement is essential to realize the full potential of EV batteries, and how incorrect measurements can impact performance. It then goes on to detail more accurate ways of measuring that provide the highest precision.
The second article in the Special Report was written by both Microchip and Würth, and it looks at on-board charging. Microchip has recently launched an 11kW demonstration application for an on-board charger that integrates both Totem-Poleand Dual Active Bridge (DAB) topologies to bring unprecedented efficiencies. The article describes the design choices made during the process with additional emphasis on how the passive and magnetic components were chosen to provide the optimal efficiency, reliability and performance.
As well as the features in this month’s special Report, the magazine also contains general articles of interest to power engineers in our Tech Focus section, and the latest news and views from the industry.
Best Regards,
Ally Winning
European Editor, PSD
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