US-based supplier of remanufactured battery packs for EVs, re/cell has introduced lithium-ion blocks using recycled cells from Tesla battery packs.
Smart battery features built on re/cell’s block architecture include an LED fuel gauge, current detection, charge warning and safety protection, built-in cell balancing with real-time pack status using CAN/SMBus communication and integrated crossflow cooling.
The company has released a reference battery architecture for heavy payload drones and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
The company currently manufactures replacement battery packs for Tesla’s full line-up of EVs.
“There a literally billions of lithium-ion cells sitting inside Telsa battery packs today that can be quickly and economically repurposed for the rapidly growing secondary battery market,” said Chad Maglaque, founder and President of re/cell. “We’ve launched our lithium-ion block architecture to meet the growing demand for lightweight electric vehicles, drones and energy storage systems. The design and process of our extensible block architecture allows us to easily manufacture high-energy-density battery blocks with capacity from 12 amp-hours to 48 amp-hours, and anything else in between.”
LION Smart, a subsidiary of battery pack manufacturer LION E-Mobility, has entered into a strategic partnership with hofer powertrain. The two companies intend to develop and commercialize immersion-cooled battery systems with high market potential.
The two companies mean to combine their strengths to bring new battery systems to market maturity. hofer powertrain contributes expertise in the development, validation and rapid implementation of battery systems tailored to specific customer requirements. LION Smart complements this with its immersion-cooled battery technology, which boasts high thermal stability, improved safety and increased power density compared to current battery designs.
LION E-Mobility has a current annual production capacity of 2 GWh, and operates highly automated module assembly lines at its own production facility in Germany.
“With hofer powertrain, we have a strong partner by our side that perfectly complements our innovative strength. Together, we are accelerating the market entry of our highly innovative high-performance batteries and delivering pioneering solutions for sustainable mobility,” says Joachim Damasky, CEO of LION E-Mobility.
“hofer powertrain stands for innovation, speed, and precision in the development and industrialization of sophisticated drivetrain systems,” adds Johann Paul Hofer, CEO of hofer powertrain. “The partnership with LION Smart builds precisely on this and opens up new possibilities to transfer cutting-edge battery solutions into industrial applications.”
School bus operator First Student has selected Ampcontrol‘s EV charging platform to monitor and optimize all of its electric school bus operations.
The partnership includes Ampcontrol’s cloud software, AmpEdge onsite controller solution, and professional services to optimize the energy usage and operation of the electric fleet. First Student expects to realize a substantial reduction in monthly energy costs and improved charger uptime, as well as the ability to participate in vehicle-to-grid (V2G) programs (for which electric school buses represent an ideal use case).
“Today, First Student has one of North America’s largest electric bus fleets, and our smart charging technology provides substantial cost savings and a reliable electric fleet,” said Joachim Lohse, CEO at Ampcontrol. “Together, we’re not just electrifying school buses—we’re redefining how we think about energy, mobility and environmental responsibility…while upholding First Student’s commitment to the highest standards of reliability and efficiency.”
“As we scale our electric fleet to 30,000 buses by 2035, partnering with Ampcontrol allows us to harness smart, real-time energy management technology to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and ensure our buses are ready when and where students need them,” said Jen Harp, Vice President, EV Programs at First Student.
Rhythmos.io, a provider of data analytics for utilities and EV fleet operators, has won a $170,000 grant from the State of Michigan Office of Future Mobility and Electrification for a pilot program focused on grid-edge optimized EV charging.
The pilot will take place in the Grand Rapids service territory of Consumers Energy, a Michigan gas and electric utility company.
The program integrates Rhythmos.io’s grid monitoring and analytics technology with EV-managed charging provider Optiwatt’s charging management platform. The aim is to demonstrate a sustainable, cost-effective model to support wider EV adoption and to help energy providers manage the effects of EV charging on distribution systems by identifying Level 2 EV charging locations and monitoring their impact, Rhythmos.io said.
The pilot will also recruit EV drivers to participate in an optimized-charging program designed to reduce energy infrastructure costs and customer charging costs.
The project will compare detected versus known EV charging locations, quantify shifted load patterns and track customer energy cost savings. The results will be published in a use case study documenting the technical and economic benefits.
Rhythmos.io estimates that with optimized charging, such as that offered by its Cadency EdgeAI platform, a public utility serving 250,000 customers could save more than $7.3 million by 2035 in avoided and deferred transformer upgrades.
Rhythmos.io CEO Ken Munson says, “We’re creating a model that enables utilities to balance electrification loads without investing millions in upgrades and expensive and complicated utility control platforms.”
Mining exploration firm South Star Battery Metals has signed a memorandum of understanding with the University of Alabama (UA) at Tuscaloosa on behalf of its Alabama Mobility and Power (AMP) Center to support a battery anode materials program in the US.
The program would encompass research and development, pilot-scale demonstration, commercial demonstration and commercial-scale manufacturing.
South Star would be the primary supplier of natural-flake graphite concentrate, from its Santa Cruz project in Brazil, which is ramping up commercial production.
“We are excited to announce this important strategic initiative with our UA/AMP partners to advance a concrete, integrated solution to developing high-quality battery anode testing, development and manufacturing expertise in the United States,” said Richard Pearce, CEO of South Star. “UA/AMP and the State of Alabama are creating a unique critical materials ecosystem to support the rapid advancement of a resilient, more diversified technology and battery supply chain.”
Ditch the plug! Make wireless EV charging a reality now!
Unique components ensure safety, efficiency and reliability.
Imagine an EV charging experience that’s as seamless and intuitive as parking your car—just “park, charge, and go.” For the end-user, the appeal is clear:
No more heavy cables
No fumbling with connectors
No exposure to potentially dirty or damaged charging equipment
EV owners envision pulling into their garage, a designated parking spot, or a public charging station and effortlessly charging their vehicle without ever leaving the driver’s seat. This convenience makes daily charging more user-friendly and enhances safety by removing physical connectors altogether.
Understanding this user-centric vision is crucial for wireless EV charging system designers. By delivering efficient, reliable, and fast wireless charging, designers can unlock a game-changing benefit that combines ease, comfort, and peace of mind for EV drivers.
While current wireless EV chargers can supply up to 20 kW to charge batteries in four to six hours, future wireless chargers will deliver 100 kW and be able to increase battery charge state by 50 percent in under 20 minutes.1
Wireless charging stations must be fast, safe, efficient, and reliable to accelerate adoption.
This article explores the technical considerations and innovative approaches required to achieve this experience, ensuring wireless charging solutions meet performance and user expectations in the ever-evolving EV landscape. It presents four components that address the essential needs to create designs that ensure charger circuit protection, safety monitoring, and fast, efficient power delivery.
Wireless charger description
A wireless charger is an AC-AC converter that converts 50/60 Hz power to power in the frequency range of 130 kHz. Resonant frequency depends on topologies and Power semi conductor technology (Si/SiC/GaN). Power delivery can be up to 20 kW. Figure 1 illustrates a wireless charger and its load, the EV. The major power and control circuit blocks in the charger and the vehicle are also defined.
Figure 1. Wireless EV charging overview
Safety and reliability considerations include overcurrent protection, overvoltage protection, overtemperature, and ground current monitoring. Optimizing efficiency requires designing with low power loss components. Figure 2 illustrates components that provide circuit protection and high efficiency for the circuits of a typical wireless charger design. The sensors supply temperature monitoring and enclosure access protection.
Figure 2.Wireless EV charging system recommended protection, control, and sensing components
Figures 3 and 4 show an example wireless charger in a more detailed block diagram. The adjacent table in Figure 3 lists the components that equip the charger with protection from electrical hazards. Figure 4 primarily shows the components that produce efficiency and critical sensing.
Figure 3. Wireless EV charging block diagram with recommended components (blocks 1-3)Figure 4.Wireless EV charging block diagram with recommended components (blocks 4-11)
Circuit protection and safety components
The Input Protection circuit houses the main overcurrent and overtemperature protection components. Recommended components include a high current fuse for the power delivery circuitry and a fast-acting fuse to protect the low power Auxiliary Power Supply and the control circuitry. A metal oxide varistor (MOV) in series with a gas discharge tube absorbs overvoltage transients. Overvoltage transients result from lightning which can induce a voltage surge on the AC input lines. In addition, electric loads switching on and off can induce AC line voltage surges.
A special component that can capture portions of a voltage transient that has passed through the MOV and gas discharge tube is a transient voltage suppressor (TVS) diode. TVS diodes have lower clamping voltages, and they operate much faster than MOV devices. The special diodes can ensure protection of downstream circuitry. They can absorb a one kA pulse and respond to a transient in under one nanosecond. TVS diodes can provide protection from electrostatic discharge (ESD) through-the-air strikes of up to 15 kV and from direct contact discharges up to 8 kV. Bi-directional models and models that are less than one tenth the size of traditional discrete solutions are available. TVS diodes can have axial lead or surface mount form factors. Figure 5 shows a TVS diode and its functional diagram, using the AK1-Y Series TVS Diode from Littelfuse as an example. This component will dispense the necessary protection from both ESD and other transients to avoid damage to semiconductor circuitry in the wireless charger.
Figure 5.AK1-Y Series TVS Diode and functional diagram
With systems such as wireless EV chargers, monitoring ground currents is essential for the protection of personnel. The Earth-Fault Protection circuit performs the ground current monitoring function. Littelfuse offers new residual current monitors for this circuit that detect both AC and DC ground fault currents. The new series, the RCMP20 Residual Current Monitor Series for Mode 2 and Mode 3 wireless charging stations, offers the largest current transformer aperture to support higher AC charging currents. The residual current monitors have sensitive, typical trip thresholds of 4.5 mA DC and 22 mA AC. Furthermore, the monitors utilize integrated conductors with higher cross-sectional areas to provide better thermal management and reduce the rise in the printed circuit board (PCB) temperature. The result is a more compact and reliable design that does not compromise performance. In addition, the monitors have high immunity to electromagnetic interference (EMI), which improves charger circuit reliability and minimizes false circuit trips. The monitors can be mounted either horizontally or vertically to allow designers flexibility to optimize space utilization. Figure 6 displays the models in the Residual Current Monitor series. (View the video.)
Figure 6.RCMP20 Residual Current Monitor Series
Components for maximizing efficiency and reliability
Systems, such as wireless charging systems, consume a substantial amount of power. Optimizing a design for efficiency reduces power consumption and utility costs and reduces heat buildup. Reduced generated heat lowers the internal temperature rise in the system and enhances system reliability. The use of two components in the power delivery circuitry can contribute to higher efficiency and greater reliability. The two components are gate drivers and SiC MOSFETs.
Gate drivers control the Power SiC MOSFETs and the IGBTs in the Bridgeless, Vienna, or Boost Rectifier and the Full Bridge, Resonant High-Frequency Converter circuits. The drivers have separate 9 A source and sink outputs, which enable programmable turn-on and turn-off timing while minimizing switching losses. An internal negative charge regulator provides a selectable negative gate drive bias for improved dV/dt immunity and faster turn-off. The gate drivers minimize switching times with turn-on and turn-off propagation delay times of typically 70 and 65 nanoseconds. The typical value for rise time and fall time outputs is ten nanoseconds.
To ensure robust operation, the gate drivers have desaturation detection circuitry which senses a SiC MOSFET overcurrent condition and initiates a soft turn off. This circuit prevents a potentially damaging dV/dt event. Additional protection features include UVLO detection and thermal shutdown. Figure 7 illustrates theLittelfuse IX4352NE SiC MOSFET and IGBT Driver IC, a high-speed gate driver with features that provide reliable control of a SiC MOSFET.
Figure 7.Ultra-fast low-side SiC MOSFET and IGBT gate driver IX4352NE and schematic diagram
High-power SiC MOSFETs drive the power transmission coils. Half-bridge packages have a Drain-Source voltage of 1200 V and a drain current of up to 19.5 A. Along with delivering high power, the MOSFETs minimize on-state power consumption with a typical RDS(ON) of a low 160 mΩ. SiC MOSFETs have low switching power losses due to a typical low gate charge, short turn-on, and turn-off delay times, and current rise and fall times.
A DCB-based isolated package improves thermal resistance and power handling capability. An advanced topside cooled package simplifies thermal management. The Littelfuse half-bridge SiC MOSFET MCL10P1200LB Series, shown in Figure 8, yields high efficiency with advanced packaging to reduce component count and to optimize for high reliability.
Figure 8.Power SiC MOSFET MCL10P1200LB Series in a half-bridge configuration
Collaborate with experts for a reliable wireless charging solution
Protection against electrical hazards such as overcurrent, overvoltage, ESD, and overtemperature is critical for ensuring reliable operation. The four recommended components described in the preceding paragraphs enable designers to develop robust, safe, and reliable wireless EV charging stations.
To develop a robust and efficient product, designers should consider utilizing the component manufacturers’ application engineers to save design time and compliance costs. The application engineers can help with the following:
Selection of cost-effective protection, sensing, and high-efficiency components
Knowledge of the applicable safety standards
Littelfuse can perform pre-compliance testing to avoid compliance test failures and save on project delays and added costs for multiple compliance test cycles.
Collaborating with the component manufacturer’s application engineers and using the recommended components will help to produce robust, reliable, and efficient wireless EV charging solutions.
To learn more about circuit protection, sensing, and power management solutions for wireless EV charging design, download the guide, Supercharged Solutions for EV Charging Stations, courtesy of Littelfuse, Inc.
Contact Littelfuse for more information on making your wireless charging system design safe, efficient and reliable.
Göpel Electronic has introduced an Ethernet controller to assist developers and suppliers of control units, vehicle manufacturers and certification bodies in testing safety-critical automotive applications.
The G PXIe 6242 is designed to meet various application requirements, including electronic control units (ECUs), sensors, cameras and other devices integrated into vehicle electrical systems.
The PXI Express card has four independent 10/100/1,000 Mbit/s Ethernet interfaces that can be individually adapted to user requirements by means of modular extension boards. As a flexible test interface, the controller includes a range of on-board functionalities and tools (DoIP, DoSoAd, TLS, PTP, XCP, iPerf, Ping) and can easily integrate into existing test environments via C-API (G API) or LabVIEW. The FPGA-based switching matrix offers various options for flexible data paths—such as tapping, bypassing and routing.
Using the packet generator, the Automotive Ethernet Controller achieves up to 100% guaranteed bus load with valid and invalid static data. In addition, the adapter’s interfaces support 10BASE-T1S technology (IEEE 802.3cg standard) and have integrated PLCA.
“Using the controller with the Net2Run software tool chain makes additional high-performance simulation options for ECU communication available. Net2Run, which is based entirely on the AUTOSAR standard, offers the option to import all common ECU description files such as ARXML, DBC, LDF and FIBEX and provides the user with optimal support when configuring the corresponding restbus simulation, based on an intuitive GUI,” the company said.
