Kinell, a Fétis Group engineering brand focused on off-highway electrification, has introduced an HVDC coupling system that enables electrified vehicles to safely connect and disconnect external high-voltage systems—range extenders, swappable battery packs or electrically powered implements—without modifying the vehicle’s primary high-voltage architecture.
Most high-voltage DC architectures in electrified vehicles are designed as closed, fixed-scope systems in which all components are permanently integrated, Kinell explains. Adding an external HV source or load requires bespoke engineering on both sides of the connection. Kinell says its approach isolates all coupling functions into a dedicated subsystem—the coupling unit—so that the main vehicle HV system and the external system can both remain largely unchanged.
The coupling unit combines a specialized HV interface box with sensor and actuator capabilities, an integrated DC/DC converter for bridging two active HV systems at different voltage levels, a safety coupling controller and a physical HV connector with pull-off mechanisms and interlock pins for plug detection. Before initiating the HV connection, the system runs pre-connection checks including isolation resistance measurement and connector presence detection, then manages pre-charging and voltage level balancing. During operation it monitors power flow and temperature, and handles controlled disconnection. It also reacts to unintended plug disconnection or power overload events.
The reference deployment is a battery-electric MAN 4×4 truck used in agriculture and forestry. External swappable battery packs connect via an AEF/ISO 23316-2 high-power interface to extend the truck’s range. The system supports hot-plug operation—external batteries can be swapped while the truck’s main HV system continues running on its integrated packs, which Kinell describes as a rapid recharging capability.
“The key advantage of our HVDC coupling system is its ability to seamlessly integrate independent HV systems into a unified, safe and efficient architecture through a self-contained solution that handles all aspects of the connection process,” said Dr. Michael P. Schmitt, Managing Director of Kinell.
Source: Kinell
from Charged EVs https://ift.tt/snUWilh
No comments:
Post a Comment