Ingeteam and Infineon Partner to Deliver 400kW DC Charger For EVs
Ingeteam, an international technology group that specializes in electric power conversion, has joined forces with German semiconductor Infineon to design a 400 kW DC charging station that is being deemed the most powerful electric vehicle (EV) charger in Europe.
Ingeteam’s INGEREV RAPID ST400 implements CoolSiC MOSFETs in EasyDual 2B housing will provide two charging points of evenly distributed power. Image used courtesy of Ingeteam.
One of the main reasons consumers avoid EVs is the charging time. For long road trips, waiting for over 30 minutes to recharge can make anyone reconsider the change from conventional vehicles to EVs. Now, what if time to charge your EV was a minimum of 10 minutes? In that time an EV would have an 80% battery charge restored. It sounds too good to be true, well Ingeteam and Infineon, visionaries in electric power conversion have teamed up to design a 400 kW DC charger. This charger will bring time spent at a public charging station to a minimum of 10 minutes. Current charging stations designed by Ingeteam are rated at 50 kW and could take 6 to 8 hours to recharge EV batteries.
A 400kW DC Charger Built With CoolSiC Technology
Ingeteam has been able to develop power and control electronics for different sectors including wind, solar, EV charging, power grid automation, and the distribution of efficient energy. Ingeteam has developed private, public, and heavy-machinery charging stations that have provided rapid charging up to 50 kW of power.
Earlier this month, Ingeteam and Infineon announced the new INGREV Rapid ST400 will be rated at 400 kW, the second generation of its robust mobility system. This design has been proven to operate in a successful trial in October 2019. At a Spanish petrol station, the DC charger was able to provide an existing lighthouse with electromobility of four fast-charging points that guaranteed optimal distribution of power simultaneously.
Easy 2B power module provides an automotive-qualified platform for flexible topologies for applications with a power range of up to 10 kW. Image used courtesy of Infineon.
This latest edition of electric mobility chargers is en route to being the fastest charging station in the market. So what makes this electromobility charging station different from previous Ingeteam models? Infineon; that was the missing ingredient that allowed Ingeteam to go from a 50 kW to a 400 kW DC charger. For each charging point, the converter implements eight of Infineon’s CoolSiC MOSFET modules. The integration of Infineon’s silicon carbide MOSFETs allows for highly efficient switching with minimal cooling effort. The 12mm high enclosure provides Ingeteam more space for other electrical components.
Dr. Peter Wawer, president of Infineon’s Industrial Power Control division discussed the impact they had on joining Ingeteam, “SiC enables high switching speeds with lower switching losses. This results in shorter charging times and charging stations that are about one-third smaller since considerably fewer components are required for cooling. As various consumer studies show, the acceptance of electromobility very much depends on the availability of efficient fast-charging infrastructure.”
Charging Ahead
A key element to this DC charger is Infineon’s SiC electronics, which allowed Ingeteam to have minimal switching losses, increased power density, and optimizable customer’s development cycle time. Even though commercially owned EVs are not equipped to handle 400 kW power levels, current heavy-duty vehicles are fully capable to utilize this new electromobility charger. With Infineon’s help, Ingeteam was able to make a big leap forward with the creation of a new range of fast-charging stations that will be ready for the next wave of commercial EVs.
