To meet growing market demands, BRUSA Elektronik AG has started developing the next-generation of its Inductive Charging System (ICS). With the increasing capacity of electric-vehicle batteries and given the power-grid characteristics in North America and Asia, at 7.2 kW the ICS 2 will boast twice the charging power - yet will have the same compact footprint. This increase in power density has been achieved thanks to a special technology patented by BRUSA. An initial prototype of the second-generation ICS is to be presented publicly as early as Autumn 2014, with a launch date scheduled for 2017.
BRUSA already offers a 7kW charger, the DMOC5 dual-mode onboard charger. The DMOC5 combines 3.7kW of inductive charging and 3.7kW of conductive charging for a total power of 7kW. Since both systems can be used at the same time, charging power up to 7.4 kW is available and an overall efficiency of over 93% is claimed for the combined charging system. The DMOC5 is a water-cooled system that weighs 7kg and measures 88 x 250 x 267 mm.
Development of first-generation designs such as the DMOC5 technology also continues unabated. As the power electronics are fully integrated, the next-generation BRUSA ICS only comprises two components. The two primary and secondary coil housings already contain all the ac-dc converters as well as the communications and safety equipment for vehicle positioning and foreign-object detection. This means no external wall box or HF cabling is required - a first for inductive charging systems. With the ICS BRUSA has achieved a power-transfer efficiency of over 90 percent.
Indeed, the eCarTec Awards jury was so impressed it named it winner in its category. Currently, BRUSA is working hard on making the ICS ready for mass production, with testing also taking place under everyday conditions as part of a small fleet trial.
