Ken Dulaney

North Carolina State University (NCSU), in collaboration with Danfoss, New York Power Authority (NYPA), Commonwealth Edicon (ComEd), GoTriangle, and the North Carolina Clean Tech Cluster will research, develop, and demonstrate ultra-low cost, all-SiC modular power converters for DC fast charging equipment connected directly to a Medium Voltage (MV) distribution system. The system will deliver a 1 MW front end, while enabling scalable charging and generation integration, with changing ports serving 100-500kW per stall at voltage of 200-900V. Therefore, the proposed station will be capable of supporting today's electric vehicles (EVs) as well as the next generation of vehicles operating at higher voltages and faster charging rates. The system will feature reconfigurable firmware, allowing the same design to be used as a front end for feeding a DC microgrid or for direct power delivery to the vehicle. The system medium-voltage front end will feature high bandwidth control to actively improve the local power quality, thus providing ancillary services to the grid. The project entails two phases: a cost analysis and system development phase (Phase 1) and a system demonstration phase (Phase 2). The cost analysis task will help set measurable system-level cost targets to provide the lowest cost of ownership system on the market. We will achieve this aim by quantifying the target converter costs and benefits of direct connection to MV (i.e., higher efficiency, provision of ancillary services, lower installation costs, and smaller footprint). In parallel, by implementing the design innovations outlined in this proposal, we will develop the ultra-low cost fast charging equipment, meeting the set target converter costs, and will collect reliability and performance data from the baseline system which will be in operation at a NYPA site in Marcy, New York (NY). In Phase 2, we will deploy the newly-developed system at demonstration sites run by our industry partners. Possible demonstration sites include a proving ground at ComEd in Chicago, IL; a location that is made available by NYPA such as a NY turnpike rest stop in NY, and a GoTriangle bus depot in NC.

North Carolina State University (NCSU), ABB, and New York Power Authority (NYPA) will develop and demonstrate an intelligent, medium voltage (MV) extreme fast charger with integrated generation and storage capabilities that will help avoid negative impacts of extreme fast charging on the nation������������������s electric grid. The charger will be capable of delivering a combined 1 MVA to five vehicles, while enabling a charge rate of up to 350 kW per stall. The system will consist of a solid-state transformer (SST), which connects directly to the medium voltage (MV) and delivers power to a shared, 1,000 V DC bus, to which multiple vehicles, generation (PV), and storage units can be connected through partial-power DC/DC converters. The DC bus will be protected using novel intelligent solid-state circuit breakers, developed by ABB for this effort. Each vehicle will interface to the DC bus through a correctly sized DC/DC converter, allowing charging in the 50 kW to 350 kW range at the vehicle battery voltage. Therefore, this station will be capable of supporting state-of-the-art electric vehicles as well as the next generation of vehicles operating at higher voltages and faster charging rates.