Comprehensive analysis of high quality power converters for level 3 off-board chargers

Level 1 and level 2 EV/PHEV charging methods tend to require excess time to reach a full charge, preventing a seemless transition from conventional gasoline vehicles to battery-powered vehicles. The level 3 off-board charging infrastructure will alleviate the down-time required for vehicle charging, and provide an option for quick refueling. It is necessary to choose suitable power electronic interfaces for these chargers to prevent any potential damage to the grid, and optimize system efficiency. This paper introduces level 3 charging along with compatible battery chemistries, and analyzes some high power quality converters based on two different power conversion architectures. In particular, the paper focuses on several isolated and non-isolated DC-DC power converter topologies, and provides a detailed comparison in terms of component size and efficiency.