Battery charging systems for electric vehicles

The past decade has seen major advances in electric vehicle (EV) technology driven primarily by new developments in fast-switching, high-power semiconductor devices, high-speed digital control, improved motor designs, advances in cooling systems and many other related technologies. Thus, EV technology has now reached the stage whereby almost all car manufacturers are presently engaged in major research and development programs to produce prototype vehicles and many manufacturers have already launched test vehicles on the market. Many technical hurdles have to be overcome by the automotive companies to bring an EV to the market. Clearly, the safe, efficient, user-friendly, robust and cost effective charging of electric vehicle battery banks represents a very significant engineering challenge and it is this area in particular which is the subject of the present paper