Electric vehicles chargers characterization: Load demand and harmonic distortion

This paper presents electric vehicles chargers power quality characterization. The difference between domestic charge for small urban electric vehicle and industrial charge for forklift is addressed. Full charges of lead-acid and NiMH batteries are monitored by recent power analyser, allowing the study of power demands and the voltage and current waveform distortion of the considered charger. The data of the voltage and current waveforms is then used to study and analyse the best solution to mitigate the principal power quality problems. For this, a set of methods and techniques to attenuate the harmonics amplitude by network structural alteration is presented and discussed. The load levelling control concept has been introduced as an alternative option to structural alteration. This comprehensive and effective EV charging control system will respond to the undesirable increases in peak energy demand and power quality degradation, and avoid that the electrical energy network might not be prepared to respond to these requests.