Isolated Chargers for EVs Incorporating Six-Phase Machines

This paper considers two isolated solutions for fast charging of electric vehicles (EVs). The isolation is located on the grid side (off board), whereas the rest of the charging apparatus is placed on board the EV, and it entirely consists of the existing power electronics components that would be otherwise used only for propulsion. Thus, substantial savings on space, weight, and cost are achieved. The considered configurations fully incorporate either a symmetrical or an asymmetrical six-phase machine, as well as a six-phase inverter, into the charging process. Due to the nature of the connections, torque production is avoided during the charging/vehicle-to-grid (V2G) modes of operation. Thus, the machines do not have to be mechanically locked, and their rotors naturally stay at standstill. Control schemes for both configurations are elaborated, and theoretical results are validated by experiments for the two configurations in both charging and V2G modes.