When it comes to accelerating adoption of electric vehicles, OEMs know that one of their biggest obstacles is range anxiety. More than half of prospective customers cite fear of running out of power as a key factor holding them back from purchasing an electric car.
The obvious cure is a bigger, more powerful battery to extend an EV’s range. But that’s only half the battle, because 49 percent of consumers fear a lack of charging stations to help them safely charge these more powerful batteries with minimum effort and time.
The role charger inlets play in addressing this concern cannot be overstated. The charging sequence and associated hardware is only as good as its weakest link. Even if a DC fast charger is capable of delivering significant power in a short amount of time, the mating charging inlet on the vehicle must also be able to handle that level of current or the rise in temperature — otherwise, the vehicle won’t be able to charge rapidly. And ultimately, the consumer charging experience will help dictate the speed of EV adoption worldwide.
The next generation of EV charging
As batteries evolve to become more powerful, inlets must evolve as well. Regardless of what kind of EV an OEM is making or where the OEM is making it, transforming the charging experience from a source of anxiety to a reason to buy requires two significant changes. Charging times have to shrink from hours to minutes, and drivers want the flexibility to charge when and where they need it. This requires chargers that can handle multiple current levels, and those levels have to grow from 200 amps to 400 amps and beyond.
Of course, with faster charging times and increased currents comes a new challenge: heat. A lot more heat. The fastest charger inlets can push the temperature of the electrical power distribution system to destructive levels after just a few minutes of charging. Without proper thermal management and dissipation, inlets generating these kinds of temperatures are too dangerous to be a feasible solution.
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SOURCE: Aptiv
