Revolution of Electric Vehicle Charging Technologies Accelerated by Wide Bandgap Devices

This article presents the state-of-the-art electric vehicle (EV) charging technologies that benefit from the wide bandgap (WBG) devices, which is regarded as the most significant revolution in the power electronics industry in the past few decades. First, the recent WBG device technology evolution, performance comparison, and reliability issues are introduced. Then, topology development, efficiency and power density boost, and cost reduction brought by the WBG devices for EV charging equipment, such as onboard chargers, fast-charging stations, and wireless chargers, are discussed. A figure of merit (FOM) for evaluating the performance of wireless chargers is also proposed. Finally, the EV charging technology roadmap forecast is presented based on the WBG devices' evolutionary trends.

Automated summary

This article introduces the latest electric vehicle charging technologies utilizing wide bandgap devices, focusing on the applications of WBG devices in improving efficiency and power density, reducing costs, and introducing a performance evaluation index for wireless chargers.