High Power Charging for EV’s
How to innovate mobility with technologically leading products Electromobility is old hat. Even the very first motorized vehicles had an electric motor. The challenge then as now: How can I get as much energy as possible into the mobile energy stores as quickly as possible? As early as 1881, the Frenchman M. Gustave Trouvé presented his sensational tricycle – 12 kilometers per hour fast and quite similar to a stagecoach. With a range of about 14 kilometers, the vehicle was almost suitable for everyday use, because at that time the competition on the long distance was only the horse. Werner Siemens, Andreas Flocken, Ferdinand Porsche – the list of e-pioneers is long and contains amazing names. Between 1896 and 1939 there were 565 different brands of electric cars worldwide. In New York, the share of electric vehicles was 50 percent in 1901. The rest were steam cars or naphtha, acetylene or compressed air driven vehicles. Even Henry Ford developed a Ford Model T with an electric motor, which, however, did not go into series production. What followed was almost 100 years of electric mobility at a standstill. Electromobility takes off At the beginning of the 21st century, several major automobile groups dared to enter the market with electric models – electric vehicles thus received a new development boost and public attention. A good 10 years ago, the subject of e-mobility really took off when the first vehicles with longer ranges were presented. When Phoenix Contact entered the e-mobility market, the initial focus was on individual components. The first customer-specific connectors with combined signal and power transmission for charging electric vehicles were developed in 2009. As early as 2010, AC charging sockets for Chinese charging station manufacturers were built and delivered in large quantities. In 2011, there were applications with large volumes in the commercial vehicle sector. Electric buses in China used heavy connectors to change large batteries. In the depot, the discharged batteries were automatically replaced with charged ones in order to optimise the utilisation of the buses. To this day, heavy connectors for exchangeable batteries are used in Chinese buses. In the early days, electric cars were mostly charged with alternating current. In order to achieve higher charging capacities and shorter charging times, especially in the public sector, it became necessary to standardise a solution for DC charging. Together with leading automotive manufacturers, Phoenix Contact developed and defined a worldwide charging standard for combined AC and DC charging (later Combined Charging System, CCS). CCS proved to be safe, flexible and practicable and in 2014 became the recognised standard for vehicles and public charging infrastructure in the European and American markets. (picture 3) But the demand for faster charging times also for passenger cars became increasingly louder. The first pre-developments took place at the beginning of 2015. Developer Dirk Moseke from Phoenix Contact E-Mobility has accompanied the further development of the CCS standard almost from the very beginning and here he describes in his own words how the next steps proceeded: “Of course, there were also specifications and standards in development. But there was nothing. And that was only two years ago! So we had to develop it ourselves. What do we have to do to get something completely different out of the already existing CCS standard with the defined mating face? 200 amps were no problem, but now 300 amps and more are required. Today we’re at 500 amps. There would be a yellow sign in a building in front of the access to such currents saying “Access prohibited”. And this is where we have to make the facilities freely accessible, exposed to the weather and possible abuses. The first point was the development of suitable cables. With such currents, there are only two possibilities: larger cable cross-sections or significant heating. However, the cable must not become too thick, otherwise it becomes too heavy and stiff. So we have devoted ourselves to the subject of heat generation. The first task was to determine where the heat actually originated. In fact, it’s the wire itself that gets warm. However, the heat can also come from the vehicle, i.e. from a point that we cannot influence at all. The next thought was to cool with liquids. This means to rinse the copper directly with a heat dissipating medium. We rejected an oil-based solution, because it was far too complicated to handle – and anything but innovative. Research and development working side by side Next, we tried air cooling. To do this, we blew air into tubes containing the hot cables. But the air had to go somewhere and then came out in the connector again. In addition, air does not absorb heat so quickly. Our result: Not practical. So we did some more research on alternative coolants and ended up with the easy-to-handle and environmentally friendly glycol. In addition, we have used heat-conducting paste in the cable. This even worked partially, but was not suitable for series production. In the meantime, we had also discovered that it made sense to make the surface as large as possible. More surface area means better heat dissipation. So we did experiments with a lot of single strands. It partly looked as in a knitting room here, with shrink tubing, cable ties and duct tape. Basic research as it can also be found at any university. Today we have a cable that leads two 25 mm2 copper wires twice – two for plus, two for minus. This ensures that the cable is not too heavy but nice and flexible. We have built a layer into the outer sheath that shows when the cable is worn out or damaged. In addition, the cable must not become hotter than 60 degrees so it can be enclosed – according to the standard. This is monitored by sensors and is coupled with a switch-off device. In addition, communication wires run through the cable, which the connector needs in combination with the column. The next challenge was the connector
KEBA: 10 years of electric mobility – a vision has become reality
Milestone anniversary at KEBA: 10 years of electric mobility – a vision has become reality “Back in 2009, electric mobility was still just a vision for the future for many people. Nonetheless, KEBA, an Austrian company specialised in automation, decided to invest in this emerging area – with charging stations for electric cars. 10 years on, we are one of the market-leaders worldwide,” explains Gerhard Luftensteiner, CEO of KEBA AG. KEBA as a driving force KEBA is playing a pioneering role in the whole area of intelligent charging solutions and is contributing significantly to the increasing success of electric mobility. A charging station – also known as a wall box in the trade – is required for the charging process for batteries. A standard domestic electrical socket is not designed for this kind of operation, which transfers around the same amount of power consumption as the rest of the household combined. KEBA charging stations are in service around the world and are suitable for all types of electric cars and plug-in hybrids thanks to the range of versions and equipment series available. “Research, development and production are carried out in Linz, Austria,” adds Luftensteiner. “KEBA is at the forefront of all developments – such as the first wall box worldwide in 2011, the first company in the world with ‘EV Ready’ certification in 2016, or the new wall box in 2019 that combines charging and billing in accordance with German measurement and calibration law in a single unit.” Electric cars are becoming increasingly popular With smart charging stations from KEBA, electric cars can be safely and reliably charged and also networked using the various interfaces that are available. As a result, the KEBA wall box forms an intelligent link between electric cars and the power grid and can control operation in such a way that power is fed to cars when there is excess power available and is drawn down again if there is an electricity shortage. The wall box can also be integrated into ‘Smart Homes’ and coupled with photovoltaic systems. In company car parks, individual charging points can communicate with one another through the KEBA wall box, which allows for the distribution of the available energy using so-called load management. KEBA’s sales channels consist of Charge Point Operators, who operate the charging infrastructure, and electrical wholesalers. KEBA wall boxes can also be bought from specialist retailers – either in physical stores or online. Automobile manufacturers, who are starting to offer wall boxes, are another sales channel. For many people, electric cars are already suitable for everyday use and represent a good alternative as a second car. This can also be seen in the increasing number of electric cars being registered. “For this reason, we assume that the uninterrupted growth in this business area will continue in the future,” says Luftensteiner. “Electric mobility has developed from being a vision for the future 10 years ago to become a core business with great growth potential.” About KEBA Electric Mobility KEBA is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of intelligent charging stations. The Austrian automation expert was founded in 1968 and entered the field of electric mobility 10 years ago, making it a wall box pioneer. With the KeContact P30, electric cars can be charged safely and reliably. Thanks to a variety of interfaces, networking is also possible, making the wall box a highly intelligent communication and control center. It can thus be easily integrated into smart homes and management systems and coupled with photovoltaic systems. www.keba.com/emobility About KEBA KEBA AG was founded in 1968 and is an internationally successful electronics company located in Linz, Austria, with subsidiaries across the globe. For more than 50 years, under the motto “Automation by innovation”, KEBA has been developing and manufacturing innovative automation solutions of the highest quality for industrial, banking, service and energy automation. www.keba.com
