CSIRO develops home electric vehicle charger

CSIRO, the Victorian government and industry partners have developed technology to allow home rooftop PV and battery systems to charge electric vehicles.

The organisation teamed up with Nissan and Delta Electronics to overcome problems faced by home PV and battery systems, which can overheat and lose efficiency when charging an EV on hot days.

Three solar charging modules each capable of charging four vehicles have been installed at Nissan headquarters in Dandenong, where they will be tested and evaluated over 200 days.

Lead researcher from CSIRO’s Centre for Hybrid Energy Systems Dr Christopher Munnings said up to 90 per cent of EV charging was likely to take place in the home.

“A normal household battery system is typically not powerful enough to charge a car on a hot day as it can overheat and slow down.

“We have devised a way to manage the temperature of the battery, minimising the amount of power required from the grid.”

The technology also supports charging of multiple vehicles in areas with limited access to grid power – such as home garages and public carparks – where the charge rate would otherwise be limited.

CSIRO researchers developed and tested the system, incorporating a range of heat management strategies to ensure batteries are charged and discharged efficiently.

Munnings said: “In a multi-EV home, this system will automatically monitor each car, spreading the load between the battery, solar PV and the rest of the home.

“This means the cars charge as quickly as possible, using as much sun as possible, without the need to upgrade grid connection. This technology could accelerate the widespread rollout of EVs across the country.”

Picture: CSIRO

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