Reactive power operation analysis of a single-phase EV/PHEV bidirectional battery charger

More battery powered electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) will be introduced to the market in 2011 and beyond. PHEVs/EVs potentially have the capability to fulfill the energy storage needs of the electric grid by supplying ancillary services such as reactive power compensation, voltage regulation, and peak shaving since they carry an on-board battery charger. However, to allow bidirectional power transfer, the PHEV battery charger should be designed to manage such reactive power capability. This study shows how bidirectional four quadrant operation affects the design stage of a conventional unidirectional charger and the operation of the battery pack. Mainly, the subjects that are discussed are the following: required topology updates, dc link capacitor (voltage and current), ac inductor (current), rectifier (power loss), and battery pack (voltage and current).