A Comprehensive Review on Advancements in Battery Charger Technologies for Electric Vehicles

The rapid adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) necessitates significant advancements in battery charger technologies to enhance efficiency, reliability, and integration with existing infrastructure. This paper offers a comprehensive review of current and future battery charger technologies for EVs, focusing on AC/DC and DC/DC converter topologies, bidirectional charging systems, and inductive charging solutions. AC/DC converters, such as bridgeless power factor correction circuits, and DC/DC converters, including boost and multilevel converters, are evaluated for their efficiency, control complexity, and thermal management. Recent innovations like the Multi-device Interleaved DC-DC Bidirectional Converter (MDIBC) and integrated onboard chargers (iOBCs) are highlighted for improving power density and compactness. Bidirectional charging, including Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) and Grid-to-Vehicle (G2V) applications, provides flexible energy storage and grid stability. Challenges in managing bidirectional power flow, battery longevity, and grid integration are addressed with advanced control strategies and innovative converter designs. Inductive charging, or wireless power transfer (WPT), eliminates physical connectors and supports dynamic charging scenarios. The review covers enhancements in power transfer efficiency, alignment mechanisms, and control strategies, such as three-coil inductive power transfer systems and multistage constant current charging profiles. This review emphasizes the importance of advanced battery charger technologies for the sustainable growth of the EV industry, highlighting ongoing research and development to improve efficiency and integration in electric transportation infrastructure.