Intelligent PWM-Controlled Interleaved DC-DC Converter for Fast DC Charging in Electric Vehicles

Increase adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) makes demand faster and more efficiently charge their solutions. Fast charging becomes a challenge since it requires highly efficient advanced power conversion system to charge at high power levels. Hence, losses must be kept to a minimum. In this paper, an Intelligent Pulse Width Modulation (IPWM) control strategy is presented for the case of an integrated interleaved DC- DC converter designed for use in EVs for fast DC charging. Adaptive Duty Cycle Control is used to decrease PWM duty cycle in real time, so as the input voltage, load current and temperature affect the duty cycle to achieve the best performance of the system to have a constant output. The paper also integrates Phase Shifted PWM (PSPWM) which involves adding a phase shift in the interleaved converter phases to reduce switching losses, current ripple and electromagnetic interference (EMI). The converter allows the user to divide the load across multiple interleaved phases, which increases the overall efficiency, thermal management and power density of the converter. By combining the IPWM and PSPWM techniques, the converter has a better ability of dealing with the fast load change that usually appears during the DC fast charging, which could contribute to the stable voltage regulation and high-power delivery. The results of the experimental work and the simulations confirm the operation of the proposed system with significatively better performance than conventional DC-DC converters, with increased efficiency, lower losses and better thermal behaviour. The contribution of this work helps to create more efficient and reliable EV charging infrastructure to aid the transition of a cleaner and faster EV mobility ecosystem.