A Truly Universal Bridgeless Single-Stage Soft-Switching AC/DC converter for EV On-Board Charging Application

With accelerated adoption of long range electric vehicles (EVs) lightweight and highly efficient on-board chargers (OBCs) are desirable. At the same time, development of OBCs capable of operation with single and three phase (truly universal) input offers the most versatile charging solution to EV owners regardless of their access to the electricity distribution network. In this work, use of two bridgeless current-fed push pull converters with active clamp is proposed as a truly universal bridgeless single-stage AC/DC converter for on-board charging application. The building blocks of the proposed topology achieve soft-switching and operate in continuous conduction mode with constant switching frequency. The diode bridge is eliminated at the AC input, which results in a simpler thermal management and significant savings in conduction losses. Principle of operation for the proposed converter and details of the proposed control scheme are illustrated in this paper. Proper operation of the converter and effectiveness of the control are verified through PSIM simulation for a truly universal 360V 5.4 kW single stage OBC.