Schneider Electric - Connection system on the recharging spot – a key element for EVs

At the heart of the energy and environmental challenges, the EV offers an effective and concrete way of reducing the ecological footprint of transport. Charging solutions must be safe, easy to use, economical and energy-efficient. Moreover, the associated equipment must meet all safety requirements for installations, and must integrate into the future smart grid. This will guarantee the essential availability of EVs, an optimised energy bill
and a minimum carbon footprint.

In all cases, the safety of the charging operation for people, for the EV and for the installation to which it is connected, is essential. It is this factor, for example, that limits the performance and use of existing electrical sockets during home charging. The different charging modes that have been defined by international standards offer solutions to solve this situation.

Charging modes:

For normal charging (3kW), car manufacturers have built a battery charger into the car. A charging cable is used to connect it to the electrical network to supply 230V AC current. For quicker charging (22kW, even 43kW and more), manufacturers have chosen two solutions:

• Use the vehicle's built-in charger, designed to charge from 3 to 43kW at 230V single-phase or 400V three-phase.
• Use an external charger, which converts AC current into DC current and charges the vehicle at 50kW.

Please click on the link near the bottom of this page to download the full white paper (PDF - 131kB file size).

To see yet more information about Schneider Electric's EV activities, please use this link to go to: 'Plugging in to smarter energy management': www.voltimum.co.uk/news/18212/consult.experts_hottopics.ElectricVehicles.Overview/the-electric-vehicle---plugging-in-to-smarter-energy-management---by-schneider-electric.html