Week 4 Session 5

Explain the various applications of Power converters in an Electric vehicle. For Example what type of converter will you use for Horn which requires DC and less than 10V. Likewise come up with different applications

Power converters play a critical role in an electric vehicle (EV) by managing the flow of electrical energy between various components, ensuring proper voltage levels, and optimizing efficiency. Here are various applications of power converters in an electric vehicle, along with the type of converter that might be used for each case:

DC-DC Converter

• DC-DC converter is an electronic circuit that converts DC voltage from one voltage level to another. It can be step up or step down of voltage.
• This type of converter is also known as chopper.
• The electric components inside the vehicle vary in their voltage requirements, with most running on much lower voltage. This includes radio, dashboard readouts, air conditioning, and in-built computers and displays.
• It can be unidirectional or bidirectional.
• Most of the components are bidirectional, allowing power to go from the battery to the inverter, which rotates the motor.
• When decelerating, the vehicle's momentum turns the motor, which is now acting as a generator, drives power back through the inverter and charges the battery.
• DC-DC converter converts higher voltage DC power from the traction battery pack to the lower-voltage DC power needed to run vehicle accessories and recharge the auxiliary battery.

DC-DC converter are the classified into the four types they are the

1. Buck converter
2. Boost Converter
3. Buck-Boost Converter
4. Cuk Converter

ii. DC-AC Convetrer

• DC-AC converter change a dc input voltage to a symmetric ac output voltage of desired magnitude and frequency.
• This type of converter is also known as inverter.
• The inverter can change the speed at which the motor rotates by adjusting the frequency of the alternating current.
• When the vehicle has to be accelerated, the accelerator pedal sends a signal to the controller which adjusts the vehicle's speed by changing the frequency of the AC power from the inverter to the motor.

iii. AC-DC Converter

• AC-DC converter takes a harmonic AC input and converts it to a DC output.
• These concerters are also known as rectifiers.
• Inverters are used in Ev/Hev mainly for the on-board charging purpose. Since the charging stations use AC power to charge the vehicle and the battery stores DC power, rectifiers are used to convert AC-DC.