The global shift towards Electric Vehicles (EVs) is driven by their energy efficiency, lower emissions, and reduced dependence on fossil fuels. As the demand for EVs continues to rise, the need for EV ultra-fast chargers becomes paramount to enable faster charging times and facilitate long-distance travel without compromising convenience. In this context, solid-state transformers (SSTs) have emerged as a promising technology to replace traditional line-frequency transformers (LFTs) in various applications, including EV charging stations. SSTs offer improved system controllability, power factor correction capabilities, and reduced size and weight through the utilization of medium-frequency transformers (MFTs). This thesis focuses on enhancing the efficiency and power density of the MFT used in SSTs. A 1.2 MVA SST for EV ultra-fast charging stations is designed and simulated. The SST incorporates average controllers responsible for regulating the output voltage and the input power factor, as well as, voltage and power balancing controllers to ensure stable operation among its cells. Furthermore, a design methodology for optimizing the MFT used in DC-to-DC converters for SST-based ultra-fast chargers is introduced. The methodology is optimizing the efficiency and power density of the transformer based on the transformer parameters input by the designer. A software tool is developed to streamline the design process and enable the optimization of various parameters, such as core material, size, and winding configurations. The tool facilitates the development of high-performance MFTs for SST applications. The developed MFT optimization methodology is utilized to design a 100 kW, 20 kHz MFT, resulting in a remarkable 22.7% improvement in power density compared to conventional design methods. The transformer showed superior efficiency and power density compared to MFT designs in literature. Additionally, two scaled-down transformers are designed and tested at 5 kW, employing both conventional and optimization methods. The results demonstrate a significant 57.8% improvement in specific power. / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc)

The vehicle industry must reduce emissions to lessen their environmental impact. Using electric motors for propulsion and batteries for energy storage decreases the pollution and greenhouse gases emitted by heavy commercial vehicles such as trucks and buses. As they often travel long distances, a large energy storage is needed, and it needs to be possible to recharge it quickly. The fast recharging requires high power chargers with high voltage and high current, and that in turn necessitates a suitable overcurrent protection system to avoid damageif a fault would occur. Possible technologies for this overcurrent protection system are investigated in this thesis, and the different solutions are evaluated based on important metrics. A solid state breaker is found to be a promising technology that limits the current quickly and reliably. The evaluation including computer simulations shows that the technology is feasible, but some aspects of the circuit design need to be executed carefully like the inductance, the sampling frequency of the current measurement, and the design of the snubber circuit.

In the countries willing to follow an energy transition towards decarbonization, a strong emphasis is put on electrification. Carbon-free power production tends to rely more on intermittent renewable energies, bringing many uncertainties on the electricity output to the grid. The transportation sector aims to reach a high penetration of electric vehicles (EVs) on the road to overcome its fossil fuels dependency, adding an important load to charge their batteries. The V2G technology intends to alleviate these new issues by allowing the fleet of EVs to act like a storage system for the grid. This concept was proven to be mature but requires more pilot projects to build a greater consensus. The energy community BRF Stenberg, under construction in Hudiksvall, is willing to integrate V2G in its energy system. In this paper a model of the energy system for the whole community is built. Different types of V2G application are simulated and compared to a baseline. The constraints are formulated as a quasi-linear optimisation, where the cost from electricity purchase is minimized. A direct DCDC connection between PV production and EV charging is investigated, as well as the impact on the degradation of the batteries. The results show that it is necessary to integrate frequency regulation services to build a profitable project. The DC connection does not bring a significant benefit to the system. The battery degradation is proven to be a critical parameter that must be accounted for in the design of the system. / I de länder som är villiga att följa en energiomställning mot en koldioxidfri utveckling läggs stor vikt vid elektrifiering. Kolfri elproduktion tenderar att vara mer beroende av intermittenta förnybara energikällor, vilket medför många osäkerhetsfaktorer i fråga om elproduktionen till elnätet. Transportsektorn strävar efter att uppnå en hög penetration av elfordon på vägarna för att övervinna sitt beroende av fossila bränslen, vilket ger en viktig belastning för att ladda deras batterier. V2G-tekniken syftar till att lindra dessa nya problem genom att låta fordonsflottan fungera som ett lagringssystem för nätet. Konceptet har visat sig vara moget men kräver fler pilotprojekt för att skapa ett större samförstånd. Energisamfälligheten BRF Stenberg, som håller på att byggas i Hudiksvall, är villigt att integrera V2G i sitt energisystem. I den här artikeln byggs en modell av energisystemet för hela Energisamfälligheten. Olika grader av V2G-tillämpning simuleras och jämförs med en baslinje. Begränsningarna formuleras som en kvasilinjär optimering, där kostnaden för elinköp minimeras. En direkt DC-DC-anslutning mellan solcellsproduktion och fordonsladdning undersöks, liksom effekten på batteriernas nedbrytning. Resultaten visar att det är nödvändigt att integrera frekvensregleringstjänster för att bygga ett lönsamt projekt. Likströmsförbindelsen ger inte någon betydande fördel för systemet. Batteridegraderingen visar sig vara en kritisk parameter som måste beaktas vid utformningen av systemet.

With the increase of electric vehicles (EVs) on the roads the availability of charging infrastructure becomes more important. Today it is relatively straightforward to install fast chargers in areas with strong power grid connections, such as in urban areas. However, in areas with less available electrical power, the grid is considered to be a weak grid, typically in remote areas, which limits charging speeds. Local peak shaving can be implemented with battery energy storage systems (BESS) to support faster charging at these locations by increasing available power when needed. As the majority of the power is supplied by the BESS there are noticeable conversion losses when converting from the BESS DC voltage to AC in the grid and then back to DC through the fast charger. This thesis investigates DC/DC converters to charge EVs directly from a BESS DC bus by regulating the voltage to the level of the EV, while also supporting safe simultaneous charging capability. It was done through understanding relevant standards’ requirements, converter review, as well as design and simulation of the interesting topologies. The converters selected to simulate were the Buck-Boost and the Dual-Active Bridge (DAB). After analysing the efficiency result in combination with industry requirements, it was concluded that one DAB per output is the preferred option in most use cases. This would potentially also reduce the material usage and carbon footprint of this type of infrastructure compared to the current solution. Furthermore, some suggestions were made for improving the design of DAB converter before making a prototype for real testing. / Denna avhandling har undersökt hur en snabbladdares effektelektronik för en mobil batterienergilagringssystem kan designas för att ladda två elbilar samtidigt. För att göra detta har systemkrav från relevanta standarder sammanställts och olika snabbladdares kapacitet undersökts. Därefter har olika DC/DC-omvandlare identifierats i ändamål att välja ut de mest lämpade för att uppfylla funktionen. De utvalda omvandlarna designades iterativt och simulerades med i verktyget PLECS för att kunna jämföra hur vardera omvandlare presterade under olika scenarior och med olika transistorer. Resultat och slutsatser från detta arbete är att galvanisk isolering krävs mellan de två elbilarna samt att två Dual-Active Bridge (DAB) omvandlare är den mest lämpade utifrån effektivitet, kapacitet och materialanvänding. Det finns även flera områden att fortsätta arbetet på för att förbättra designen och testa med en prototyp.