A 22 kW On-Board Electric Car Charging System

Watching electric cars, EV and plug-in hybrid, PHEV cars slowly come onto the market is exciting. A new technology is quickly replaced with a better, faster one, with more range soon after. So if your 3.3 kW charger has left you feeling ho hum, the new 6.6 kW that comes with newer EVs should spice up things a bit. How about a 22 kW?

The aspect of cutting down your charging time is almost half is alluring. 3.3 kW onboard chargers were the de facto chargers used for the first wave of mass produced electric cars and the second generation will use something better and faster. The newer electric cars hitting the road today have 6.6. kW chargers on board, making the 3.3 ones quaint and outdated.

Faster Chargers, What Does It Mean? The difference between a 3.3. kW and a 6.6 is like using an old fashion skinny gasoline pump instead of a modern fatter hose. Electricity functions much the same way as liquids. The less resistance a conductor has, the fast electrons can flow through it. But when it comes to battery technology, the problem is sustaining longevity by charging at a slow rate and tipping off the pack. Fast charging might be fun, but it takes its toll on battery packs.

BRUSA Introduces a 22 kW Onboard Charger. BRUSA Elektronik AG is the first company to introduce an onboard charging system that operates on three-phase current allowing up to 22 kilowatts of electricity coming in. The company claims its NLG6 allows electric vehicles with about 80 miles of range to recharge in approximately one hour. This is especially interesting since it doesn’t come with a specialized expensive DC charging infrastructure found in fast charging stations.

By moving almost all of the expensive charging components within the electric car, Brusa allows the use of 22-kW on-board charging stations for homes equipped with 400 volts intake and 32 amps. OK, but there is one problem. Here in the US we only use 110V and sometimes bring in 220V for certain appliances. If we could bring in a 400V line into our homes, this would mean quick charging at home.

At some point in the distant past, our country had looked into adopting the more efficient 220V systems for households, but unfortunately the project got bogged down in political manipulations. Today, we are paying a hefty price for it.

While a 22 kW charger with the right infrastructure would finally cut the umbilical petroleum cord for many, a more practical 7 kW would make quick overnight charging a reality and a roadside 50kW to 100kW make long distance a very real possibility.