Power Modulation and Phase Switching Testing of Smart Charger and Electric Vehicle Pairs

Abstract

De-coupling transport sector from the use of petroleum is giving way to the rise of electric mobility. As compromising the user’s comfort is not an option managing the power system becomes a tall challenge, especially during peak hours. Thus, having a smart connection to the power system, such as an electric vehicle (EV) smart charger, is considered part of the solution. This paper focuses on assessing the capabilities of smart chargers in the context of helping the electrical network without compromising the user’s comfort. By using a Tesla Model S P85, Renault Zoe, and Nissan LEAF, the paper first evaluates differently controlled (centralized and distributed) smart chargers against the IEC 61851 standard. Second, it tests smart features such as peak-shaving, valley-filling, and phase balancing. Being representatives of the state-of-the-art, both chargers exceed standard requirements and offer new grid service possibilities. However, the bottleneck for providing faster grid services remains the EV on-board charger. The results from this article can help to better simulate the dynamic charging behaviors of EVs.