Software-Defined Power Electronics-Slides

Abstract: Transportation electrification is a key technology to addressing climate change. Electrified drivetrains use high-voltage batteries (or fuel cells) as an energy source and require a number of power converters including a motor inverter, a battery charger, and a DC/DC converter to supply the auxiliary 12V battery. This talk focuses on a novel family of software-defined power converter concept based on Lego-like power electronic modules called auto converter modules (ACM). The ACM abstract key power electronic complexity, including the switching, electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), and component protection, and leverage variable-frequency critical soft-switching (VF-CSS) to achieve a high efficiency and power density. ACM can be aggregated by software to form power converters for motor drives or battery chargers and are reconfigurable. This concept is leveraged to integrate the motor drive and a bidirectional battery charger that exceeds the 2025 DOE power density and cost targets. Drivetrains with readily available bidirectional EV charging can enable wider adoption of vehicle-to-grid services. These grid-interactive EV simplify the wider adoption of EV and facilitate the grid�s transition toward renewable energy by providing battery storage.