Power Supply and Line Drivers

The Control Unit in an EV Charging Station:

• manages the human interface to the customer or operator,
• the communication with the vehicle,
• payment methods (if applicable) and
• enables/disables the main power supply/inverter to charge the battery. 

Proper implementation of the control electronics will make all the difference, regardless of whether the maximum cable length from the charging station to the vehicle can only be 1.5m or 5m. It will also make a tremendous difference, if only one, two or several vehicles can be charged simultaneously.

Crosstalk from the power wires into the communication wires can largely be reduced by shielding and filtering, yet noise generated inside the control circuits cannot. Therefore, it’s important to minimise the latter, especially in the building blocks providing power to the control circuits.

CODICO has gathered a wealth of expertise in EV charging stations and control pilot wire communication in particular. The present whitepaper presents some of that expertise that can be used to make the design of EV charging stations easier for CODICO’s customers. It provides tested design examples for the power supply and the line drivers of the control circuit of an EV charging station, which produce little noise and radiation.