Will the Arlesian Vehicle to Grid (V2G) (finally) become a reality? This technology allows an electric vehicle connected to the network to store energy in its battery during phases of overproduction, then to restore it during peak consumption.
© Aurélien Piot / Digital
Renault, which is carrying out numerous experiments, particularly on the island of Porto Santo, Belle-Île-en-Mer and Reunion, has signed a partnership with the Commissariat for Atomic Energy and Alternative Energies (CEA). The avowed objective is the development of a very high efficiency bidirectional on-board charger for electric vehicles.
The two parties made a “new power converter electronic architecture directly integrated into the vehicle charger”, which required three years of research and was the subject of 11 common patents. The main novelty lies in the use of “wide-gap semiconductor materials, whether gallium nitride (GaN) or silicon carbide (SiC)”. In terms of performance, this should achieve a charging power of 22 kW in three-phase mode.
This compact charger made of ferrite materials and molded by injection (Power Injection Molding) should reduce energy losses during charging by 30% and recharge the battery more quickly. Obviously, it will be able to store energy coming from the electrical network or to reinject it into the said network, or even to supply a house, on the condition that the latter is equipped with a two-way meter.
This new charger will be installed in Renault electric vehicles by the end of the decade.