Issue link: https://resources.mouser.com/i/1510154
34 EV and Connected Transportation • A way to store the electric power. The storage could be in a large array of batteries, in the case of full electric, or it could be a smaller battery approach. • An intelligent application and control of electric power. The electric power can drive e-motors for propulsion, perform work via a loader bucket, or provide climate control for the cabin. Connectivity Solutions for Managing High Power In the case of plug-in electric, the industry is currently developing high-power charging (HPC) stations, targeting 500 kilowatts of power with development goals for commercial transportation applications up to 1MW. These demands are driving the industry to focus on a broad range of solutions to address unprecedented challenges in the transportation industry. Charging inlets that can handle 10 to 50 times the power of the current generation of electric cars are needed. Connections, cables, switches, and contactors are all part of power distribution and are more complex than low-voltage connections. We must be able to intelligently manage this power transfer, dealing with heat, arcing, and safety issues. New thermal modeling and simulation techniques need to be developed, allowing for optimized design of components and subsystems that can be stressed by the high charging voltage and current needs. With tremendous power comes tremendous heat. Passive, convection cooling may not be enough to mitigate the heat, driving the need for active cooling approaches at the connections and in the cables. This enables reduced cable sizes, resulting in less weight, space, and cost. New sensing techniques are needed to provide real-time data to manage the safe and smart charging aspects. Advanced materials, for both insulated housings and conductive terminals, need to be developed. One of the industry's most pressing challenges is how best to properly address customer electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) requirements. These include immunity to radio frequency (RFI) and electromagnetic interference (EMI) and minimizing radiated emissions. This is especially important for AC high-power systems due to their sinusoidal power characteristics. But it is also true for DC systems where an electric cable's shielding may see induced currents up to 35% of the main power line's current level. For an electrified propulsion system, for example, this can rise to several hundred amperes depending on the system's power demand. Vehicle and system manufacturers will need cost-effective, package-efficient innovative termination technologies to ensure low resistance with minimized corrosion between the shield mesh and the power line. Figure 9: Varying industrial and commercial transport use cases present diverse challenges. (Source: TE Connectivity)