EECS Seminar: High-efficiency Wireless Charging of Electric Vehicles

Abstract: Wireless power-transfer (WPT) technology offers significant improvement in convenience and electric safety for electric vehicle (EV) charging. Both capacitive and inductive wireless power transfer technology have been investigated for various applications. Experiments show that tens of kilowatts of power transfer can be achieved over 200 millimeter distance with an efficiency of 97 percent (DC-DC), and an alignment tolerance of up to 300 millimeter. In this presentation, we will first look at the basic principle of WPT and its applications. Then we will show that safety is still one of the major concerns of WPT systems for both inductive and capacitive power transfer. Then, we will discuss two unique topologies, the double-sided LCC topology, which is one of the recommended topologies by the SAE J2954 standard for EV passenger car applications, and the LCLC topology for capacitive wireless power transfer. Finally, we will show some case studies that can be potentially commercialized with economic and safety viability. The application of WPT in various automotive vehicles will be discussed, including automatic guided vehicles, low-speed maglev trains, transit buses, elevators, delivery trucks and fast charging of passenger cars.

Bio: Chris Mi is professor and chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and director of the U.S. DOE-funded GATE Center for Electric Drive Transportation at San Diego State University. He was previously a professor at the University of Michigan from 2001 to 2015. He received bachelor's and master's degrees from Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an, China, and a doctorate from the University of Toronto, Canada, all in electrical engineering. Previously he was an electrical engineer with General Electric Canada, Inc. He was the president and the chief technical officer of 1Power Solutions, Inc. from 2008 to 2011, and he is the co-founder of SNC Technology. Mi's research interests are in electric and hybrid vehicles. He has taught tutorials and seminars on the subject of HEVs/PHEVs for the Society of Automotive Engineers, IEEE, workshops sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the National Society of Professional Engineers. He has delivered courses to major automotive OEMs and suppliers, including GM, Ford, Chrysler, Honda, Hyundai, Tyco Electronics, A&D Technology, Johnson Controls, Quantum Technology, Delphi and the European Ph.D.School. He has offered tutorials in many countries, including the U.S., China, Korea, Singapore, Italy, France and Mexico. A fellow of IEEE and SAE, Mi has published more than 250 articles and delivered 100 invited talks and keynote speeches and served as a panelist at major IEEE and SAE conferences.