Hyundai Mobis develops on-board bi-directional charger for V2G applications
16 August 2017
Hyundai Mobis has developed an on-board, bi-directional charger for plug-in vehicles. The bi-directional onboard charger (OBC) allows the vehicle to supply electricity in its battery to the grid.
The power supplied by the vehicle can also be used as emergency power in homes. If more than enough power is supplied, it is possible to prevent a large power outage. In Korea, the amount of industrial damage caused by power outages is estimated to be 650 billion won (US$570 million) per year.
The bi-directional OBC uses an AC↔DC converter and step-up / step-down converter to convert direct current and alternating current in both directions and to synchronize voltage and power frequency with the power grid.
The actual vehicle verification begins with a dedicated charging station diagnosing the power state of the vehicle, such as battery efficiency and capacity. The optimal V2G schedule is then created according to the hypothetical scenarios in which the power supply, cost, and load are analyzed. The vehicle receives the data signal and repeats charging and discharging according to a predetermined schedule.
The Hyundai Mobis bi-directional OBC is same size as the conventional charger of the Ioniq (which Hyundai Mobis supplies to Hyundai), but with increased the energy efficiency. Both the charge and discharge outputs have achieved 6.6kW—the same level of technology as Japan.
The industry estimates that if 100,000 V2G-powered vehicles are deployed, they will be able to secure 500MW of electricity—equivalent to the power generation capacity of a thermal power plant. Currently, V2G is in pilot projects in Japan, Denmark, US, and China.
Hyundai Mobis participated in the V2G demonstration project initiated by KEPCO in 2015, and was responsible for the development of two-way OBC. Hyundai Mobis is the first company to develop two-way OBC in a plug-in car in Korea and to verify its safety performance and commercialize it through demonstration projects.
V2G is expected to be commercialized in Korea by 2020. We will cut the size of the two-way OBC by half and lower the energy loss rate even further.
—Ahn Byung-ki, executive director of Hyundai Mobis Eco-Design Department
Hyundai Mobis has been supplying on board chargers for the Ioniq and Niro since 2016.
Combine this with household or workplace solar and live fossil free while improving productivity and energy security.
Whats not to like?
Some may see the need for higher capacity charging but as this is a ready to roll technical solution with desirable outcomes should prove popular.
Posted by: Arnold | 16 August 2017 at 02:52 PM
This will lead to premature wear on car batteries and added cost for the grid. Also some green aficionados will want to discharge these batteries when the windmills see no wind and solar panels when there is no sun. It's easy to see but engineer-poet and harvyd probably endorce these new costs to taxpayers and consumers.
Posted by: gorr | 20 August 2017 at 12:02 PM