Porsche Engineering has developed a fast-charging solution designed to address some of the prohibitive costs associated with charging infrastructure. Offering fast charging for multiple vehicles simultaneously, the charging park solution developed by the OEM will provide 800V technology, capable of providing 400km of range in as little as 20 minutes.
The system is designed as a modular system comprising standardized, weather-proof housings called FlexBoxes. These provide the requisite charging components in a standard rack assembly and can be located at a distance from the charging station, with slim charging poles situated at the vehicle charging location.
A transformer converts medium voltage from the grid (up to 36kV of alternating current) to low voltage. On the secondary side of the transformer, the same lower AC supply remains available.
Centralized galvanic isolation removes the need for this isolation at each pole. A central ‘brain’ connects and monitors control units for the cooling unit, power electronics and the charging station. The control server also handles communication with the back-end of the charging station operator.
Low-voltage AC from the transformer station is converted into direct current in the Porsche PowerBox, which can be equipped with two sets of power electronics to supply two charging points.
The system utilizes silicon carbide (SiC) modules for lower conduction, switching losses and space requirements. Elements such as line filters can be built more compactly due to the higher pulse frequency. Components are designed to accommodate a distance of 200m between the transformer station and PowerBox, and up to 100m between the PowerBox and the charging station.
Another key component is the CoolingBox, which provides liquid cooling for the charging poles and power electronics. Each CoolingBox can accommodate two cooling units, each of which provides cooling for multiple charging points.
A ComboBox has also been designed, which combines the PowerBox and CoolingBox. Suitable for one charging point each, this solution is applicable for smaller locations.
The ChargeBox has been designed for situations without a powerful grid connection, and contains additional buffer storage in addition to a power unit. This buffer is charged when no vehicles are drawing power.
Porsche has also designed an ergonomic customer interface, which includes a design-led form factor – made possible by the removal of much of the required componentry from the charging pole itself.
