ComEd, North Carolina State University gain $200,000 from DOE to create better, cheaper electric vehicle fast chargers

In support of a $5 million research project determined to improve the efficiency of and cut costs for extreme fast charging for electric vehicles (EVs), the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) last week awarded a $200,000 grant to partners ComEd and North Carolina State University.

Working with the university’s FREEDM Systems Center, ComEd researchers have pursued new chargers capable of getting EVs back in the field quicker than either Level 1 or Level 2 chargers. The former relies on standard 120V outlets and alternating current, making them the slowest charging option, while Level 2 chargers utilize 240V outlets. While Level 1 chargers take around 50 hours to charge a standard 70kWh EV battery to full, Level 2 chargers could do the same in about 7.5 hours.

By contrast, ComEd and NCSU seek a charger capable of doing the same in as little as 15 minutes, with power capabilities of 300 kwH.

“The growth of electric vehicles has the potential to reduce harmful emissions and improve air quality for everyone, regardless of if they drive or ride in an electric vehicle, but the time it takes to fully charge an electric vehicle can be a deterrent to consumers,” Michelle Blaise, SVP of technical services at ComEd, said. “ComEd’s engineers are industry-leading innovators, and we’re honored to contribute our expertise and resources to find new technical solutions that will convince more consumers to switch to an EV.”

Including the $200,000 provided last week, the $5 million project is being funded through collaborator cost shares with organizations that include Danfoss, GoTriangle, New York Power Authority, and North Carolina Clean Energy Technology Center. It will be broken into two phases: cost analysis/system development and system demonstration. Initial testing will take place at ComEd’s Grid Integration and Technology Lab in Maywood, Illinois, where the extreme fast charger will be independently validated. From there, ideal locations on the distribution grid will be sought to demonstrate the technology and show its potential for wider deployment.

“The goal of this new project is to bring extreme fast charging much closer to market realization and support the continued adoption of electric vehicles by reducing consumers’ charge anxiety,” Dr. Srdjan Lukic, North Carolina State professor, deputy director of FREEDM and Principal Investigator for the project, said. “We could not achieve that without collaboration from project partners like ComEd.”