Desenvolvimento de um sistema de alimentação para veículos elétricos: uma prova de conceito

Abstract

The use of electric cars is already a viable urban transportation option in some countries. This is not quite the reality in Brazil yet, but there is an expectation about a huge increase of this kind of locomotion in the next years. Because of that, there is a perception of an opportunity window for the development of technology in this area. Given these reasons, this work presents the development of an electric vehicle supply equipment proof of concept, capable of intermediating the recharge of the vehicle on the electric grid, as defined in the IEC 61851 standard. This charging station implements a communication via a pilot signal, which is mandatory for knowing the current state of the vehicle and informing it about the maximum electric current it can drain, and also implements a remote communication system through the MQTT protocol over a Wi-Fi internet connection. In this way, the user can monitor the recharge, set the maximum current value, and keep track of the vehicle's power consumption in real time. Both the necessary hardware and software were developed, the latter being constructed over a real time operating system running in a Texas Instruments' s embedded platform, the CC3220S. The proof of concept was tested on the workbench and also with two different electric vehicles, working as expected in all cases. Finally, the final cost of development was lower than similar solutions available at the market, giving a positive viability indication for the creation of a comercial product based on this prototype.