Abstract
Electric vehicles (EVs) are envisaged to be the future transportation medium, and demonstrate energy efficiency levels much higher than conventional gasoline or diesel-based vehicles. However, the sustainability of EVs is only justified if the electricity used to charge these EVs is availed from a sustainable source of energy and not from any fossil fuel or carbon generating source. In this paper, the challenges of the EV charging stations are discussed while highlighting the growing use of distributed generators in the modern electrical grid system. The benefits of the adoption of photovoltaic (PV) sources along with battery storage devices are studied. A multiport converter is proposed for integrating the PV, charging docks, and energy storage device (ESD) with the grid system. In order to control the bidirectional flow between the generating sources and the loads, an intelligent energy management system is proposed by adapting particle swarm optimization for efficient switching between the sources. The proposed system is simulated using MATLAB/Simulink environment, and the results depicted fast switching between the sources and less switching time without obstructing the fast charging to the EVs.
Highlights
The current environmental challenges of reducing greenhouse gases and the potential shortage of fossil fuels motivate widespread research on electric vehicle (EV) systems [1]
The EV charging levels are classified according to their power charging rates [3]
From the electrical grid operation point of view, the long charging hours at night overloads the distribution transformers as they are not allowed to rest in a grid system with a high number of connected EVs [4]
Summary
The current environmental challenges of reducing greenhouse gases and the potential shortage of fossil fuels motivate widespread research on electric vehicle (EV) systems [1]. The research on EVs is highly impacted by the consumer disposition for switching to EVs as an alternative for conventional internal combustion engine vehicles This willingness is the main factor in forecasting future demand for EVs. In Reference [2], the authors depicted that the charging time is one of the main challenges that the EV industry is facing. Level-II charging requires a 240 V outlet; it is characteristically used as the prime charging means for public and private facilities. This charging level is capable of supplying power in the range of 4–6.6 kW over a period of 3–6 h to restock the depleted EV batteries. The time required is still the main drawback in this
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
