Performance of a novel DC-DC low voltage stress boost converter for fuel-cell vehicle

Abstract

Air pollution, global warming, depletion of fossil fuels and the lack of access to them due to potential political conflicts are some of the challenges that have forced governments to take necessary measures to promote and invest in the development of electric vehicles (EVs). One of the most important parts of EVs is dc-dc converter. A novel step-up single-switch unidirectional topology for a dc-dc converter is proposed in this paper. Some of the advantages of the proposed topology are the use of single-switch, ground switching, low input current ripple, wide range of voltage gain (VG), high level of VG, low stress level for semiconductor components, low input current ripple, small number of semiconductor and passive elements, high efficiency, and no need for high frequency transformer or coupled inductors. Topology analysis is done in continuous current mode (CCM) and calculations related to efficiency and appropriate design are performed to select the converter parameter values. Also, the proposed topology is compared with other similar topologies to show its high performance and superiority. To confirm the theoretical basis, laboratory prototype waveforms are evaluated and an efficiency of 93.2% is obtained.