Inductive Power Transfer for Electric Vehicle Charging Applications: a Comprehensive Review

Abstract

Nowadays, Wireless Power Transfer (WPT) technology is receiving more attention in the automotive sector, introducing a safe, flexible and promising alternative to the standard battery chargers. Considering these advantages, charging electric vehicle (EV) batteries using the WPT method can be an important alternative to plug-in charging systems. This paper focuses on the Inductive Power Transfer (IPT) method, which is based on the magnetic coupling of coils exchanging power from a stationary primary unit to a secondary system onboard the EV. A comprehensive review has been performed on the history of the evolution, working principles and phenomena, design considerations, control methods and health issues of IPT systems, especially those based on EV charging. In particular, the coil design, operating frequency selection, efficiency values and the preferred compensation topologies in the literature have been discussed. The published guidelines and reports that have studied the effects of WPT systems on human health are also given. In addition, suggested methods in the literature for protection from exposure are discussed. The control section gives the common charging control techniques and focuses on the constant current-constant voltage (CC-CV) approach, which is usually used for EV battery chargers.