Medium- and Heavy-Duty Electric Vehicle Charging

NREL is working with other national labs to develop a megawatt-scale charging system for medium- and heavy-duty electric vehicles, enabling drivers to charge in less than 30 minutes at reasonable cost.

Illustration of multi-unit charging station with medium- and heavy-duty trucks parked at station units, one of which has a power transfer mechanism below the vehicle body.  Power distribution lines (13.8 kV AC lines) connect a utility tower to an AC/DC conversion unit (1 MW+ Multiport Network), which connects via high-voltage DC lines (e.g., 1,000 V DC) to each charging station unit, and also to a substation in the distance (not pictured).  The AC/DC conversion unit also connects to onsite photovoltaic panels (four panels angled on a platform), onsite generation (cube-shaped box), and onsite energy storage (rectangular shaped box). A thermal cooling unit (a fan enclosed in a cube-shaped box) connects to each of the station units.

As part of the 1+ MW project, researchers are exploring crosscutting factors influencing the effective design and optimization of such a system, including:

  • Load profiles for regional-haul trucks
  • Optimal battery-charge-control algorithms
  • Site-integrated charging for improved operations and equipment costs
  • Thermal challenges associated with cables and connectors
  • High-power conversion equipment
  • Grid impacts of a multi-port, publicly accessible charging station.

Using a combination of real-world truck operations data and truck volume estimations, NREL is developing charge-control strategies for individual vehicles and charging ports to enable multiple vehicles to charge at the same time without overloading the system.

Contact

Andrew Meintz

Project Lead, Electric Vehicle Grid Integration

Andrew.Meintz@nrel.gov
303-275-3179