Microchip Technology has developed three Reference Designs for different EV charger requirements, writes Nick Flaherty. These reference designs cover a Single-Phase AC Residential, a Three-Phase AC Commercial with Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP) and System-on-Chip (SoC) plus a Three-Phase AC Commercial with OCPP and Display.

Most of the active components for these EV charger reference designs are available from Microchip, including the microcontroller, analogue front-end, memory, connectivity and power conversion.

These reference designs offer complete hardware design files and source code with software stacks that are tested and compliant to communication protocols, including OCPP. OCPP offers manufacturers a standard protocol to communicate between the charge point or charging station and a central system. This protocol is designed to enable interoperability of the charging applications regardless of the network.

The Single-Phase AC Residential EV Charger Reference Design is aimed at home charging from a single-phase supply at 110 V or 220/240 V. On-board energy metering with automatic calibration simplifies the production process. The design has integrated safety protection including Protective Earth Neutra fault detection and Residual Current Device detection.

The Three-Phase AC Commercial with OCPP and Wi-Fi SoC EV Charger Reference Design is intended for high-end residential and commercial charging stations. It features OCPP 1.6 stack integration for communication with charging networks and Wi-Fi SoC for remote management.

The Three-Phase AC Commercial with OCPP and Display EV Charger Reference Design caters to commercial and public charging stations with a focus on robust operation including a completed architecture review according to UL 2231. It is designed to support up to 22 kW with bidirectional charging capabilities and a modular architecture.