E-Mobility Engineering 015 l EMotive Scarab off-road truck dossier l In Conversation: Giulio Ornella l Hall effect and magnetic sensors focus l Challenge of batteries for heavy-duty EVs l Alpha Motor Corporation digest l Automated charging insight l HVAC systems focus

The ACDS (Automatic Connection Device for the conventional Side connection interface) uses the common vehicle inlet (CCS) on the vehicle side/ front/rear for manual charging for automatic connection. The connection interface on the vehicle might include a moving part as well. The ACDU (Automatic Connection Device for vehicle Underbody connection) applies an ACDU-specific connector located in the vehicle’s underbody so that the periphery of the vehicle is free while charging. In this application there might be moving parts in the vehicle and the ground unit. Coordination is also needed between the vehicle and robot, which could be a timer or other mechanism. When the car drives into the garage, the flap covering the charging port needs to open. This raises the question of who gives the signal to start, the robot or the vehicle? There are communication channels from the car to a phone app or direct to the charger, but the industry needs to agree on the channel and the protocol. There are also regional variations. With the CCS2 and Type2 AC connector in Europe, the lock is in the car. With CCS1 in North America the lock is in the connector, and pushing a button unlocks the connector. That would require another actuator in the robot arm and that makes the design more difficult. Megawatt charging A new standard called the Megawatt Charging Systems (MCS) is being proposed by the CharIN group as a global standard outside China for systems up to 3 MW and beyond. The current can go up to 3000 A at 1250 V with a connector that is a similar size to the existing CCS design. This is intended for a driver to plug it in, with a suitable cable weight and cooling. The MCS is defining the plug, which is more or less complete although it still needs a few tweaks. The standard also defines the position of the charging inlet, on the driver’s side just behind the front wheel, in a similar position to the gasoline filling cap. The MCS Task Force started in 2018 to develop a higher-power system based on CCS. This group is also part of the Charging Connection group that is working on standards for light electric aircraft, ferries and other marine vessels. It was officially launched in June 2022 with an Alpitronic charger and a Scania fully electric truck. A technical specification to develop the requirements for a worldwide standard has been issued, and final publication of the standard is expected in 2024. The standard defines a single conductive plug that supports bidirectional 1250 V and 3000 A power with the ISO/IEC 15118 comms standard and the UL2251 Touch Safe standard. As part of this there is a software-interpreted override switch on the handle that can let operators switch off if necessary, but also allows for software control. A project called Hola, in Germany, is now looking at how MCS can be used for long-haul trucking in real- world conditions, and to gain more information about the requirements for a European MCS network. The system also has to be small and slim, with a reach of at least 1 m, and robust against misalignment to ±30 cm. The initial aim is to use any existing charger system in the home rather than public systems, although there are plans to combine the robot arm with the charger for an ‘all in one’ system. This can use any charger with the existing cable connected to the robot as the ‘hand’. An all-in-one system should be available in the next 3 to 4 years. The guidance system is based on a single camera to guide the robot arm with the charging cable and connector to the inlet port. While two cameras would provide stereo vision to enable depth perception, it is possible to use computer vision algorithms to locate the connector correctly using a single camera. That helps to keep the complexity of the design down and reduces the cost. A manufacturer is working on the low-cost motors with soft robotics and a feedback loop. The challenge is to do it all safely, plugging the connector in even if it or the inlet is dirty or it needs to be pushed or pulled hard. That will entail developing sophisticated algorithms to control the torque of the actuator. A key factor is the standardisation of the connector. That helps to simplify the development of the system. The CharIN standards group, which developed the standard for the CCS and CCS2 connectors, identifies two approaches to automating charging systems – ACDS and ACDU. ABB has worked with connector maker Staubli on an automated charging system for mining and port equipment (Courtesy of Staubli) Autumn 2022 | E-Mobility Engineering 57 Deep insight | Automated charging