Optimization of a Cascaded H-Bridge Inverter for Electric Vehicle Applications Including Cost Consideration

Felix Roemer, Massab Ahmad, Fengqi Chang and Markus Lienkamp
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Felix Roemer: TUM CREATE Ltd., 1 CREATE Way, #10-02 CREATE Tower, Singapore 138602, Singapore
Massab Ahmad: TUM CREATE Ltd., 1 CREATE Way, #10-02 CREATE Tower, Singapore 138602, Singapore
Fengqi Chang: TUM CREATE Ltd., 1 CREATE Way, #10-02 CREATE Tower, Singapore 138602, Singapore
Markus Lienkamp: Institute of Automotive Technology, Technical University of Munich, Boltzmannstr. 15, 85748 Garching, Germany

Energies, 2019, vol. 12, issue 22, 1-19

Abstract: This paper presents a method to find the optimal configuration for an electric vehicle energy storage system using a cascaded H-bridge (CHB) inverter. CHB multilevel inverters enable a better utilization of the battery pack, because cells/modules with manufacturing tolerances in terms of capacity can be selectively discharged instead of being passively balanced by discharging them over resistors. The balancing algorithms have been investigated in many studies for the CHB topology. However, it has not yet been investigated to which extend a conventional pack can be modularized in a CHB configuration. Therefore, this paper explores different configurations by simulating different switch models, switch configurations, and number of levels for a CHB inverter along with a reference load model to find the optimal design of the system. The configuration is also considered from an economically point of view, as the most efficient solution might not be cost-effective to be installed in a common production vehicle. It is found that four modules per phase give the best compromise between efficiency and costs. Paralleling smaller switches should be preferred over the usage of fewer, larger switches. Moreover, selecting specific existing components results in higher savings compared to theoretical optimal components.

Keywords: cascaded H-bridge inverter; battery balancing; battery tolerances; electric vehicles; cost efficient inverter (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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