FREEDM Systems Center
Srdjan Lukic

Srdjan Lukic,
FREEDM Systems Center

The FREEDM Systems Center is building the next generation of electric vehicle fast chargers that can support larger EVs like the transit buses of our friends at CATS. With funding from the US Department of Energy and in partnership with ABB and the New York Power Authority, FREEDM researchers are building a charging station with four charging ports rated at 350 kilowatts each and a total station power rating of 1 mega- watt. An extreme fast charging solution must also address utility demand charges, optimize efficiency, and minimize physical size. To make this connection, NC State researchers selected Silicon Carbide devices, a newer breed of wide bandgap semiconductors that can operate at higher voltages, higher temperatures, higher currents, and higher switching frequencies than traditional silicon devices, meaning that their fast charger is more efficient and compact than any other charger at this power rating.