Safety design of CHAdeMO quick charging system

At present, low-output 1 to 2 kW AC electric vehicle chargers are the norm for the charging infrastructure installed in residential areas and business offices. In order to shorten the charging times, there is a belief that it would be best to implement changes that would increase the kW output. However, an objective look at the conditions surrounding the charging process shows such modifications are not necessary. There is a sufficient amount of charging time available and the upgrading of the distribution power grid would require the installation of additional high-power electrical equipment that would ultimately burden users. Nevertheless, in some cases, fast charging is necessary. Hence, in order to fulfill this need, the installation of a moderate number of quick chargers would be more effective than increasing the output of the individual AC chargers in a halfway manner. The role of this quick-charging infrastructure would primarily be supplementary and in order to achieve a substantial reduction in the charging time, the output would have to be boosted up to around 50kW. Such upgrades would increase the risks associated with high voltage electricity such as electric shocks, burn injuries and fires. Therefore, after taking these risks into consideration, the CHAdeMO quick charger was designed so that general users will not be exposed to any unnecessary danger when charging their EVs. A report of the CHAdeMO quick charger design features is as follows. © 2010 WEVA.