Recent Developments in DC-DC Converter Topologies for Light Electric Vehicle Charging: A Critical Review

Abstract

Rising greenhouse gas emissions stemming from fossil fuel-driven vehicles are causing damage to the environment. To counteract this, one solution is the adoption of electric vehicles (EV) for transportation requirements. In this regard, one category of EVs that requires special attention is light electric vehicle (LEV), mainly because of their wide potential in public transportation—especially in developing countries. To realise widespread adoption of LEVs for this purpose, it is imperative to make their charging systems more robust. Consequently, the subject of LEV charging has gained considerable traction, and numerous research works have been reported on this subject in recent years. Hence, this paper aims to chronicle recent research developments on LEV charging techniques, by placing special attention on DC-DC converter topologies used in both on-board and off-board chargers. This review explores recent LEV charger DC-DC converters in literature by segregating them into isolated and non-isolated topologies. Lastly, this work explores challenges and emerging trends in LEV charging, which can potentially be explored by researchers in the future.

Keywords

• light electric vehicle
• DC-DC converter
• on-board charger
• off-board charger
• isolated converter
• non-isolated converter