GM patents daisy chain EV charging - two electric cars with one charger
If you think the EV revolution is done and all we will ever see are just different cars, bigger electric driving range and bigger screens - you are in for a surprise. EV technology has so much more to offer and we are just beginning to scratch the surface.
The recent publication from the US Patent Office reveals a patent application from GM and once you work through the technical jargon, what unravels is a very clever and simple solution. It comes courtesy of GM’s Ultium battery technology that uses modular architecture.
Ultium batteries are flexible when it comes to packaging and can contain between 6 and 24 modules. The trick here is that the layers of modules can be connected either parallel or in series. The current EVs from GM have the battery layers separated - for example the GMC Hummer EV comes with 24 modules 212.7 kWh battery pack with the modules arranged in 2 sets of 12.
The Ultium battery packs operate at 400V and cannot take advantage of 800V fast DC charging. The patent talks about the ability to switch between parallel and series layout and allow the battery to charge at 800V and then revert to 400V for normal operation. That would mean doubling the speed of charging for EV vehicles based on lower voltage technology.
Another interesting part is two charging ports on the vehicle. It offers two opportunities - first is two connect the car to the charger and then the other port is connected to another vehicle. In places where the infrastructure is not yet developed it offers a simple way to charge two vehicles from one charger. The charging time may be a bit slower if it is a 400V charger but if it was the 800V device then both vehicles can be charged at 400V and at full speed.
Another possibility this solution offers is speeding up charging time - when time is of the essence and only 400V charger is available, both charging ports can be used to charge separately each set of Ultium modules. This idea would be essential for emergency vehicles to cut the charging times by half.
Simple idea that takes full advantage of possibilities offered by electric cars. EVs not only offer better comfort, more room and quieter ride. They not only reduce emissions and lower running costs but they really change the way we can use the cars and that will be the true revolution.
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