Electric vehicles (EVs) using high-power charging are quickly becoming the new standard. High-power charging, at 200 kilowatts (kW) and above, allows drivers to spend less time charging, get back on the road faster, and travel longer distances. However, creating a widespread network of reliable high-power charging stations is challenging due to the technology’s enormous power requirements and the dependence on battery conditions.
The Next-Generation Profiles (NextGen Profiles) project, part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Electric Vehicles at Scale Consortium (EVs Scale Lab Consortium), is working to address these challenges. Researchers involved in this project are assessing EVs and electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) that utilize high-power charging. This includes understanding how high-power charging systems respond to grid disturbances and smart-charge-management scenarios and analyzing the performance of electric fleets in these situations.
Funded through DOE’s Vehicle Technologies Office, NextGen Profiles is a collaborative project led by Argonne National Laboratory, with researchers from Idaho National Laboratory, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. They partner with original equipment manufacturers, industry stakeholders, and EV suppliers to evaluate EV assets and refine validation procedures. According to NREL’s Keith Davidson, a lead principal investigator for the project, the data collected addresses many challenges associated with vehicle electrification, including charging reliability and keeping chargers operating consistently.
The NextGen Profiles project aims to balance safety, charging performance, and EV battery longevity. Researchers identify high-power charging system limitations, characteristics of high-power charging sessions, and potential issues for the power grid. The goal is to develop a knowledge base that informs high-power charging infrastructure planning, integrates storage and renewables, and ensures a reliable and affordable transition to EVs.
The project focuses on three key research areas. First, researchers capture EV profiles by collecting data on how EVs behave while charging under various conditions. This data helps paint a holistic picture of current EV technology performance and the industry’s trajectory. Second, researchers characterize EVSE by connecting a high-power charging system to an EV emulator and running various charging scenarios. This includes assessing the entire range of current and voltage outputs provided by a charging system, even those not yet attainable by most vehicles. This helps researchers understand system performance and formulate strategies for future high-power charging needs.
Characterization of EVSE also involves grid disturbance and charge management analyses. Researchers subject charging stations to repeated high-power charging cycles to determine thermal management needs based on how the EVSE recovers between high-power charge sessions.
At NREL, the NextGen Profiles team conducts off-nominal temperature tests, subjecting vehicles to cold, nominal (23°C), and hot temperatures. They then analyze the energy available in the batteries relative to their total capacity and age. These tests include cold soak tests and hot-weather tests, with plans to upgrade thermal chambers for comprehensive indoor validation.
DOE’s national laboratories play a crucial role in the success of NextGen Profiles. Their unique instruments, facilities, and connections to suppliers and manufacturers provide the necessary resources for cutting-edge research. The project team leverages these resources to advance high-power charging technology and benefit project partners.
Sometimes, researchers find interoperability issues or charging defects, which they report back to manufacturers for updates and fixes. The team continues to seek collaborative partnerships to provide qualifying assets like vehicles, chargers, and hardware as new standards emerge. Project partners receive detailed data sets on the performance of their EVs and EVSEs under various conditions.
