Design brief

As part of the ongoing green revolution, all stakeholders are developing and implementing policies that will address the issues related to carbon footprint and global warming (Herrmann and Rothfuss, 2022). In the automotive industry, the idea of electric vehicles was conceptualized in the early 20th century and actualized in the mid-20th century. Actualization period in this case refers to the time when manufacturers were able to develop a fully electric powered vehicle. Before this period, vehicles depended on carbon fuel to perform all the functions. All the systems in a vehicle were powered using the power that was derived from the steam engines (Aziz, 2021). During mid-20th century, manufacturers were able to produce vehicles that used electric power to perform functions like cooling, fuel pumping, air conditioning and gear shifting (Denton, 2020). These innovations continued until a fully powered electric vehicle was made.

The design problem that is being addressed in this task is to ensure that fully powered electric vehicles have appropriate charging facilities in order to make them sustainable. Electric vehicles are still not fully implemented in all areas globally. From research that was done by Luigi and Tarsitano (2019), in the year 2021, only 14% of all cars sold were electric vehicles. Despite this being an increase from 9% in 2020, it can still be described as a low number of people. Most of car users globally use gasoline powered vehicles or hybrid vehicles. Hybrid vehicles are those that have features that are powered by gasoline and others that were powered electronically. The problem that is being addressed here is to make electric vehicles more sustainable by developing a charging system that will be convenient for all users. These charging systems will be used to advance the current charging stations in order to increase confidence among the users of electric vehicles.

This design task will seek to achieve a number of objectives. These are the parameters that will be used to assess the success of this design task. To begin with, the design is intended to achieve an electric vehicle charging system that will be easy to use. Ease of use according to Rand (2022) enhances acceptability of a design. When a design is easy to use, the design is accepted by most of the users and will achieve the overall goal which is to increase the number of people using electric vehicles. The other specific objective that the design will seek to achieve is to create convenience in for electric vehicle users. This will be achieved through enhancing availability and adaptability. With this design, electric vehicle users will have better access for the charging facilities. The charging system will also be developed using the standard ports so that it can be used by all vehicles. Durability of the electric charging systems will also be sought in this task. This will be achieved through material selection and also the engineering process. Finally, the design will seek to achieve portability so that it can be easily moved from the point of manufacturing to the point of use. Portability will be achieved through the engineering process and material selection. The designer will use materials and procedures that reduce the bulk of the final product.

Design Specification

Functional Requirements

Compatibility: The system must be compatible with various EV models and battery types (e.g., lithium-ion, solid-state).

Charging Modes:

Level 1 Charging: 120V AC, 1.4 kW to 1.9 kW, suitable for home use.

Level 2 Charging: 240V AC, 3.3 kW to 22 kW, suitable for residential, commercial, and public charging stations.

Level 3 Charging (DC Fast Charging): 200V-600V DC, 50 kW to 350 kW, suitable for public and commercial fast charging stations.

Connectors and Plugs: Support for common connectors such as Type 1 (SAE J1772), Type 2 (Mennekes), CCS (Combined Charging System), CHAdeMO, and Tesla Supercharger.

User Interface: Intuitive display and controls for users to monitor charging status, set charging preferences, and receive notifications.

Smart Charging: Integration with smart grid systems to optimize charging based on energy demand, costs, and renewable energy availability.

Safety Features: Overcurrent protection, short-circuit protection, thermal management, and emergency stop functions.

Communication Protocols: Support for OCPP (Open Charge Point Protocol) for interoperability with various charging networks.

Performance Requirements

Efficiency: The system should have a power conversion efficiency of at least 95%.

Charging Speed: Must support fast charging capabilities, reducing charging time to 80% battery capacity within 30 minutes for compatible vehicles.

Reliability: Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) of at least 10,000 hours.

Power Factor: Power factor correction to maintain a power factor of >0.95.

Thermal Performance: Effective cooling mechanisms to maintain operational temperature within specified limits under continuous load.

Environmental Operational Conditions

Temperature Range: Operational range from -30°C to 50°C (-22°F to 122°F).

Humidity: Capable of operating in environments with humidity levels from 5% to 95%, non-condensing.

Ingress Protection: Minimum IP54 rating for indoor units, IP65 for outdoor units.

Altitude: Functional at altitudes up to 2,000 meters above sea level without derating.

Vibration and Shock: Compliance with relevant standards for vibration and shock resistance to ensure durability in various installation environments.

Applicable Published Standards

Electrical Safety:

IEC 61851-1: Electric vehicle conductive charging system – General requirements.

IEC 61851-21-1: Electric vehicle conductive charging system – EMC requirements for conductive connection to an AC/DC supply.

IEC 62196-2: Plugs, socket-outlets, vehicle connectors and vehicle inlets – Conductive charging of electric vehicles.

Performance Standards:

ISO 15118: Road vehicles – Vehicle to grid communication interface.

SAE J1772: Electric Vehicle and Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle Conductive Charge Coupler.

CHAdeMO Protocol: Quick charging method for electric vehicles.

Environmental Standards:

IEC 60529: Degrees of protection provided by enclosures (IP Code).

IEC 60068-2: Environmental testing – Tests for temperature, humidity, vibration, and shock.

Grid Compatibility and Smart Charging:

IEEE 2030.1.1: Guide for Electric-Sourced Transportation Infrastructure – DC Quick Charging.

OCPP (Open Charge Point Protocol): Standards for communication between EV charging stations and management systems.

Additional Features

Remote Monitoring and Management: Capabilities for remote diagnostics, software updates, and usage monitoring.

Payment Integration: Support for various payment methods including RFID, mobile apps, and credit card payment systems.

Energy Management: Integration with home energy management systems (HEMS) and building energy management systems (BEMS) for optimized energy use.

Documentation and Support

User Manual: Detailed user manual with installation, operation, and troubleshooting guidelines.

Technical Support: 24/7 technical support and warranty services.

Compliance Certificates: Certificates of compliance with all relevant standards and regulations.

This design specification provides a comprehensive framework for developing a robust, efficient, and user-friendly EV battery charging system. It ensures compatibility with various EV models and compliance with international standards, offering a reliable solution for the growing electric vehicle market.

Similarities and differences with ACCESS-FM.

ACCESS-FM is a method used to ensure that product specifications are thorough, clear, and customer-focused. It stands for Attributes, Customer, Cost, Environment, Size, Safety, Function, and Materials. Here’s a comparison between the provided EV battery charging system specification and the ACCESS-FM method:

Similarities

Attributes:

Both the specification and ACCESS-FM emphasize the key attributes of the product. The EV charging system specification covers attributes like efficiency, reliability, and charging speed.

Customer:

Understanding and addressing customer needs is crucial in both methods. The EV charging specification includes user-friendly interfaces, smart charging features, and compatibility with various EV models and connectors, reflecting a customer-focused approach.

Cost:

While the provided specification doesn’t explicitly mention cost, it’s implicit in aspects like efficiency and reliability which affect operational and maintenance costs. ACCESS-FM would more directly address cost targets and constraints.

Environment:

Environmental operational conditions are detailed in the specification, addressing temperature range, humidity, ingress protection, and altitude, which aligns with ACCESS-FM’s focus on environmental considerations.

Safety:

Safety is thoroughly covered in both approaches. The EV specification includes overcurrent protection, thermal management, emergency stop functions, and compliance with safety standards.

Function:

The EV charging system specification extensively covers functional requirements, including different charging levels, communication protocols, and smart grid integration, which corresponds to the Function aspect of ACCESS-FM.

Differences

Size:

The provided specification does not explicitly address the physical size or footprint of the charging units, while ACCESS-FM would typically include this aspect to ensure the product fits within the intended space constraints.

Materials:

Specific materials used in the construction of the EV charging system are not detailed in the specification. ACCESS-FM would require a more explicit focus on the types of materials, their quality, and sourcing.

Enhanced Focus Areas in ACCESS-FM

Customer:

ACCESS-FM places a strong emphasis on customer requirements and feedback, ensuring that the product meets the end-user’s expectations comprehensively. The provided specification touches on this but could be more detailed in identifying specific customer segments and their needs.

Cost:

Direct cost considerations such as initial investment, operating expenses, and return on investment (ROI) are less emphasized in the provided specification. ACCESS-FM would require a more detailed analysis of these factors.

Size and Materials:

Including specifications for the size and materials in the design can significantly impact the manufacturing process, durability, and customer acceptance. ACCESS-FM ensures these factors are explicitly considered.

Project Planning Techniques

Gantt Chart

A Gantt chart is a visual project planning tool that outlines the timeline of a project. It displays tasks against a calendar, showing the start and end dates, and the dependencies between tasks.

Advantages:

Visual Clarity: Provides a clear visual representation of the project timeline and task dependencies.

Easy Tracking: Facilitates tracking of project progress and identification of delays.

Resource Allocation: Helps in managing and allocating resources efficiently.

Disadvantages:

Complexity for Large Projects: Can become unwieldy and hard to manage for very large projects with many tasks.

Rigidity: Changes in the project schedule can require significant updates to the chart.

Detail Overload: May become cluttered with too much detail, making it difficult to focus on key tasks.

Critical Path Method (CPM)

The Critical Path Method (CPM) is a step-by-step project management technique that identifies critical and non-critical tasks with the goal of preventing time-frame problems and process bottlenecks. The critical path is the longest sequence of tasks that must be completed to finish the project on time.

Advantages:

Focus on Critical Tasks: Highlights the most crucial tasks that directly impact the project completion date.

Time Management: Helps in identifying tasks that can be delayed without affecting the overall project timeline.

Optimization: Allows for optimization of schedules to reduce project duration.

Disadvantages:

Complexity: Requires detailed and accurate information on task durations and dependencies, which can be complex to gather and maintain.

Not Suitable for All Projects: Best suited for projects with clearly defined tasks and dependencies, and may be less effective for projects with high uncertainty or flexibility.

Resource Blind: CPM focuses on time and dependencies but does not directly address resource constraints or allocation.

Justification for chosen technique (Gantt Chart)

For the design phase of the EV battery charging system project, a Gantt chart is chosen due to the following reasons:

Visual Representation: The design phase involves multiple tasks such as requirements gathering, conceptual design, detailed design, prototyping, and testing. A Gantt chart provides a clear visual representation of these tasks along with their start and end dates, making it easier to communicate timelines and dependencies to the team and stakeholders.

Tracking Progress: Design activities often have well-defined durations and dependencies. A Gantt chart allows for straightforward tracking of progress and identification of delays, which is crucial in the iterative design process.

Resource Management: Although not as detailed as some other techniques in resource allocation, a Gantt chart helps in planning and managing resources by visualizing task overlaps and peak workload periods.

Flexibility in Changes: While Gantt charts can be somewhat rigid, they are still more flexible than CPM when it comes to adjusting timelines and tasks as the design phase progresses and new information or changes are incorporated.

References

Aziz, M. (2021) ‘Advanced charging system for plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles and battery electric vehicles’, Hybrid Electric Vehicles [Preprint].

Denton, T. (2020) ‘Electric vehicles introduction’, Electric and Hybrid Vehicles, pp. 1–17.

Herrmann, F. and Rothfuss, F. (2022) ‘Introduction to hybrid electric vehicles, battery electric vehicles, and off-road electric vehicles’, Advances in Battery Technologies for Electric Vehicles, pp. 3–16.

Luigi, F. and Tarsitano, D. (2019) ‘Modeling of full electric and Hybrid Electric Vehicles’, New Generation of Electric Vehicles  Rand, J (2022) ‘All-electric vehicles and range