Stand-Alone Battery Charger for Low-Power EV Based on IPT and Powered by a PV System

The use of low-power electric vehicles has increased significantly in recent years, and this demand has also triggered research and development of new technologies to charge their storage system. Wireless power transfer based on inductive coupling is an attractive alternative for the development of charging systems for electric vehicles and other mobile devices, due to its operation flexibility, ability to work under unfavorable climatic conditions with limited generation and avoid the use of mobile elements that require maintenance (e.g., electrical contacts). Hence, the objective of this work is to perform the sizing and analysis of the low-power wireless battery charger with PV supply in stand-alone operation, and to determine if is able to carry out a continuous operation, despite the conditions of energy availability of the photovoltaic system. Moreover, the suitable charging conditions are defined through the control system (current and voltage), in order to not compromise the low-power electric vehicle energy storage system.