A Novel Single/Multiple Output Multilevel Buck Rectifier for EV-Battery Charging

An electric vehicle (EV) charging system is usually implemented in two stages: a power factor correction (PFC) rectifier stage, followed by a DC-DC converter. For such power conversion, multilevel rectifiers (MLRs) offer advantages compared to a two-level rectifier, such as reducing voltage ratings of power switches and yielding high-quality input voltage waveform. In MLRs, one of the most challenging aspects is balancing the capacitors’ voltages. This article proposes a self-balancing five-level PFC rectifier with the possibility of single/multiple outputs. The proposed rectifier performs buck operation and offers a wide output voltage regulation, which is suitable for EV battery charging. The five-level operation of proposed buck rectifier with continuous conduction mode (CCM) leads to elimination of the inductive filter on the DC side and the capacitive filter on the AC side. This article presents the operating principle, modulation strategy, closed-loop control and experimental validation of the proposed topology.