Wireless power transfer-based next-generation electric vehicle charging technology

High cost, low driving range, long charging time, and bulk energy storage systems are significant issues with the widespread use of electric vehicles (EVs). Recently, conductive EV chargers have gained popularity due to their availability and technological development with 94–96% efficiency. However, handling the high-power cables for conductive charging during adverse weather conditions may cause a risk of electric shock. Wireless power transfer (WPT)-based battery charging has become a prominent technology that mitigates the aforementioned issues and enables the efficient operation of autonomous e-transportation systems moving forward. This chapter aims to provide an overview of WPT-based EV charging system configurations. The various subsystems, including coupling links, power converter topologies, compensation circuits, and control schemes, adopted for inductive power transfer-based EV charging are briefly discussed. A detailed discussion based on the design and implementation of a 3.3 kW inductive wireless charger is presented through a case study in the MATLAB/Simulink environment.