EMC solution for residential EV-charging stations

E-mobility is a fast-growing market, and regulatory compliance is crucial for charging stations. The development of the new RV Series choke from Schaffner is supported by the company’s decades of expertise as a global leader in electromagnetic solutions that minimise EMI and filter out noise. The new choke has been developed to provide exceptional performance levels when dampening and attenuating noise.

By presenting a wide range of specifications and performance options, the choke allows designers to minimise costs. Costly over-design can be avoided by selecting a solution that mitigates noise below regulatory limits.

The new series provides the selection between ferrite (RV8140 and RV8540) and nanocrystalline (RV8141 and RV8541) core technology for different environments. Each current rating has eight performance/size options, four developed for vertical (RV8540) and four for horizontal (RV8140) mounting.

The four windings of the new choke are generally installed as three phases and neutral. For DC applications on the vehicle side, the same choke is employed – two windings of the choke are connected in series, providing very high attenuation and shielding the vehicle from disturbances.

The new series is created for power ratings up to 30kW with rated currents from 16A to 50A per phase at 60C ambient temperature. Regarding certification, the series complies with UL/IEC 60938-1/-2 and UL 1446. Other features of the new choke comprise low magnetic leakage flux, excellent winding insulation and low parasitic capacitance.

Felix Wedel, product manager at Schaffner, explains: “When designing residential EV charging stations, it is vital to be able to identify any potential electromagnetic compatibility challenges and to deal with them as early as possible in the design process. This sector of the EV charging market is especially vibrant, so we are delighted to be offering a new and smaller product for power ranges up to 30kW.”

Wedel adds: “Designed in response to market demands, this new RV series will save designers a considerable amount of bother during the certification process by giving them the tools to comply with all the relevant specifications and regulatory standards. A significant advantage for design engineers is that with this large choice of performance levels, they are no longer restricted to using only a choke that is available. Now they can choose the one that fits perfectly to their technical requirements and avoid unnecessary costs. That is why it is important that EV charging station designers talk to Schaffner engineers very early in the development process to keep their costs to an absolute minimum.”