EV Recharging Systems: Technological Review and Impact on the Electric System

This chapter is devoted to analyze some basic technical concepts required to understand the charging of electrical vehicles (AC and DC currents, wired or inductive charging, energy flows, charging time, etc.). This analysis will reveal that electric vehicles could be charged in different ways, so it would be required some standardization in terms of charging modes and connectors. This standardization must also be extended to the communication protocols between the electrical vehicle and charging station, safety issues and electrical installations. Without any doubt, a massive penetration of electrical vehicles may considerably impact the power system and, particularly, at the distribution level. For this reason, this chapter evaluates different strategies that can be applied to minimize as much as possible this negative impact that the EV charging may create.