BorgWarner wins $4 million prize to design American-made EV fast charger

Share

The US Department of Energy (DOE) is making efforts to accelerate US-based manufacturing of the energy transition. An important goal in this transition will be creating effective electric vehicle (EV) charging stations that meet American consumer expectations.

DOE granted BorgWarner, a sustainable mobility components provider, $4.09 million to create a 36-month fast-track for developing a US-made direct current fast charger for EVs. The company was one of the 25 awardees under the DOE program that is aimed at reducing vehicle emissions, supporting electrification, and boosting EV charging infrastructure.

The project aims to reduce DC fast charging costs by 20-30% while increasing power density, reducing losses, and shrinking the size of the station. BorgWarner’s chargers feature single-stage conversion and power module architecture that supports the charge of five vehicles at the same time. Each power module is 25kW, and projects can be scaled to 350kW or more.

DC fast chargers exceed the power output of prevailing Level 2 chargers. Rather than an AC charger, which requires multiple conversions, the DC charger can directly supply the vehicle’s battery, resulting in greater electrical efficiency. The high-power nature of the charger makes it readily adaptable to future EVs that may require higher voltages, said BorgWarner.

The company will partner with Michigan State University, eTransEnergy, Cityfi, the State of Michigan, and Barton Marlow to develop the technology. It will also receive components from Wolfspeed, Inc. The project launched in Q1 2022.

A full suite of EV charging components are already developed by BorgWarner, including battery systems, controllers, EV transmissions, electric drive motors and modules, power electronics, thermal management systems, as well as parts for conventional internal combustion engines.

“Our single conversion architecture, power module design and packaging, power electronic capabilities and module building block approach will be the factors that ensure a successful project launch for the EV market,” said Davide Girelli, president of BorgWarner Morse Systems.

A complete list of the DOE prize winners can be found here.

Two other DC fast charger developers won DOE awards, including Eaton Corporation, which will develop a solid state technology enabled, modular design aimed at reducing cost and footprint, and North Carolina State University, which will develop an “ultra low cost” silicon carbide-based power converter for direct connection to medium voltage distribution systems.

This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: editors@pv-magazine.com.