EV charging has become a focus again in 2020. Are you ready? In the rapid growth of internet connection, EV charging solutions that support smart management, smart maintenance, and dynamic output (wattage) adjustment will naturally become a new future trend. This article will show you how Nuvoton provides EV charging service providers with a range of EV charging solutions with its microcontrollers and microprocessors. 

Communication latency and even instability after bus expansion due to the insufficiency of the controller area network (CAN) buses are the common problems of EV charging stations. The Nuvoton NUC980 MPU is equipped with 4 CAN buses to support communication with the power control unit (PCU), human-machine interface (HMI), system control unit (SCU), and the charging interface of alternative fuel vehicles without the need of add-on CAN bus chips. Besides integrating the system on a chip (SoC), the NUC980 can reduce system instability caused by other add-on chips.

In terms of compatibility, as an EV charging solution must support the charging system of alternative fuel vehicles of different manufacturers, the NUC980 running on the Linux platform supports easy adaptation and maintenance to shorten the field adjustment time of mechanics. After field adjustments, mechanics can manage new settings with Linux before upgrading other EV charging stations. While cost control is essential to EV charging service providers, effective cost management and efficiency enhancement are the essentials to enhance customer satisfaction and reduce development costs.

In addition to the advantages, including the integrated CAN bus and open-source operating system, the NUC980 is equipped with two 10/100 MAC Ethernet ports, with one supporting intercommunication among EV charging stations over a local area network (LAN), and another connecting to the offsite center for remote monitoring and management. This new infrastructure emphasizes digitization, smart operation, and internet connection. With the NUC980, users can develop a big data new energy management system that supports smart and cloud management with functions including local dynamic output (wattage) configuration, real-time capture of regional electricity consumption from a remote control center, and alternative fuel vehicle data analysis from the cloud data center. Instead of being a simple community or roadside EV charging equipment, an EV charging station is developing towards smarter alternative energy industrial equipment.

Diagram of the NUC980 EV charging solution.