$3.17 million grant will energize electric vehicle research at WMU

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Researchers at Western Michigan University are charging into the future of electric vehicle (EV) technology with the announcement of a $3.17 million U.S. Department of Energy award. The funding will spur development of an integrated charger-inverter system, which would help manufacturers reduce the weight, cost, volume and emissions footprint of EVs, an important step in improving purchase options for consumers as well as vehicle manufacturers.

“This proposal was a team effort,” says Dr. Sandun Kuruppu, associate professor in Western’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, director of WMU’s Transportation Electrification and Applied Mechatronics (TEAMS) Lab and principal investigator for the project. “We have an excellent team that includes multiple disciplines of academia, national labs and, importantly, industry partners that can make this project a success. Together we were able to propose a really good idea that met the requirements of the Department of Energy.” 

That idea, titled “Multi-Input Integrated Smart Charger-Inverter System with Galvanic Isolation,” is an effort to develop an advanced electric vehicle powertrain architecture that does not require an additional charger, while also adding many advanced features such as vehicle-to-grid capability, smart charging interface and variable battery size.

“The project provides a great opportunity for us to research and apply what we know, but most importantly to learn things that we don’t know,” says Kuruppu. “I’m very excited to see how we get these implemented in the lab.”

In developing the integrated charger-inverter system, the team will initially create prototypes to identify technology necessary to integrate into the system and then proceed with the full-scale model. The full-scale system is anticipated to be around 150kW, which aligns with the requirements of an entry-level EV.

“We will not stop there. We plan to integrate the developed system into an actual vehicle so that we can validate performance under real-world operating conditions,” explains Kuruppu.

This project is a collaborative effort between Western, the University of Tennessee, University of Kentucky, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, John Deere and BorgWarner. In addition to Kuruppu, researchers at WMU’s College of Engineering and Applied Sciences include:

• Dr. Richard Meyer, associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering
• Dr. Pablo Gomez, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering
• Dr. Zachary Asher, associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering
• Dr. Nicholas Brown, senior research associate and executive director of Western’s Energy Efficient and Autonomous Vehicles Lab

Other researchers include Dr. JiangBiao He from the University of Tennessee - Knoxville; Dr. Aaron Cramer from the University of Kentucky; Dr. Vandana Rallabandi and Dr. Erdem Asa from Oak Ridge National Laboratory; Dr. Scott Johnson from John Deere; and James Walters from BorgWarner. 

“This grant and the collaboration with our partners are another way we are leading the way with innovative electric vehicle research and providing great research opportunities for our undergraduate and graduate students,” says Dr. Steve Butt, dean of Western’s College of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

In addition to the research and development of the integrated charger-inverter system, part of the funding will support workforce development—including graduate and undergraduate training and certification programs—that meets industry demands. The effort also will include outreach activities to promote STEM and electrification-related careers to K-12 students and educators. 

Original equipment manufacturers and suppliers interested in participating in the project can reach out to Kuruppu.

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