Hillcrest Energy Technologies (CSE:HEAT, OTCQB:HLRTF) said it has filed a patent application for a simplified electric vehicle (EV) charging solution that offers improved efficiency and performance.
The company said initial proof-of-concept lab testing confirmed the ability of the enhanced powertrain solution to provide universal, backward compatible, bidirectional charging capabilities.
With this solution, Hillcrest said EVs would no longer require an onboard charger, which is expected to reduce the cost, complexity, and weight of an EV powertrain and allow an EV to be AC-charged with the maximum power capability of the traction inverter or of the AC charging source regardless of the system voltage.
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It would also enable DC fast charging of 800V traction systems on existing 400V chargers without requiring an onboard booster unit, in turn reducing weight and cost.
Hillcrest chief technology officer Ari Berger said with the fast-switching frequency capabilities of the Hillcrest high-efficiency inverter, the company’s universal bidirectional charging architecture could maximize the efficiency and minimize the hardware in both the powertrain and charging systems.
“An EV capable of accessing AC or DC power across a variety of voltage levels in a wired or wireless environment offers a new level of interoperability not currently available,” Berger said. “This could dramatically change the way we think about charging infrastructure and broaden the charging options available to drivers now and in the future.”
Hillcrest CEO Don Currie added that the flexibility and efficiency of the company’s advanced charging concept could offer solutions to vehicle makers such as Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) who are not eager to replace their current lower voltage charging infrastructure as vehicle systems increase to 800V.
“Using the charging technology from our enhanced powertrain solution, there’s no need to re-engineer their lineup of smaller vehicles to allow for faster, higher voltage charging,” he said.
The company said it will continue its development efforts this year with the goal of naming a launch partner and proof of concept validation for the charging technology in 2023.
Hillcrest Energy Technologies (CSE:HEAT, OTCQB:HLRTF) is a clean technology company developing high-value, high-performance power conversion technologies and digital control systems for next-generation powertrains and grid-connected renewable energy systems.
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