What's The Solution to The Increasing Demand for Electric Vehicles? Grid Simulators.

What's The Solution to The Increasing Demand for Electric Vehicles? Grid Simulators.
ATEC BLOG
The demand for cleaner energy and sustainable technology is becoming greater across various industries. The automotive industry is no exception, and has shifted focus to produce electric vehicles in order to grow with the market. New advancements that can offer better features, lower emissions, higher performance, more effective power converters, and faster charging are common market demands, and electric vehicle companies are racing to answer these needs. In order for electric car manufacturers to design a high-functioning, decidedly marketable car, they need to be able to test the battery charger for its power and efficiency. That’s where a grid simulator comes in.

Grid simulators are able to output and input power in accordance with your specific testing needs. With them, you are equipped to stimulate the grid condition required by the Unit Under Test (UUT) and regulations, like voltage abnormality tests, frequency abnormality test, or low voltage ride through (LVRT). They allow you to test the adequacy of battery chargers and perform product testing – both of which are applicable to the designing and testing of electric cars.

Though they all serve the same testing functionality and purpose, grid simulators vary in terms of power capacity. Here are a few grid simulators that range in kVA, and how they can assist your testing procedures.

NH Research 9410 Regenerative Grid Simulator – 24 kVA

The smallest and most versatile grid simulator available for IEEE 1547/UL 1741/LVRT, the NNH Research 9410H Research 9410 is a fully-programmable, 4-quadrant grid simulator designed for testing inverters, UPS, and other AC devices. It also supports up to 3 outputs, allowing any combination of DC or single phase, split-phase, or 3-phase AC test channels. The NH Research 9410 is ideal for development and production facility testing, particularly when a single channel test system is needed.

CA Instruments MX45 Power Source and Compliance Test System – 45 kVACA Instruments MX

This instrument offers multiple high power AC and DC power systems that provide controlled AC and DC output for ATE and product test applications. It's designed to meet AC source requirements for us in compliance testing such as IEC 61000-3-2, 61000-3-3, 610003-12, and MIL-STD-1399-300, to name a few. It offers a multiple chassis configuration, and can be run in AC, DC, and AC + DC modes. The CA Instruments MX45 can deliver up to 300 Amps, and provides arbitrary waveform generation as well as harmonic analysis of voltage and current.

Chroma 61860 Regenerative Grid Simulator – 60 kVAChroma 61800

The Chroma 61860 is a full 4-quadrant, fully regenerative grid simulative specifically designed for PV inverter, Smart Grid, and electric vehicle test applications. It is the answer to an increasing market demand for clean, renewable energy sources, and tests to compliance for IEEE 1547, IEC 61000-3-15, IEC 62116. It offers LIST, PULSE, and STEP mode functions for testing Power Line Disturbance (PLD) simulation, and is easily programmable for voltage and current limits and settings.

Preen PAS Series Grid Simulator – 200 kVAPreen PAS

This grid simulator was designed particularly for renewable energy tests and the construction of electric vehicles. It’s able to stimulate the grid condition required by UUT and regulations, such as voltage, abnormality test, frequency abnormality test, LVRT, and more. The Preen PAS offers three phase independent control to determine the voltage of each phase. Standard RS232 and RS485 interfaces and optional GPIB, USB and LAN interface are available.

To learn more about grid simulators offered at Advanced Test Equipment Rentals, visit our Power Supplies and Loads page, or request more information from one of our in-house experts.