Project 1: Charging Stations of the Future

July ’24 Update

Project leads: Hongjie Wang, Utah State University, & Scott Trimboli, University of Colorado-Colorado Springs

Key Accomplishments for this Quarter:

  • Presented one paper at ECCE-Asia 2024 and one paper at WPTCE 2024.
  • Papers accepted for publication at COMPEL 2024, PSGM 2024, and ECCE 2024.
  • A journal paper on optimizing unfolder-based EV charger design through zero voltage switching analysis published in IEEE Open Journal of Power Electronics.
  • Submitted a journal paper on the evaluation of impacts from large-scale charging loads on the distribution power grid.
  • Developed the 2nd iteration of the SiC MOSFET aging test platform hardware.
  • Started charging station user experience survey pilot within ASPIRE (with the Market Intelligence team).
  • Published a paper (“Electric vehicle charging infrastructure deployment: A discussion of equity and justice theories and accessibility measurement”) in Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives journal.  
  • Completed preliminary calculations of accessibility to EV charging stations by US Census block group in El Paso, TX, and Cache County, UT.  
  • Investigated and compared different EV charging station planning tools, considering private vs. public organizations, regional vs. national scale, various indicators and weights, capabilities, etc. Working on a paper about this.  
  • Brainstormed factors, indicators, and measures to consider cost, demand, and equity when developing a framework for an EV charging station location tool.  
  • Met with stakeholders as part of collaborating with Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning students to develop typologies of charging stations in various settings. Specifically, focusing on an urban park in Salt Lake City and a rural/recreational/historic convenience store in Wilson, WY.
  • Completed monthly longitudinal analysis of connected vehicle data (January 2022 – September 2022)
  • Completed monthly longitudinal analysis of charging station deployment in Indiana (January 2022 – April 2024).
  • Development of performance measures to assess charging station usage and future deployment sites 
  • Multiple open source datasets evaluated for use in correlating with CV-data driven analysis of EV, HV usage and trip trends 
  • 17-month Electric Vehicle Miles Traveled analysis completed for Interstates in Indiana to document month-over-month change in EVMT as it compares to HVMT and ICEVMT (January 2022 – May 2023) 
  • Scalable methodologies being developed to document charging station usage by utilizing 3-second CV trajectory data at the statewide level 
  • Before-after analysis procedures being developed for change in VMT, EV trips and EV dwell time after a new charging station is deployed
  • Presented summary of task’s work at ASPIRE 101 Seminar on April 18, 2024. Led to follow-up data sharing with ASPIRE staff working on the Utah Electrification initiative projects. 
  • Completed the first version of ZVS techniques for the current injection circuit for the unfolded. 
  • Hosted EVR tours for Logan High School students on 3/21 and Middle school students on 4/24. 
  • Developed a simulation model for DAB without a dc blocking capacitor, and started to analyze the interaction between the output voltage control loop and the proposed dc-bias eliminating control loop.  

Industry and Innovation Highlights:

  • UTEP is part of a team (led by City of El Paso) who received a $15 million “Charging and Fueling Infrastructure” grant from the Federal Highway Administration. UTEP will help the City of El Paso and El Paso Electric decide where to place 64 new EV charging stations.  
  • Developed SiC MOSFET aging data collection platform and collected accelerated aging data for SiC MOSFET used in the MW wireless charger. 

Advancements in Alleviating Barriers or Challenges to Widespread EV Adoption:

  • Improved the understanding and modeling of EV batteries. 
  • Made progress in high-power, multi-port, mega-watt, medium-voltage grid-tied charging system design to advance charging technologies. 
  • Made progress towards increased reliability for charging systems. 

Advancements of Interest to Marginalized or Underserved Communities:

  • Worked with 40 graduate and undergraduate students in USU Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning design studios, to envision how charging stations could fit in two recreation and open space settings.  
  • Recruited four students from diverse backgrounds and experiences as research assistants to work on this task. Notably, two of the research assistants identify as Hispanic, and one of them is female.