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Capacitors for EV Charging

In response to the rapidly growing demand for higher-performance DC link capacitors for EV chargers, Cornell Dubilier (CDE) has expanded its standard-product offerings and brought to light its advanced custom capacitor capabilities.

While the inverter circuitry at the heart of EV charging stations may seem familiar to design engineers, there are operational, environmental, and mechanical demands that make Level 3 EV charging stations unique. The latest designs are pushing voltages and current handling to higher levels to shorten recharge times.

Components available include screw terminal and snap-in aluminum electrolytics as well as polypropylene film capacitors; air or water-cooled types, with oil-impregnated or dry-epoxy construction. Constructions include multiple terminal options in metal or plastic cases. CDE’s process begins with the customer providing the required specifications, including life and other application requirements. These specifications help determine if a standard or custom solution is recommended. To validate the recommendation, CDE utilizes advanced in-house thermal modeling and product testing capabilities. CDE has dedicated engineering resources to design custom DC link capacitors that meet the exact power requirements and unique mechanical packaging to fit complex applications. On the manufacturing side, the company has multiple North American manufacturing facilities.

CDE’s custom-engineered DC Link capacitors are designed specifically for Level 3 EV charging applications. The high-power demands of Level 3 charging require robust DC link capacitors, having exceptional life and reliability over a broad range of operating conditions. CDE offers high capacitance values with low inductance (< 5 nH), high ripple current (100s of Amps), self-healing, and low loss dielectrics. Voltage Range: 450 Vdc to 3800 Vdc. -40 °C to +135 °C Operating Temperature, with life expectancies of 200,000 hours typical.

  • Optimized for high-efficiency power inverter/converter EV charging systems
  • Module design is custom engineered to meet the mechanical & electrical requirements of the application
  • High capacitance values available
  • Low inductance: < 5 nH
  • High ripple current: 100’s of Amperes
  • Self-healing and low loss dielectric system
  • Metal cases or insulated plastic cases available
  • Advanced capacitor performance modeling based on customer’s application conditions
  • CDE designs/technology results in high energy and high current density
Charging station lg

Applications Include:

Level 3 battery chargers, Power inverters for Solar, Wind Power, and Motor Drives where an individual capacitor module is custom engineered as an alternative to banks of standard DC link capacitors


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