Lightweight Bosch charging cable eliminates ‘power brick’
Bosch, at the current IAA show, has a new charging cable on display which needs no in-cable control box and, the supplier says, at under three kilograms, weighs a good 40 per cent less than conventional charging cables.
Said lower weight is down to Bosch having integrated control and safety technology not in a box colloquially known in Germany as the “charging brick” but inside the plugs. The smart device is made for charging at a 230-volt power socket and enables AC charging at up to 22 kilowatts.
The technology integrated into each plug means the type 2 connector at the vehicle end of the cable contains the components for controlling and monitoring the charging power. The household plug with adapter houses the temperature control and a residual current device at the other end.
Bosch says this protects from overloading or overheating even during recharging at a household power socket with up to 2.3 kilowatts of charging power. If necessary, the safety technology deactivates the cable before the situation becomes critical, the supplier adds.
Bosch developers had “significantly reduced the size of the electronics components” compared to previous applications in control boxes to integrate the control and safety technology into the compact cable connectors. In addition, they benefited from the miniaturization efforts currently underway across the Bosch corporation, helping the engineers to bring the new charging cable to market maturity within just 18 months.
Bosch adding adapters for Type 2 and household plugs also means drivers no longer need a second cable when charging the electric cars on the road. So then, when at home, there is no need for a wall box anymore either. “This is what customers want,” says Bosch, quoting the NewMotion EV survey 2020, finding that in Europe, 84 per cent of electric car drivers recharge their vehicle at home in the evening or overnight.
Dr Uwe Gackstatter, president of Bosch Powertrain Solutions, said he wants the new charging cable to become “standard equipment for electric vehicles.” Bosch expects to start selling the cable to vehicle manufacturers and drivers in mid-2022.
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