In-cable control box
The in-cable control box , (Engl .: In-Cable Control Box ) short ICCB is a charger cable ( Type 1 , or Europe type 2 ) intermediate device for charging electric vehicles at no specially designated outlets. The device takes on security and communication functions when connected to the power grid , which are otherwise taken over by the charging station.
need
Electric vehicles are often charged at household or CEE power sockets. However, these ports lack the safety features recommended for charging electric vehicles. A so-called in-cable control box (ICCB for short) takes over these control and protection functions and enables mode 2 charging with limited charging power. High-quality charging cables offer a setting option for the maximum charging current on the in-cable control box. Charging cables with ICCB are sometimes referred to as emergency charging cables due to their low charging power (especially from the manufacturer Renault). The ICCB itself is also referred to as “brick” or “loading brick” by electric car drivers due to its format and size.
In principle, there is also the option of physically accommodating the necessary electronic components for the control and protection functions in one of the connectors (type 2 or type 1) for 1-phase charging up to 16 A. The "loading tile" is therefore not required. Such cables have not yet been offered commercially (June 2018).
Functionality
In Europe, the type 2 plug was specified for charging electric cars , which, in addition to a charging power of up to 43.5 kW, also enables communication between the vehicle electronics and the charging point according to mode 3 . On the vehicle side, the charging point is informed of the maximum possible charging power of the on-board charger, which can then be made available and regulated accordingly by the charging station. When connected to household sockets ( Schuko , SEV 1011 and others), the ICCB has the following additional functions:
- Determination of polarity and protective conductor monitoring ; only a few ohms are permitted between N and PE.
- Check the electrical connection between PE ( Protective Earth ) and metal body
- Residual current circuit breaker to avoid electrical accidents
- Monitoring / shutdown of the charging process in the event of anomalies (e.g. current fluctuations due to corroded plug contacts)
- Control of the charging power and monitoring of the temperature of the connector and shutdown if necessary
In addition, there is the option of selecting the charging current for various ICCBs. Schuko plugs are usually designed for 16 A short-term and 10 A permanent current load, SEV-1011 type 13 plugs are designed for 10 A (the "camping or caravan connectors" or the SEV are for continuous load 230 V / 16 A) -1011 connector type 23 specified). In simple ICCB versions, the charging current is limited to 10 A (2.3 kW).
disadvantage
In order to minimize the length of the unmonitored connection cable and for reasons of safety against being driven over, the ICCB is placed just behind the Schuko plug, which can be problematic with sockets located higher up. “ The weight of the ICCB can damage the cable and socket if it is hanging on the cable. This must be avoided. "
Use of ICCB and Schuko socket means longer charging time compared to charging at type 2 stations, and energy losses can also be higher. Various manufacturers of electric cars refer to this charging option using ICCB at Schuko as "emergency charging".
When charging electric vehicles from a Schuko socket with an extension cable, the extension cable can overheat. The heat generated at the contacts of the Schuko socket (it is usually not designed for continuous currents above 10 A) can damage the plug, housing and cable. There are Schuko sockets with reinforced spring contacts, but the CEE plug system, which is designed for continuous load with 16 or 32 A and for weather conditions, is more suitable.
If there is sufficient customer frequency, it can be converted to a native type 2 charging infrastructure, which eliminates the need to use an in-cable control box.
Web links
- IEC standard (French) (PDF; 390 kB)
- SAE International: Standards, connectors, charging modes (PDF; 2.5 MB)
- open-evse to pilot signals
- Ratio-Electric: overview of connectors, modes, cables, ICCB
Individual evidence
- ^ [1] Electric car Wiki in GoingElectric
- ↑ https://www.elektrofahrzeug-umbau.de/tutorials/simple-evse-ladekabel/
- ↑ IEC 62752 (Chapter 9).
- ↑ Association e'mobile: Leaflet charging infrastructure electric vehicles (PDF, 792 kB), called July 9, 2013.