German startup pushes DC charging technology with efficiency exceeding 99%

According to foreign media reports, students at Ruhr University Bochum in Germany have developed an off-road vehicle that can be charged with photovoltaic modules (PV, a device that converts solar energy into electricity). And the car will not be driven on the A40 highway in Ruhr, but in the 45-degree Celsius Simpson Desert in Australia.

(Image source: Ruhr University Bochum)

The SolarBuggy is equipped with foldable solar modules, and charging the battery requires efficient, small and lightweight charging technology. Therefore, the charging technology must be able to achieve optimal efficiency in the most extreme desert conditions, and must be dust-proof and be able to dissipate heat through the casing without the need for fans even at high temperatures.

The students established a technical cooperation with Ambibox, a startup company based in Mainz near Frankfurt am Main, Germany, which modified the charging controller and the corresponding power electronics. Manfred Przybilla, General Manager of Ambibox, said: "The charging technology used in the SolarBuggy model meets the requirements of the charging infrastructure for future electric vehicles : high efficiency, small footprint, high performance, and based on DC voltage."

The SolarBuggy team hoped to set a new record by crossing the Simpson Desert in less than 4 days and 21 hours, but failed to achieve this goal due to extremely hot weather, and the car's solar cells could only provide 3 kW of power instead of the expected 5 kW. Charging time was also extended, and when a sandstorm arrived, the students abandoned their attempt to break the record.

But Ambibox has reached a milestone: its DC charging technology is more than 99 percent efficient, a world first, the company says.

Ambibox's charging technology allows direct connection of various DC devices without taking a detour through the AC (alternating current) network, and can also automatically regulate the energy flow of the devices. Ambibox said that since DC power no longer needs to be converted into AC power and vice versa, depending on the application, its charging technology can save up to 20% of energy and eliminate expensive inverters.