CONVertER for Trucks

In order to reduce CO2 emissions in road freight transport, it is essential to switch from conventional combustion engines to electric drives. In terms of both ecological and economic factors, overhead lines for trucks offer an effective option for electrifying traffic on motorways. In order to reduce the expansion of the required infrastructure, the installation of overhead contact lines in sections is an efficient supply solution. Trucks are equipped with a battery so that they can also travel outside overhead lines. These batteries are to be recharged at the electrified sections of the motorways using a pantograph and a power electronic charger. The requirements for the charger are high performance, galvanic isolation with high power density and safety concepts for vehicle integration at acceptable costs.

In the course of the ConverT project, a modular, highly integrated power-electronic charger for overhead line trucks - OL trucks - in a power range of 200 kW will be developed and installed for the first time. By using silicon carbide semiconductors, this will have a drastically increased switching frequency and significantly lower weight and volume. Through the innovative approaches, the research pattern should show highest efficiency (>95 %). In order to demonstrate commercial manufacturability and additionally reduce the required installation space, additively manufactured forming tools for the production of close-to-production connecting elements for the modular, power electronic blocks are also being researched and tested.