Charging up the New Year with AI and EVs

­Happy New Year!

Welcome to the January issue and another year of the greatest power electronics coverage since J.J. Thomson first discovered the electron (OK, not quite that long).

And with our arbitrary flipping of the calendars (and trying in vain to remember a new four-digit number), what’s to look forward to in 2025?

Well, to start, there’s just no getting around the overwhelming ubiquitous of artificial intelligence. The concept of AI has been tossed around for well over a century, and the very first cinematic robots – like the Maschinenmensch in Fritz Lang’s landmark 1927 film, Metropolis – trace their lineage to humanity’s fears of automation, and how AI would transform society.

But AI saw its true genesis in the early 2020s, with generative AI taking over social media (and seemingly every corner of the web) – in a post-pandemic world, ChatGPT released to the public in 2022, with more programs to follow. These days, generative AI isn’t just processing text-to-image prompts, but music, videos, 3D modeling, creative writing, and even coding.

And we’re at the very, very beginning of AI’s potential, as CES attendees will realize/have realized by now – like the Internet of Things, AI will become pervasive in our daily lives, hopefully for the betterment of mankind. We won’t reach that level of ubiquity in 2025, but we’ll continue to see more and more casual AI applications.

AI will become indispensable for most bleeding-edge technology – like EVs, hybrids, and our burgeoning charging infrastructure, which collectively, form the basis for our January issue.

Whether due to government regulations or the steady march of technological progress, EVs are steadily taking over the automotive world, and in order to establish a proper foothold, EVs need the corresponding infrastructure – especially quick chargers, which will make the ease the gas-to-electric transition and help alleviate the last vestiges of “range anxiety.”

One of this month’s contributors, EMIS Global’s Felix Raj, discusses the importance of quick charging stations and how their “increased power demands, high switching frequencies, and sophisticated electronics create significant challenges” (like electromagnetic interference).

DC-DC converters (which employ high-speed switching components like Insulated-Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBTs)), along with silicon carbide and gallium nitride, are amongst several factors causing or increasing EMI.

And if left untreated, EMI can cause several issues like internal disruptions, external disruptions, and conduction and radiation.

As Felix points out, “Careful EMI management is crucial to avoid disruptions in both the charger’s operation and surrounding electronics.”

By following his recommendations, “EV fast charging stations can reduce EMI, enhance performance, and comply with both safety and EMC standards, ensuring a safe, efficient, and reliable charging experience for all users.”

Enjoy the January issue!

Best Regards,

Jason Lomberg

North American Editor, PSD