I have made earlier a post on electrical car charging cables and charging stations technology. This s a continuation posting related to it. This posting links to DIY projects related to electrical vehicle charging cables. Those cables are quite expensive, so some DIY persons have tried to make their own versions. Some even claims have succeeded on this project. But take all the instructions with grain of salt, as we are dealing with dangerous voltages, high current and expensive devices. Making any mistakes can potentially electrocute you, start a fire (in cable, car or wall wiring) or destroy expensive electronics inside your electrical vehicle.
Here are some videos on troubleshooting and repairing commercial cables:
Electric Car Charger Troubleshooting
Repairing a damaged EV charging cable.
EVSE Level 1 J1772 plug replacement
Here are some interesting looking DIY electrical vehicle charging projects:
Designing a better portable EV charger (granny charger)
Arduino based very simple DIY EVSE / Charging station
Homemade level 2 EV charger quick overview
Designing a better portable EV charger (granny charger)
open-evse is an open Hardware and Software for Charging J1772 compliant Electric Vehicles. The EVSE promises to provide the connection, communication and safety devices between the EV and the wall.
What is OpenEVSE
OpenEVSE build and mini-review
Building an OpenEVSE kit 3
#24 – Do-It-Yourself OpenEVSE level 2 electric vehicle charger – part 1
#25 – Do-It-Yourself OpenEVSE level 2 electric vehicle charger – part 2
DIY Level 2 EV Charger Part 1 – The J1772 Standard
DIY Level 2 EV Charger Part 2 – Designing the Hardware
DIY Level 2 EV Charger Part 3 – Programming and Testing
27 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
New Silicon Carbide Semiconductors Bring EV Efficiency Gains
https://hackaday.com/2019/11/25/new-silicon-carbide-semiconductors-bring-ev-efficiency-gains/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Energy Storage Systems Boost EV Fast-Charger Infrastructure (Part 1)
With the EV market expected to dramatically rise in the near future, questions arise regarding how the electric grid can handle the load. Part 1 of this two-part series looks at the keys to building an infrastructure using energy storage systems.
https://www.electronicdesign.com/markets/automotive/whitepaper/21131625/energy-storage-systems-boost-ev-fastcharger-infrastructure-part-1
Energy Storage Systems Boost EV Fast-Charger Infrastructure (Part 2)
In Part 2 of this two-part series, we will analyze the critical components of the charging station and how to address the specific challenges that arise in design.
https://www.electronicdesign.com/markets/automotive/whitepaper/21133277/energy-storage-systems-boost-ev-fastcharger-infrastructure-part-2?utm_source=EG+ED+Auto+Electronics&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CPS200608042&o_eid=7211D2691390C9R&rdx.ident%5Bpull%5D=omeda%7C7211D2691390C9R&oly_enc_id=7211D2691390C9R
Tomi Engdahl says:
Raspberry Pi EVSE Hat
Use a Raspberry Pi to build an EV charging station
https://hackaday.io/project/167595-raspberry-pi-evse-hat
Tomi Engdahl says:
Vuorovirta-anturi sähköautojen latausasemiin
https://etn.fi/index.php/new-products/11903-vuorovirta-anturi-sahkoautojen-latausasemiin
Vuodesta 2016 lähtien IEC-standardit, tarkemmin sanoen IEC 62955 / IEC 62752, ovat edellyttäneet 6 mA:n DC-vuotovirran tunnistuskykyä kotitalouksissa vaadittavan Tyypin A vikavirtasuojan (RCD) toimimattomuuden estämiseksi. Tämä vika ilmenee, jos sähköauton latausasemassa on eristysvika.
Sähköauton arkkitehtuuriin sisältyy akusto, jota syötetään tasavirralla (DC), josta voi muodostua kotitalouksissa käytettävän vikavirtasuojan (RCD) deaktivoiva vuotovirta. Vikavirtasuojan estämiseksi ja sähköautojen omistajien kotitalouksien sähköpaneeleihin muutoin tarvittavan Tyypin B vikavirtasuojan asennustarpeen välttämiseksi sähköautojen latausasemat on varustettu DC-vuotovirran tunnistavalla laitteella. Tämä tunnistus on CDSR:n tehtävä.
https://www.lem.com/en/evs-chargers
Tomi Engdahl says:
Open Source Electric Vehicle Charging
https://hackaday.com/2021/04/06/open-source-electric-vehicle-charging/
https://dehnes.com/electronics/2021/03/31/dehneevse_charging_station.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
DehneEVSE – Open source EV charging station
https://dehnes.com/electronics/2021/03/31/dehneevse_charging_station.html
I designed and built my own EVSE EV Charging station from scratch because I wanted 2 stations with each 22kW support (3 phase, 400V, 32A) and “real-time” current & voltage measurements on all phases – in order to be able to do dynamic load sharing between the stations. E.g. if car-1 only uses 13A, the remaining 19A are allowed on the second station.
It was a real full stack project, reaching from hardware/electronics design all the way to the frontend webapp written in TypeScript.
Building your own charging stations is fun and gives you full control over the charging (assuming you like to code). It is also cheaper
DehneEVSE Open source EV Charging Station – Firmware
Arduino firmware (for Arduino Nano 33 IoT) for my DehneEVSE EV Charging Station.
https://github.com/sebdehne/DehneEVSE-Firmware
Tomi Engdahl says:
This Hacker Built His Own Open Source, Arduino-Controlled Electric Car Charging Station
EV chargers can be very expensive, which is why Sebastian Dehne designed this custom charging station with an Arduino Nano 33 IoT.
https://www.hackster.io/news/this-hacker-built-his-own-open-source-arduino-controlled-electric-car-charging-station-36602892374d
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://blog.arduino.cc/2021/04/07/dehneevse-is-a-custom-nano-33-iot-controlled-ev-charging-station/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Retrofitting Fast Charging To A Nissan Leaf EV
https://hackaday.com/2021/06/28/retrofitting-fast-charging-to-a-nissan-leaf-ev/
Electric cars have been around for a while now, and thus they’re starting to get chopped up and modded just like any other car. [Daniel Öster] is one such person doing the work, and recently posted his efforts to retrofit fast charging to an base-model Nissan Leaf that didn’t ship with the feature.
It’s an involved swap, requiring the substitution of several parts and surgery on the wiring loom. Cost of components was just 700 euros but the swap required 20 hours of labor. The vehicle in question is an early model Leaf that was already fitted with an upgraded 40 kWh battery, and the owner desired an upgrade to CHAdeMO fast charging to better use the larger pack.
Adding fastcharging to a base-model LEAF
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kyR5omOQu8
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2021/07/02/a-robot-to-top-up-your-tesla/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.openevse.com/
Tomi Engdahl says:
EasyEVSE Design #1 – Relays, Screw Terminals & PSU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJwEVV56EfQ
EasyEVSE Design #2 – PSU and Prototype Area
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxNepdpw4so
Tomi Engdahl says:
Test and Final Assembly – EasyEVSE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeVx2JY5bkI
Testing my simple EVSE circuit (based on AnalogEVSE – links below). Completing assembly of the mains section of the PCB.
http://www.analogevse.xyz/AnalogEVSE-en.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
http://www.analogevse.xyz/analogevse-v2.0.0-schematic.pdf
Tomi Engdahl says:
This DIY Level 2 Electric Vehicle Charger Costs Just Over $200
James Fotherby managed to build a reliable and powerful electric vehicle charger inexpensively.
https://www.hackster.io/news/this-diy-level-2-electric-vehicle-charger-costs-just-over-200-c73421ad676f
Tomi Engdahl says:
James Fotherby decided to design and build his own 7.2kW charging solution for around £200.
This EV charger packs an Arduino-based DIY solution in a commercial enclosure
https://blog.arduino.cc/2022/04/29/this-arduino-based-ev-charger-packs-a-diy-solution-in-a-commercial-enclosure/
The rapid adoption of electric vehicles over the last decade has required the installation of additional infrastructure to support them, namely high-voltage chargers that can deliver enough current to the batteries for fast recharging. But due to their potentially high cost, James Fotherby decided to design and build his own 7.2kW charging solution that was simultaneously cheap, simple, and safe to operate.
For the safety component, Fotherby had to ensure that any potential fault, such as a loose wire coming into contact with the car, would be detected in time so that power could be cut immediately. His design incorporated a coil that measures the amount of current heading to the car and the amount returning. If the two values don’t match, then an alert is triggered, and the relay switches off the power. Controlling the relay was accomplished by integrating an Arduino, which receives 5V via a series of two step-down converters.
https://www.instructables.com/Electric-Vehicle-EV-Charger/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Modernizing An Outdated Electric Vehicle Charging Station
https://hackaday.com/2022/06/12/modernizing-an-outdated-electric-vehicle-charging-station/
One of the drawbacks of being an early adopter is that you might end up investing in equipment that becomes obsolete rather quickly. Although it’s clear that electric vehicles are here to stay, those who bought a charging station for their EV a few years ago may find it slow and incompatible with modern cars or billing networks, necessitating an upgrade to one of the latest models.
If you don’t mind tinkering, these older chargers can provide an excellent base to construct your own state-of-the-art charging station, as [James] over at Diary-of-a-Geek did. He bought a Chargepoint CT2000 series charger and installed a brand-new charging unit inside based on OpenEVSE components. The CT2000 is an older model that’s no longer manufactured, and although it can still connect to Chargepoint’s network, a subscription renewal would cost several thousand dollars. [James] was not willing to make that investment for a unit that he was going to install at home anyway, so he decided to buy replacement parts from OpenEVSE, a supplier of open-source EV charging stations and components.
OpenEVSE ChargePoint EVSE (CT2000) Conversion
https://diary-of-a-geek.blogspot.com/2020/09/openevse-chargepoint-evse-ct2000.html
For this project I wanted to convert a commercial dual port ChargePoint EV charger into something I had full control over. With ChargePoint pushing its clients to upgrade to the CT4000 (the large LCD screen model) lots of people are tearing out the CT2000 series chargers and either scrapping them or selling them. I found mine on Facebook Market place for a couple hundred bucks. These chargers are built really well, with extruded aluminum cases, aluminum component modules that slide out for easy replacement, they are just really nicely built chargers made to take abuse from people and weather.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Charging an EV for $0 (Anker 757 PowerHouse)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZE447r1mFXM
Energy prices are skyrocketing and I don’t want to pay this so I combined the The Anker power pack wit my small solar panels to recharge my electric car for free. It’s automated now without voiding the warranty to cycle charge it bit by bit.
0:00 Intro
1:00 Charging from grid tie
3:05 Battery to EV
3:55 Solar to battery
5:48 The plan
7:14 Making a microcontroller
8:18 LDR display detection and actuators
9:35 Prototype success
10:37 Review: Testing all my tools
11:56 Uninterruptable Power supply mode
12:50 Final test: Solar to Battery to EV cycle
13:43 kthxbye
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://shop.gwl.eu/Special-Products/EVSE-kit-for-EV-charging-station.html?utm_source=fb&utm_medium=ads&utm_campaign=Produktovka+katalog&utm_content=DREM10%2BLL+%E2%80%93+PUR&fbclid=IwAR1FJMDkXV99XPht2EQu47_Ie_GTC3QIi8iEvDlZVY-1L-G_N_9jdIU8n5k
Using this kit you can make your own IEC 62196 (simplified) charging station for electric vehicles.
We have developed a board based on PIC microcontroller which is able to generate 1kHz PWM signal, detect the vehicle and control the relay. It is also possible to adjust PWM width for current regulation. The board is small enough to be installed directly into J1772 Yazaki connector.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2022/12/02/the-j1772-hydra-helps-you-charge-two-evs-at-once/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/04/11/truckla-gets-an-open-source-charging-buddy/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Suomalaisyhtiö julkaisi älykkään sähkönkäytön alustan – Säästi testissä 40 % latauskustannuksista
https://www.kauppalehti.fi/uutiset/suomalaisyhtio-julkaisi-alykkaan-sahkonkayton-alustan-saasti-testissa-40-latauskustannuksista/1bc306bc-8919-4830-81ee-53c05a7dd059
Tomi Engdahl says:
TIDA-010210
11-kW, bidirectional, three-phase ANPC based on GaN reference design
https://www.ti.com/tool/TIDA-010210?HQS=null-null-ese-ese_digipwrconv_tida010210-agg-rd-electronicdesign_04-wwe_int&DCM=yes&dclid=CMvzvZW72P4CFUxFHgId864Img
Tomi Engdahl says:
Design Considerations for Current Sensing in DC EV
Charging Applications
https://www.ti.com/lit/an/sbaa541/sbaa541.pdf?HQS=null-null-ese-ese_gen_sbaa541-agg-mc-electronicdesign_04-wwe_int&DCM=yes&dclid=CKKcjZm72P4CFUFKkQUdaLkJLw
Tomi Engdahl says:
Vehicle-to-Grid Made Easy
https://hackaday.com/2023/05/25/vehicle-to-grid-made-easy/
BYD-Battery-Emulator-For-Gen24
https://github.com/dalathegreat/BYD-Battery-Emulator-For-Gen24
This software converts the LEAF CAN into Modbus RTU registers understood by solar inverters that accept the BYD 11kWh HVM battery. This enables a very easy way to use EV batteries for plug’n’play storage solutions.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/09/18/fast-charging-a-cargo-bike-from-an-electric-car-charger/
Tomi Engdahl says:
DIY Manual EV Emulator
by Philip McGaw|Published 12 March 2024
An EV emulator or EVSE test box is a device that you can use to test EVSE equipment. it allows you to change between different charge states and cable configurations. It will also allow you to draw current from EVSE equipment, as well as offering through normal valid states, An EV emulation box may allow you to introduce error states.
https://philipmcgaw.com/diy-manual-ev-emulator/