Ten Key Trends in Charging Module Technology for 2025
- 1. Elevated Protection Standards: IP65 as the New Norm
The integration of all-liquid cooling with independent air-duct designs has propelled the protection rating of charging modules from IP20 to IP65. This upgrade renders modules fully dustproof, waterproof, and fog-resistant. As a result, their service life has been extended from 3-5 years to 8-10 years. IP65 liquid-cooled modules are chiefly deployed for fast-charging scenarios, while IP65 independent air-duct modules are adaptable to a wide range of charging environments.
- 2. Expanded Power Granularity: ≥60kW
Advances in power devices and circuit topology innovations have made it feasible to introduce higher-power modules. Module power granularity has evolved from the prevalent 30kW/40kW platforms of the same size to the 60kW/80kW platforms, which offer finer-grained power options.
- 3. Enhanced Electrical Energy Conversion Efficiency: ≥97.5%
By replacing IGBTs with SiC MOSFET power devices, optimizing magnetic devices, refining circuit topologies, and improving control algorithms, line losses, on-resistance, and switching losses are reduced. This results in power conversion efficiency crossing the milestone of 97.5%.
- 4. Coexistence of Multiple Technologies for Optimal TCO
At present, the traditional direct ventilation mode, independent air duct and liquid cooling are the main heat-dissipation methods for charging piles. In the short term, these three technologies will coexist. Among them, the traditional direct ventilation mode /IP20 technology helps to minimize initial costs. The independent air duct /IP65 technology is used to optimize the whole life cycle (TCO) cost of charging station construction, and the liquid cooling /IP65 technology is ideal for fast-charging scenarios.
- 5. Integrated Bidirectional Charging and Discharging: Charging and Discharging Efficiency > 95%
The bidirectional charging and discharging technology is maturing steadily, fully supporting the functions of V2G/V2L/V2H, achieving the charging and discharging efficiency of more than 95%, and meeting the needs of vehicle-network interaction, industrial and commercial energy storage and reverse home load power supply of automobiles.
- 6. Destination Charging with Small DC: High-Protection Small-DC Solutions
The trend of slow charging by DC is prominent. Distributed installation eliminates the need for grid voltage boosting and expansion, promoting efficient grid resource utilization. 11kW/20kW/30kW low-power DC meets the demand of rapid energy replenishment in destination scenarios.
- 7. Ultra-Wide Voltage Output Range: 150V-1500V
Dynamic LLC resonance combined with wide-voltage DCDC technology enables the output voltage to cover the voltage requirements of the whole vehicle and meets the charging requirements of passenger cars, commercial vehicles and electric heavy trucks.
- 8. Full Support for MW-Level Fast Charging
Modular reconfigurable parallel technology allows power to be stacked up to megawatt-level fast charging. An intelligent current-sharing algorithm enables dynamic power distribution, meeting the requirements of megawatt-level fast-charging applications such as electric heavy-trucks and electric ships.
- 9. All in One.
The application of household optical storage charging and discharging and industrial and commercial energy storage charging and discharging is gradually increasing. The integrated optical-storage charging and discharging module features built-in MPPT, bidirectional AC/DC, and bidirectional DC/DC conversion. The energy of optical storage, charging and discharging can be flexibly scheduled, so as to realize power supply in and out of the grid or microgrid, reduce the dependence on the power capacity of the grid, promote the utilization of green energy and reduce the electricity cost.
- 10. Intelligent Drive and Full Digital Control: AI & DSP Integration
Embedding edge computing chip and integrating multi-core DSP optimization software algorithm can record and upload module service time and fault alarm information, monitor device temperature in real time, and make the module more intelligent. AI-based module-life prediction significantly reduces operation and maintenance pressures, facilitating the implementation of intelligent maintenance.
