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AFE031: PLC for EV charging station

user4979999
Prodigy 690 points
Part Number: AFE031

Hi,

We would like to search a PLC (powerline communication) over the pilot signal , the communication between EV and EV charging station.

We found a TI’s PLC solution à AFE031 

Dose the AFE031 have the HomePlug Green PHY function? Is AFE031 suitable solution for EV charging station?

If not, could you help provide other suitable solution?

thanks!

  • 0
    TI__Guru 57101 points

    Hi  ,

    Q:  Is AFE031 suitable solution for EV charging station?

    AFE031 and AFE032 (AFE03x) are Narrow-Band PLC (NB-PLC) Analog Front End Controller. Yes, it can be used for EV charging station application. NB-PLC application is limited to BW < 500kHz, so this is a relative low speed communication method. 

    There is another high speed class of Broad-Band PLC communication (>500kHz), which it resembles home network communication that is able to send/receive data via AC or DC powerline. TI representative product in High Speed (HS) space is THS6222, but it is only a power amplifier line driver, which it is designed to transmit HS analog data over an powerline. 

    Q: Dose the AFE031 have the HomePlug Green PHY function?

    The HomePlug Green PHY specification (has become a protocol) is a subset of HomePlug AV that is intended for smart grid application. Based on its peak rate information (up to 10 Mbps), it belongs to Broadband PLC category, which it is using THS6222 or similar power amplifier to transmit data over a powerline (Analog Front End). AFE03x does not have the data rate speed to complete with the application, and it is designed for a low speed PLC communication applications.  

    When you are referring to Physical functions, you are mainly talking about the OSI model in network layers for transmitting/receiving data packets. AFE03x is only an Analog Front End controller, which is allocated at the bottom of the OSI physical layer. Everything else on top of the OSI layers are typically handled by application software (sometime handled by hardware). So AFE03x or THS6222 products do not offer the upper layers in OSI model in a communication protocol currently.  However, we do work with 3rd party partners who are specialized in similar communication protocols via PLC application.   

    Since I do not have design requirements between EV and EV charging stations, I am unable to provide you with a detailed application support. A typical EV charging stations are handled charging events in stand alone mode (such as SOC, SOH, Zout impedance, charging time, battery charging voltage and current, fault conditions etc).. Only small fractions of data need to be communicated between EV charging and the central charging station. Thus the data transmission rates via PLC do not need to be very high (e.g. up to 2-100 kbps) in the application. 

    Please contact me directly via TI's internal email, and perhaps I am able to provide you with more detailed support. 

    Best,

    Raymond