DC Charging for Automotive 2024

Glossary

Report objectives

Scope of the report

Definitions

Methodology

About the author

Companies cited

What we got right, what we got wrong

Three-page summary

Executive summary

Context

• • EV charging infrastructure as a key to achieving CO₂ reduction targets
  • By 2030, EV production reaches globally same level as ICE
  • Incentive mechanisms in different regions of the world

Market forecast

• • Why Yole has modified its charger market segmentation
  • 2022-2029 EV DC charger system market split by nominal power
  • 2022-2029 EV DC charger system market value
  • 2022-2029 power module market volume for EV DC chargers
  • 2022-2029 power device market value for EV DC chargers
    • Split by discrete devices/power modules
    • Split by semiconductor device type
  • 2019-2029 wafer market volume for EV DC chargers
    • SiC wafers

Market trends

• • Market trends overview
  • Should have an EV to get charged!
  • Plug-in Hybrids do need dc charging
  • Power charger are more than enough
  • Where is a potential for low-power DC chargers?
  • Totalenergies has made it: 100% electric service station
  • Is the business of charging profitable ?
  • Will EV get paid back?
  • The chasm of BEV adoption
  • Is V2G a viable business ?
  • Heavy Duty Charging

Supply chain

• • Why is the charging infrastructure attracting various types of companies?
  • EV DC charging infrastructure supply chain structure
  • EV chargers with SiC technology
  • Market share of dc charger

Growing competition in charging business

• • Leading EV DC charger suppliers
  • Recent mergers, acquisitions, and IPOs
  • Partnerships
  • Key players: Tesla
  • Key players: Tritium
  • Key players: Alpitronic
  • China – overview
  • China – DC charger operators
  • Chinese players in DC charging supply chain
  • V2G in China

Technology trends

• • DC charger technology evolution
  • Three configurations of a charging station
  • General trends
  • Focus on EV fast charging
    • Charging time vs. charging power – slow and fast charging
    • Key parameter: number of kilometers per minute of charging
    • High power charging vs 800v vehicles
    • Multiple charge ports for multiple battery packs?
  • Technology Trends at Charging Solution Level
    • What is the added value of a buffer battery in EV DC charger?
    • Battery buffer & Microgrid
  • Technology Trends at System and Device Levels
    • technology trends in power converters tailored to meet the customers’ needs
    • Why DC/DC should be isolated
    • Impact of technology trends on passive components
    • Why 30- and 40-kW power module are (and will remain) the trend
    • HOW to use 650 V devices with 1,000V charger
    • Bidirectional chargers do not take off yet
    • charger modules – main technology trends and characteristics in 2023
    • AC-DC and DC-DC modules
  • Liquid cooling
    • Air cooling limitations
    • Towards the end of onboard chargers?
    • All-in-one Tritium Liquid cooled EV DC chargers
    • Distributed dispenser, Huawei liquid cooled DC charger
    • Opportunities for liquid cooling in EV DC chargers
  • Power devices in DC chargers
    • General trends
    • Battery voltage trend is driving charger specifications
    • New Discrete devices for DC chargers
    • Comparison of 30 kW DC Power modules: Si vs SiC
    • SiC in DC chargers
    • Gan in dc chargers
  • Tesla at a glance
    • Bottleneck on ultra fast charger : connector and/or cables?
    • Electric vehicle DC charger connector trends
    • Evolution of tesla chargers
    • Tesla V4 charger
  • Battery swapping
    • Pros & cons of battery swapping
    • Battery swapping – supply chain
    • Market leader: NIO

Outlook

Appendix

About Yole Group

The DC charging system market will reach a value of $23.7 billion by 2029

DC EV charging represents a relatively new business opportunity for power electronics players. This market will be sustainable since an increasing number of charging points are deployed year after year, and soon the issue of replacement will emerge. AC chargers will remain as long as onboard Chargers (OBCs) exist by default in cars; OBCs will remain as long as DC infrastructure is not strongly consolidated ‘everywhere’ (likely in 10-15 years). The total EV DC charging system market will reach $23 billion by 2029. In 2023, the largest market segment in $M was chargers between 50 and 150 kW. Nevertheless, the demand for high-power chargers is rapidly growing, with a strong demand for power over 150kW. In 2029, the largest market value, $9.2 billion, will be associated with the very high-power (150 kW ≤ x ≤ 350 kW) charger. The adoption of a 1,000 V charger will simplify the choice for EV owners to ‘plug and go’ regardless of battery pack voltage (400V or 800V). OEMs with EVs based on 800 V battery approach would not struggle anymore how to adapt their batteries to 500V chargers. This will lead to volume, weight, and cost reduction on vehicle level.

The business of independent charging service providers is squeezed by giants with various backgrounds

There is a significant synergy between domestic energy supply and public charging since local electricity would be cheaper. Sourcing, trading, and optimizing the cost of electricity are much easier using the utility grid. That gives them an advantage over other Charge Point Operators (CPOs). They also have higher cash flow, which allows them more flexibility during crises. Engie, Total Energies, Shell, and Enel have acquired several CPO startups that likely have good charger locations. Most charger manufacturers were already in the market and are major players, such as ABB, Kempower, Delta (Industrial converters), Kreisel (Battery business), Bosch, BorgWarner (Tier 1 companies), Tesla, Nio, and XPENG (car makers). The charging infrastructure market remains fragmented with rapidly evolving ranking of key players.

Revolutionary SiC adoption in EV charger

The main trends in EV DC chargers are an increase in the maximum charger voltage from 500 to 1,000V to be able to charge both 400 V and 800V battery and an increase in power to above 350kW to enable ultra faster charging. Charger nominal power of 350 kW and more is well beyond the battery charging capability of today’s electric vehicles. Such ultra-fast chargers are increasingly designed to simultaneously charge two or more vehicles using dynamic power allocation feature. Bidirectional chargers will not be a mainstream as long as V2G is not taking off. Silicon transistors, i.e., discrete IGBTs and MOSFETs, are the most common devices in EV DC chargers. Smaller charger footprint, higher thermal capability (è simpler and cheaper cooling system), 1,200 V breakdown voltage are among the drivers for SiC MOSFET devices. The combination of all these parameters AND return on investment (in a high utilization rate charging station) let the SiC more adopted. Liquid cooling is being adopted for ultra-fast chargers. Increasing interest in this technology even for lower power in the residential or enclosed areas where noise could be crucial.

ABB, Alpitronic, Aulton New Energy Automotive Technology, Autel, blink, BorgWarner, BTC Power, ChargePoint, Delta Electronics, efacec, Engie, EVBOX, evconnect, Fuji Electric, Greenway, Hitachi, Hyundai, Infineon, Infy Power, Ionity, JFE Technos, Kempower, Kreisel, Linyi New Energy Technology, Littelfuse, Nidec, NIO, OKAYA, Phoenix Contact, Rectifier Technologies, Semikron Danfoss, Setec Power, Shijiazhuang Tonhe Electronics Technologies, Sicon Chat Union Electric (SCU), Siemens, Sinexel, SK Signet, STMicroelectronics, Tesla, Shijiazhuang Tonhe Electronics Technologies Co., Ltd. (Tonhe Technologies), TGOOD New Energy (TELD), TotalEnergies, Tritium, UUGreenPower, Vestel, Volkswagen, Wanbang Digital Energy (StarCharge), Watt&Well, Wolfspeed, XPENG, Zhejiang Benyi Electrical (Beny Electric), Sichuan Injet New Energy Co. (Weeyu), and more

Report's objectives

• Provide market metrics and forecasts for EV DC chargers.
• Analyze the drivers and challenges for electric vehicles and EV charging infrastructure.
• Present main technological trends and ongoing developments for DC EV charger power electronics at each level (charging station, charger topology, charger system design, power device, semiconductor technology).
• Provide market metrics and forecasts for EV DC charger-related power electronic devices, from system down to wafer.
• Deep dive in the mainstream topologies allowing using 650 V devices.
• Present the evolution of electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and show how this impacts the EV DC charging market.
• Oversee the main players across the EV DC charging supply chain.
• Analyze how the business models and supply-chains are evolving.

Key Features

• 2022-2029 forecast for EV DC chargers and power electronic devices for EV DC chargers (Munits, $M)
• 2022-2029 forecast for silicon and SiC wafers for EV DC chargers
• Market trends in e-mobility and EV DC charging infrastructure
• Overview of the EV DC charging infrastructure supply chain, including  power device manufacturers, EV DC charger module manufacturers, charger system manufacturers, charging point operators. Deep insight into DC charger module manufacturers, products and technology. Comparison of EV DC charging and its alternatives (AC charging, wireless charging, battery swap) 

What's new?

• EV DC chargers new segmentation according to power categories more representative to the products available on the market and future trends.
• Market shares of the key charger manufacturers.
• Insight into Chinese supply chain.