Hillcrest Energy Technologies announced the company has filed a patent application for a simplified EV charging solution. Initial proof-of-concept lab testing confirms the ability of the enhanced powertrain solution to provide universal, backward compatible, bidirectional (V2X) charging capabilities. A patent application has been submitted and development efforts will continue this year with the goal of naming a launch partner and proof of concept validation in 2023.

The patent filing represents an important milestone for Hillcrest CTO Ari Berger and the team of engineering collaborators. In addition to Berger, the patent inventors include Dr. Jalal Amini and Systematec GmbH's Harald Hengstenberger, with Hillcrest retaining all ownership rights associated with the patent application. The Hillcrest enhanced powertrain solution is a bidirectional charging architecture that leverages the efficiency and high switching frequency capabilities of the company's high-efficiency traction inverter to simplify the overall powertrain system and enhance an EV's performance and capabilities beyond what is currently available.

With this solution, EVs would no longer require an onboard charger, which is expected to reduce the cost, complexity and weight of an EV powertrain. Elimination of the onboard charger would allow an EV to be AC-charged with the maximum power capability of the traction inverter or of the AC charging source (whichever is lower) regardless of the system voltage. This key feature of the technology could allow EVs to adapt to future changes in maximum power capabilities in either the traction inverter or the AC charging source.