Electric vehicle sensors must monitor fast charging

The safe and efficient starting and stopping of fast EV charging is ensured by sensor technology. Fast charging requires fast-responding sensors - primarily vehicle temperature sensors.

Without real-time monitoring to trigger the system to maintain the ideal temperature, the risk of thermal damage to EV components increases dramatically.

EVs need temperature sensors in three places to enable fast charging:

1. Connection points

2. Thermal management system

3. Inside the battery pack

1. Connection points

The connection point must have temperature sensors in two places: the charging port and the charging handle.

To charge quickly, many electrons must be transferred quickly from the EV service equipment to the car battery. This high current generates heat. High temperatures in the charging port can indicate a poor connection between the charging handle and the EV contacts. From an efficiency point of view, a poor connection means that the vehicle is not charging as fast as it should. In addition, high temperatures in the EV fast charger connector also indicate that the charger is being overloaded by the current demand or is starting to fail.

2. Thermal Management System

Overheating within the EV thermal management system is an immediate signal that it is not working as expected and that its components are heating up, e.g:

Heat Exchanger / Cooling Plate / Coolant / Refrigerant / Insulating Oil

Excessive temperatures also indicate that the EV cooling system is being overwhelmed by the overheating of the components it is designed to cool.

3. Batteries

Lithium-ion batteries charge well between 45 and 60C, but can be damaged during charging at temperatures slightly above this. If the temperature inside the battery pack is outside this range, the car may go into safe mode and shut down, or worse, thermal runaway.

Battery overheating is one of the final indicators of a problem with the vehicle's charging.

Immediate cooling is required to maintain the long-term functionality and safety of the battery.