IIT Madras launches Made-In-India 2KW DC Portable Charger to help EV Adoption

The 2KW charger has been designed and developed by CEET with funding by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Govt of India (MeitY) and will be deployed through industrial partner Flowtrik Technologies. 

IITM Research Park’s Centre of Excellence in Energy and Telecommunications, IITM (CEET), announced the launch of its high efficiency DC portable charger for 2W and 3W Electric Vehicles, tailor-made for Indian temperature conditions.

The launch marks a significant step in contributing towards the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology’s (MeitY) mission of accelerating Electric Vehicle adoption in India, reducing the current dependence on imported charging solutions. This indigenously developed Portable Charger was launched by Shri S. Krishnan, Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) in the presence of Prof. Ashok Jhunjhunwala, President, IIT Madras Research Park.

Green transport with zero or minimal carbon footprint is the need of the hour in India.  Most electric vehicles under 2W and 3W category are provided with a portable charger as an accessory along with the vehicle during their purchase. This provides the user with flexibility to charge the vehicle at their convenience.

Currently a substantial portion of portable chargers utilized by OEMs are imported and arrive pre-programmed. Hence, they are not customizable in terms of voltage and current settings. Thermal and mechanical design play a major role in ensuring the proper functionality of the chargers. This further underlines the importance of developing Make-In-India chargers to aid in the proliferation of EVs in India.

To address this challenge and increase local manufacturing, the 2KW charger has been designed and developed by CEET with funding by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Govt of India (MeitY) and will be deployed through industrial partner Flowtrik Technologies. 

These chargers sporting an efficiency of >95% and functioning at a maximum operating ambient of 50 Degree Celsius are built with over-load, over-voltage, reverse polarity and in-built EMI/EMC filter. The chargers are designed to meet safety standard IEC 60950-1.

Charger design also includes optional provision to communicate with battery for adaptive charging based on battery requirement and hooks for IoT to enable live tracking of charging related parameters. Power output settings can be customized based on the volume of the manufacturing to suit the requirement of individual OEMs.

The specification includes the same charger in terms of hardware and software for 48V35A and 60V30A variant. With a little modification in magnetics, the same hardware can be

used as 72V25A that helps in the inventory management of components for production. Successful large-scale manufacturing of this technology can significantly make a difference in the portable charger market.

Shri S Krishnan, Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology said IITM Research Park is now an internationally recognized brand. The Park is vibrant and effervescent, constantly innovating and promoting new initiatives. The new 2 KW EV charger designed in the Park and using recycled material is an important step forward. Meity is very proud of being associated with this venture.”

Mr Sasikumar Gendham, Managing Director at Salcomp Manufacturing India Private Limited added “We are pleased to be a partner with IITMRP and Flowtrik, on design and development of chargers for EV, to be manufactured at world class facility of Salcomp in Chennai for India and rest of the world”.