As plug-in hybrids and electric cars slowly begin swarming, charging technologies are quickly being modified to better suit the user’s tastes. Power Assist Technology Ltd and Shimane University together have come up with the world's smallest charger for plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles. This little charger measures 116 x 279 x 225mm, about 1/3rd the size of the conventional EV charger. Also, with an input of AC200V, output of DC400V and 3.3kW worth of electric power, this charger is about 92% more efficient than the rest.

Also, in order to increase efficiency of the unit as a whole, the developers used an interleaving technology, dividing the inverter circuit of AC-DC converter into two. With this, charging electric vehicles in the near future could soon turn into a simpler, more-efficient and space-saving affair.

[techon.nikkeibp]