Reconfigurable Cascaded Multilevel Converter: A New Topology for EV Powertrain

This paper presents a novel cascaded multilevel converter topology with reconfigurable battery modules able to merge the power conversion and the battery management functionalities for electric powertrain application. In the proposed topology, each battery cell can be individually connected or bypassed according to the required voltage and current levels. Both the charging and discharging processes can be controlled to avoid voltage imbalances between the cells and to enhance fault tolerance, battery life, and safety. Converter switching and conduction losses are evaluated and used as key parameters for the optimization of the proposed architecture. Furthermore, an efficiency comparison between a conventional three-phase IGBT-based inverter and the proposed topology is carried out. The two topologies are evaluated according to the WLTP Class 3 driving cycles, showing their average efficiency in each cycle. The comparison results show that the performance achieved with the proposed topology is extremely promising to combine state-of-the-art functionalities with the new paradigm of battery management.