Charging mobile machines correctly

Charging mobile machines correctly

Erik Engel is a software developer and is responsible for the architecture of the onboard charger (OBC) for eLION solutions. He explains the challenges for charging mobile machinery, what users need to pay attention to and how Bosch Rexroth is optimizing the charging of mobile machinery.

What makes the charging of mobile machinery special?

In the off-highway sector, we charge in the high-voltage range. This means that we work with up to 800 volts and need additional safety functions. In addition, there are different types of grids around the world. In Europe, we rely on the 230 volt, three-phase grid. In North America, there is a single-phase grid. And then there are special forms, for example in Brazil. Some parts of the country rely on the European standard, others on the North American standard. The OBC must be able to respond to the markets and requirements. In addition, the mechanical loads are higher than in automotive charging. There are also environmental influences. Our technology must be robust. And then we have requests that, for example, the mobile machine should remain connected to the grid while working. In these trailing cable applications, the vehicle is continuously charged. With our eLION system solution, we can cover such applications.

What is your product?

The OBC is part of the eLION solution. Our team's product is the OBC as a stand-alone variant or as a slave variant. In the stand-alone variant, the OBC handles the charging communication with the column and the OEM only has to transmit the charging request and the vehicle's limitations to the OBC. The slave variant communicates with a higher-level controller, which then also handles the charging communication or the additional functions, and the OBC then "only" ensures the performance in AC charging. We see above all that the stand-alone variant is requested by OEMs because the customer would like to give up as much complexity as possible in order to be able to access the maximum possible charging performance from the OBC.

To gain a comprehensive understanding of the charging situation and the innovative system solutions from Bosch Rexroth, be sure to listen to the full podcast conversation with Erik Engel.