CURENT Power and Energy Industry Seminar – Dr. Hua
Kevin” Bai
Date: Friday, August 24, 2018
Time: 12:20 – 1:10pm EST
Location: Room 404, Min H. Kao Building, Knoxville, TN
Title: Maximizing the Potential of Wide-bandgap Devices for EV Battery Chargers
Presenter: Dr. Hua “Kevin” Bai, University of Tennessee
Abstract: Wide-bandgap devices (WBG) have been proven to be effective in reducing the size and increasing the efficiency of power electronics systems, for instance, the on-board charger (OBC) of electric vehicles (EVs). The next-step pursuit of power electronics scholars is how to maximize WBG potential while keeping the cost competitive. In this presentation, the charger optimization is reviewed from two aspects. From the device-level aspect, a hybrid switching module containing GaN HEMTs and Si MOSFETs is built and tested, aiming at the cost reduction. From the system-level aspect, the vehicle-to-home (V2H) or vehicle-to-load (V2L) feature is added to the EV OBC, proving an effective way of dealing with a grid blackout.
Bio: Dr. Kevin Bai received his B.S. and Ph.D. degree from the Department of Electrical Engineering at Tsinghua University, Beijing, China in 2002 and 2007, respectively. Dr. Bai was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Michigan-Dearborn from 2007 to 2010, assistant professor of the Robert Bosch endowed professorship at Kettering University (former General Motor Institute) from 2010 to 2016, and associate professor at University of Michigan-Dearborn from 2017 to 2018. He recently joined the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, as associate professor.
Dr. Bai’s research interests include power electronics with motor drive systems, battery chargers in electric vehicles, accessory power modules and battery management systems. He is the author of two books, 50 IEEE journal papers, 50 conference papers and 11 industrial patents. He is also the associate editor of the SAE International Journal of Alternative Powertrains.