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Does anyone know or understand what is an Onboard charger?

1085 Views 6 Replies 3 Participants Last post by  Alirio
An onboard charger (OBC) is a power electronics device in electric vehicles (EVs) that converts AC power from external sources, such as residential outlets, to DC power to charge the vehicle's battery pack. ( I copied this from What Is an Onboard Charger?) For an in-depth explanation, read the full article.

For example, the Toyota bZ4X has a 6.6-kW onboard charger and a 72 kWh battery. If the battery were extremely low, it would take approximately 11 hours to charge with a Level 2 charger fully. (72 divided by 6.6) Clipped from Charging a Battery Electric Vehicle: EV Charging Guide.

Most competitors have a higher-rated onboard charger; I've read somewhere that they will embark higher onboard charger on the coming BZ4X. Is that true? If so, I hope they will retrofit the previous onboard chargers on sold BZ4X.
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Over simplified:
The onboard AC charger is the component that converts AC from the grid to DC for the cars battery.
The "charger" you have in your garage wall is really a glorified wall socket that informs the cars onboard charger how much current is available.
My Bz4X is still in ship at Malmö Sweden on it's way to Finland, it has 11kW 3-Phase ac charger.
I don't know if it is economically feasible to retrofit older models with 6.6kW charger to 11kW.
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You have three phase AC power for household use?
You have three phase AC power for household use?
Yes, almost all households have three phase power here in Finland. (230V hot to neutral, 400V phase to phase.)
Perfect for EVs.
Also, I read that that after mid-2022 they would come with 11KW charger is that true? Can anyone corroborate this?
Yes, almost all households have three phase power here in Finland. (230V hot to neutral, 400V phase to phase.)
Perfect for EVs.
Yes, almost all households have three phase power here in Finland. (230V hot to neutral, 400V phase to phase.)
Perfect for EVs.
Wow, nice, here in Quebec we have single phase 120 to neutral. 240V two hot wire. Only commercial installation can have three phase.
An onboard charger (OBC) is a power electronics device in electric vehicles (EVs) that converts AC power from external sources, such as residential outlets, to DC power to charge the vehicle's battery pack. ( I copied this from What Is an Onboard Charger?) For an in-depth explanation, read the full article.

For example, the Toyota bZ4X has a 6.6-kW onboard charger and a 72 kWh battery. If the battery were extremely low, it would take approximately 11 hours to charge with a Level 2 charger fully. (72 divided by 6.6) Clipped from Charging a Battery Electric Vehicle: EV Charging Guide.

Most competitors have a higher-rated onboard charger; I've read somewhere that they will embark higher onboard charger on the coming BZ4X. Is that true? If so, I hope they will retrofit the previous onboard chargers on sold BZ4X.
it's common for car manufacturers to make improvements and upgrades to their vehicles over time, and this could include changes to the onboard charger.

If Toyota does introduce a higher-rated onboard charger for the bZ4X, it's unlikely that they would retrofit the previous onboard chargers on already sold vehicles. Upgrades and changes are usually reserved for newer models or versions of the vehicle.

It's also worth noting that the charging time of an electric vehicle isn't just determined by the onboard charger's output power. Factors such as the battery capacity, charging infrastructure, and charging protocols can all impact the overall charging time. So even with a lower-rated onboard charger, the bZ4X can still be a practical and convenient electric vehicle for many drivers.
That is an excellent point, thanks. After two weeks of driving the car and charging L2 at home, I must say that I was surprised.

The autonomy is perfect for my needs, but I'm anxious about this winter. There was one time, though, that I couldn't charge my car between two trips and I was supposed to to have enough battery but heavy rain, wipers, A/C has had me stopping three times beforeI got home. I felt the lack of stronger charger.
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