The Manzita Micro PFC-20

household electric range or clothes dryer. Let’s take a look at your actual options: build your own, and several different types of off-the-shelf chargers you can buy.

Also, three-phase power is found in industry and the power grid, not in the home. Homes are usually single-phase. Very high-voltage power lines have six wires plus a lightning ground at the top. Opposing wires are the same phase. AC electric cars usually use three-phase motors where the voltage and frequency must be changed as driving conditions vary.

Whether to have an on-board or an off-board charger is another consideration. Onboard gives you driving convenience (charge whenever you like); is light in weight; and is low in power consumption. Some commercial EV controllers, like the AC Propulsion model discussed in Chapter 7, even share components between the on-board invertercontroller and battery charger for minimum parts count and maximum efficiency (current flow decides the circuit function automatically—nifty!). Off-board gives you high power capability that translates to minimum charging time in a permanent charging station, which can incorporate many additional features.

Below are two of the most popular chargers on the market today. They are the standard for the industry and are really accepted by the marketplace.

The Manzita Micro PFC-20

Some say, “More expensive than the Zivan, but worth it.” A Manzita Micro is pictured in Figure 9-4. Here are some of the specifications:

• The PFC-20 is designed to charge any battery pack from 12 volts to 360 volts nominal (14.4 to 450 peak). It is power factor–corrected and designed to either put out 20 amps (if the battery voltage is lower than the input voltage) or draw 20 amps from the line (if the line voltage is lower than the battery voltage). The buck enhancement option on the PFC-20 will enhance the output to 30 amps.

There is a programmable timer to shut off the charger after a period of time set by the user. • For installation instructions, go to www.manzanitamicro.com/install pfc20revC no photos.doc

Figure 9-4 The Manzita Micro PFC-20, an extremely versatile battery charger.