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Decode the Hidden Harmonics Driving Today’s EV-Charging Boom
As Level 1, Level 2, and high-power DC chargers (up to 350 kW) proliferate, each technology leaves a distinct harmonic fingerprint and dynamic load profile on distribution feeders. This white paper maps those fingerprints—from 3rd-order currents in residential trickle units to the pronounced 5th- and 7th-order distortion of 150–350 kW dispensers—using field captures from PMI Seeker and Revolution instruments. It explains how ramp-up, taper, and clustering patterns shape voltage THD and feeder headroom, ties the findings to IEEE 519 limits and transformer thermal curves, and supplies practical monitoring workflows, instrumentation-placement tips, and mitigation options so engineers can benchmark existing conditions and model future adoption scenarios. It also outlines how the industry’s shift toward the NACS connector will alter pilot-signal behaviour and what that means for monitoring gear already deployed.
Key topics include:
- EV Charger Classifications
- Charging Connectors & Communication Protocols
- Charging Costs & Load-Shaping Implications
- Power Quality Impacts
- Recommendations for Utility PQ Investigation
Why utilities should care:
Utilities are rapidly being asked to approve clusters of four-to-twelve fast chargers—single sites capable of swinging several megawatts onto a feeder in seconds. If the accompanying 5th- and 7th-order harmonics, rapid current ramps, and unbalanced phase loading go unmeasured, the result can be regulator hunting, capacitor-bank mis-operations, elevated neutral heating, and customer flicker complaints. By showing exactly what to measure, where to measure it, and how to interpret the data, this paper equips distribution planners, substation engineers, and PQ specialists to protect asset life, keep THD within IEEE 519 limits, and justify targeted reconductoring, control-strategy tweaks, or harmonic-filter investments—before reliability KPIs or public-charging uptime are jeopardised.
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