High-Voltage Testing

High-voltage emulation of e-mobility components

The high-voltage electronic loads from dSPACE make it possible to emulate an electric motor, a battery, or a power grid during hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulation. Consequently, this lets you test control units with voltages up to 1,250 V1) using integrated power electronics. The electronic loads can emulate all conceivable AC or DC sinks and sources.

The high-voltage load setup from dSPACE seamlessly integrates real-time models, processor-based and FPGA-based real-time platforms, and especially highly dynamic load modules.

The compact and modular DS5386 High-Voltage Electronic Load Modules raise the signal-based HIL system to the power level. They can be used flexibly with regard to currents per phase and number of phases as well as the type of source or sink to be emulated. The system’s scalability allows for a combination of multiple high-voltage cabinets to further increase the test system’s power. Using the same hardware to emulate loads, such as electric motors, and sources, such as batteries, makes the systems cost-effective and easy to maintain. The energy flow in the system circulates without complex grid feedback, increasing efficiency while minimizing load and harmonic distortion on the mains supply. More components can be added to the emulator hardware, such as voltage ripple generators, a climate chamber, or precise conditioning units to control the cooling conditions for the device under test (DUT).

All of these features improve test coverage at reduced costs (compared to a dynamometer) and reduced development times. Furthermore, this high-voltage load setup makes it possible to carry out standardized tests (e.g., LV123 and ISO/DIS 21498) that previously required a mechanical test bench. The tests can be fully automated, can run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and are 100% reproducible. 

Unique Features

  • Modular approach for highest flexibility at full power
  • Operation point management achieves precise emulation results even at small currents
  • Outstanding and very realistic current emulation
  • Identical modeling environment for tests on the signal and power levels
  • Current-based emulation, specifically tailored to HIL simulation at the power level
  • Simulation of variable motor inductances without the requirement for switching or exchanging any hardware components
  • Easy parallel connection of several DS5386 High-Voltage Electronic Load Modules
  • Scalable voltage emulation dynamics (up to 10 V per μs) thanks to the FPGA-based control of a desired number of high-voltage electronic load modules connected in parallel
  • The same hardware can be used for all emulation tasks
  • Efficient operation thanks to a circular energy flow without energy recovery to the mains: the power supply requires less than 15% of the emulation power
  • High power density per emulation cabinet, resulting in a small overall system footprint
  • Safe test conditions thanks to the completely virtual environment (no moving parts and no real devices for energy storage like batteries) and safety mechanisms for power electronics

HIL systems with high-voltage electronic load modules from dSPACE provide highly dynamic emulation of electric motor, battery, and grid components with several megawatts of power and ECU voltages of up to 1,250 V. Virtual testing with these power hardware-in-the-loop (PHIL) systems eliminates the need for expensive and time-consuming motor prototype production. All components of hybrid and fully electric drives can be represented with the real energy flow. These high-voltage PHIL capabilities make us a unique provider of single-source, ready-to-use simulation solutions for the complete range of electric vehicle drives.

Typical applications for our high-voltage systems are dynamic tests at the power level of the following:

  • Solar and wind inverters
  • Charging stations and onboard chargers
  • Traction inverters
  • Electric aircraft propulsion
  • Electromechanical aircraft actuation systems
  • Industrial drives

You can choose from a variety of test scenarios for your application:

  • Functional tests
  • Load tests
  • Tests of controller robustness
  • Tests of critical operation conditions
  • Conformance tests according to LV123 and ISO/DIS 21498
  • Using flexible motor parameters (inductance, resistance, flux, etc.), including parameter changes during run time
  • Enhanced simulation possibilities, e.g., simulation of electrical faults or manipulation of feedback signals

1) Up to 1,000 V with full bandwidth.

Our Products

DS5386 High-Voltage Electronic Load Module

High-voltage electronic load module for power HIL simulation – ideally suited for testing electric motor controllers, including power electronics (voltage range: up to 1,250 V)

Use Cases

Traction Motor Inverter Testing

Simulation environment for high-voltage testing with required battery voltage and motor current

Power HIL Testing for Onboard Charger

Testing charging equipment with real currents and voltages and model-based grid emulation

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