The DC charging station is a Level 3 charger which can cater for very high power level in the range of 120 to 240 kW. The L3 chargers typically charge batteries to 80% State of Charge (SOC) in under 30 minutes. To achieve such high power levels modular converters which can be stacked are used. Stacking of converters inside the vehicle makes the vehicle bulky. Hence, these stacked converters are placed outside the vehicle and constitute the EV charging station. The EV charging station is directly interfaced with the battery of the vehicle bypassing the onboard charger. Figure 1-2 shows a typical block diagram of a DC charging station.

For more information on on-board chargers and off-board chargers, see the Taking charge of electric vehicles – both in the vehicle and on the grid white paper.