Isolated CAN bus transceivers with built-in DC/DC converters are available, but they are more expensive than their
non-isolated counterparts and the choice of supplier is restricted. A more flexible and often more cost-effective alternative is to use a non-isolated transceiver with a digital isolator and a DC/DC converter module to build an isolated CAN-bus interface (Figure 3).
Although this solution uses more components, the choice of supplier is wider and the total cost of ownership (TCO) can be lower. A common question is, “how long do electric car batteries last?” One of the most important functions of the battery management system for electric vehicles is to prolong the lifetime of the battery packs by balancing the charging and discharging current through individual cells, bypassing defective cells and preventing the battery packs of plug-in electric vehicles from being accidentally overcharged or suffering a catastrophic deep discharge.
Thermistors are also built into each electric vehicle battery pack for proper battery thermal management, as temperature extremes can also seriously affect battery lifetime. However, without continuous and reliable communication between the EV battery and the battery management system, this protection cannot be guaranteed. Therefore, the isolation in RECOM’s
RxxCTxxS products has undergone time dependent dielectric breakdown (TDDB) testing and has a projected insulation lifetime of more than 600 years.
