Universal EV battery chargers
Updated June 20 '2008

All featured models designed as static converters based on resonant switching topology, and are power factor corrected and isolated, meaning there is no direct connection between AC mains and traction battery. Rated AC input voltage is 220VAC, working voltage range is 120 VAC...240 VAC . The charger is guaranteed to deliver full power with input above approx. 170VAC. At lower input voltages (120VAC...170VAC the charger maintaines full functionality with output power reduced proportionally to the input voltage. All other parameters remain the same. The rate of the power reduction with lower than rated  AC mains input is described on the page 16 of the NLG5 User's Manual. The output of NLG503-lite is half of that of the NLG513-xx The absolute minimum mains input voltage is about 90VAC for either type.

The max output power also depends on the output voltage and is guaranteed for the rated voltage range. The charger will supply max current (for given mains voltage) into a lower voltage battery than minimum rated range limit, but the output power will be reduced. Even the highest output voltage model (360...720V output) can successfully charge a single 12V battery, but the output current follows the same limitation (per mains voltage input) as for a string of batteries.

Minimum output DC voltage listed in the selection matrix is guaranteed to provide full rated power, however chargers are capable to supplying lower output voltage, for instance it is possible to charge single 12V battery. Granted the output power will be low but device is functional and can be used that way if needed.

3 offered options are shown here - top air cooled ( photo 1, photo 2 ), side air cooled (photo 1, photo 2) and water cooled (photo 1, photo 2).

All base NLG51x models have 3.3 kW nominal charging power and overall cover output voltage range from 130 VDC to 720 VDC (broken into 4 output voltage ranges, see selector guide). The NLG503-lite has 1.6kW output power at nominal 220VAC input. Only one output voltage range 200...520 VDC is available for NLG503-lite; other parameters are the same as for NLG51x-xx series. The NLG51x-xx chargers are stackable, i.e. one or more booster modules can be connected to the base model, respectively increasing total output current and so the output power. Same result can be achieved paralleling charger's inputs and outputs, this is allowed. The total output capability in this case is only limited by the capacity of the AC mains supply.

There are three modes of charger operation - autonomous, booster and driven via CAN interface. In autonomous programmable mode the charger operates without external intervention and completes charging on its own. User definable charging profile is stored in the charger's memory and easily can be modified. Charging profiles are stored as files in a host PC and can be downloaded to the charger via RS232 serial interface. The library of charging profiles for the most common battery chemistries, as well as host PC software, comes on included CD-ROM, and free updates are available from manufacturer web site as newer batteries are appearing on the market. The mode of operation (autonomous, CAN or booster) as well as any changes in charging profile can be easily set by user via ChargeStar software available from library page.

Chargers provide temperature compensation based on input from up to three temp sensors, optionally expandable to 48 sensors. Also there are means to track amp-hours for precise delivery of predetermined amount of Amp-hours. LED status display allows monitoring charger activity.

A selection of high quality accessory cables is offered, and the set of desired cables is specified at the time of placing order. Standard set consists of one mains cable with charger side plug and loose ends, one output battery cable with charger side plug, and 23 pin control interface mating connector. Additional cables can be purchased separately. Each charger also comes with unpopulated mating connector with crimp terminals, DB9 PC interface connector and set of 4 NTC thermistors. Chargers are manufactured by one of the best and the most reputable EV components company - BRUSA, in Switzerland. 1 year warranty. Reliability and capability to handle any voltage and any battery chemistry as well as extreme flexibility and configurability sets these chargers apart from competition. They are very safe investment: flash upgradable, ready for practically any existing today or future battery - likely the last charger you will ever need.

For users of NLG4xx charger used in Solectria Force vehicles: BRUSA has developed special adapter for NLG511-xx charger to be able to directly replace old NLG4. The new NLG5 will plug into existing "black box" in the vehicle. Adapter consists of a PCB with circuitry inverting and conditioning signals to and from the black box and making them compatible with NLG5 levels. The PCB sits in the middle of the charger interface cable. One end of the cable has round connector mating with one on the black box NLG4 use to be plugged to, and the other end has rectangular 23 pin connector plugged into interface connector of a new NLG511. More than 10 years old NLG4 design is outdated and no longer produced nor supported by BRUSA or MMC.

Example: 3.3kW 300VDC output, automatic, side air cooled charger wanted. The models meeting these requirements are: NLG512-SA and NLG513-SA. In general lowest voltage range still meeting output requirement is preferred since it will provide highest output current (output power is the same), so NLG512-SA is technically better choice. However before making final decision check pricing since NLG512-xx are more expensive than NLG513-xx and may only make sense  if maximizing output current (and so reducing charging time) is more important than lowering overall cost.

NLG52x and NLG53x types are comprised of two or three respective NLG51x chargers connected either in parallel or master-booster configuration.

The difference between Automatic, Booster and CAN controlled charger is only in the software setting and designates how a charger can be pre-configured at the factory per user's request. User can change operation mode for instance from automatic to CAN (from any mode to any other mode) with a click of a mouse, saving new configuration in charger's memory using included ChargeStar software.

  Download charger datasheet (438 kb PDF file)
  Download charger manual (836 kb PDF file)
  Download CAN matrix specification (84 kb PDF file)
  Download charger monitoring manual (237 kb PDF file) 

NLG5x1-xx

NLG5x2-xx

NLG5x3-xx

NLG5x4-xx

  130...260 VDC

  180...360 VDC

  260...520 VDC

  360...720 VDC

 NLG511-xx - 25 A
 NLG521-xx - 50 A
 NLG531-xx - 75 A

 For more output current
 parallel operation option
 is available

 NLG512-xx - 18 A
 NLG522-xx - 36 A
 NLG532-xx - 54 A

 For more output current
 parallel operation option
 is available

 NLG513-xx - 12.5 A
 NLG523-xx - 25 A
 NLG533-xx - 37.5 A

 For more output current
 parallel operation option
 is available

 NLG514-xx - 9 A
 NLG524-xx - 18 A
 NLG534-xx - 27 A

 For more output current
 parallel operation option
 is available

NLG503-lite - 1.6kW
NLG51x-xx - 3.3kW
NLG52x-xx - 6.7kW
NLG53x-xx - 10kW 

90...93%

>0.99

+/- 1% of max voltage

-20...+80 °C  (-4...+176 °F)

        NLG5xx-Tx - 267 mm x 263 mm x 135 mm  (10.51" x 10.35" x 5.31")
        NLG5xx-Sx - 334 mm x 263 mm x 89 mm  (13.15" x 10.35" x 3.5")    
        NLG5xx-Wx - 267 mm x 263 mm x 89 mm  (10.51" x 10.35" x 3.5")  

6.0 ... 6.2 kg  (13.2 lb ... 13.64 lb)

* provided max output power is not exceeded

  Unit conversion page
  Price list
  Secure order form