Ann: High Efficiency Bi-Directional Platform, page-20

ASX-listed Rectifier Technologies (ASX: RFT) is firming as one of the unsung battlers of the local technology board, with the company now one of the world leaders in supplying rectifiers to electric vehicle fast-charging stations.
Rectifier began life 26 years ago, specialising in the business of rectification — converting AC to DC.
“We started in telecoms,” chief engineer Nigel Machin told The Australian. “Telstra had a mandate back then to get power to your house, so it had to be reliable. Our technology would be used to power all the telephones in the area, it was an enormous market for us.”
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Most of the company’s success came not from manufacturing, but from licensing its designs to companies in other countries, and letting them handle it.
“In many senses we were the leaders,” Mr Machin said. “Our brand just wasn’t out there particularly because other people would make them under their own brand.”
The company has moved now from telecoms to a similarly lucrative market, powering fast-charging stations for electric vehicles.
Rectifier, which has a market capitalisation of about $42 million, signed a deal in June to supply rectifiers to a Brisbane company Tritium, owned by business personality Trevor St Baker. Tritium has a contract to roll out fast charging stations to the German autobahn — stations that can put 150 kilometres on a 5 minute charge.
The orders for the 35 kW (kilowatt) high-voltage and high-efficiency units are scheduled to be delivered before the end of March 2019 and are binding purchase orders.
The news comes as the company opened a new Malaysia facility, which Mr Machin said has floor space to accommodate up to 4500 modules per month. The new facility will triple Rectifier’s production capacity.
“New electronic energy recycling loads have been installed to reduce electricity consumption during “burn-in” and testing of the modules by 85 per cent, reducing the load on the Malaysian electricity grid and greatly reducing electricity cost,” he said.
Mr Machin added that to date, electric vehicle charging has contributed significantly to the company’s revenue and he expects that to demand to accelerate in the future.
The company’s innovations aren’t just limited to electric vehicles and telecoms however, with Rectifier working on a bi-directional charger for households.
“This is arguably the most exciting project that the company is working on at the moment as it could change the way households use power,” he said.
“The bi-directional charger can effectively turn the family electric vehicle into a giant battery for the home during peak times for electricity usage.
“In many cases, having an electric vehicle could make having a home battery unit redundant.”
The executive said a typical household consumes 10-30kWh a day, while an electric vehicle such as the Tesla Model S has a 100kWh battery.
“This means the family vehicle can power the home for a whole day and still have as much as 70 per cent of its battery capacity left, and that’s usually more than enough for travelling to work and picking the kids,” he said.
“We believe bi-directional chargers will be ubiquitous with the electric vehicle industry over the coming years, and we are pleased to be among the first to be developing rectifiers to meet this emerging need.”