Taiwanese firm Advantech has announced a single board computer (SBC) for EV charger and energy storage applications.

The AFE-E420 uses technology from NXP and Arm to provide reliability, security and scalable performance in different workloads while maintaining low power consumption and reduced thermal dissipation.

It uses the NXP i.MX 93 applications processor, which enhances performance while reducing power consumption with its upgraded Arm Cortex-A55. An integrated Cortex-M33 co-processor is an independent, MCU-like core that eases handling real-time domain and critical function tasks such as control pilot monitoring between charger and EV communications.

The i.MX 93 applications processor is also the first i.MX family to adopt the Arm (www.arm.com) Ethos-U65 micro-NPU, helping developers create more advanced machine-learning applications with cost effectiveness and energy efficiency. The EdgeLock secure enclave then enhances the secure level for wide adoption.

“The highly integrated i.MX 93 applications processors combine the capabilities of the Arm Ethos-U65 micro-NPU with advanced security and a high degree of integration to deliver efficient, fast, secure machine learning at the edge,” said Alexandra Dopplinger, director at NXP (www.nxp.com). “Advantech’s AFE-E420 SBC enables the i.MX 93 SoC’s comprehensive capabilities to deliver faster time to market for EV chargers and energy storage applications.”

The SBC integrates EVSE and SECC to simplify an EV charger design, manufacture and maintenance. Within a 145 by 115mm board, it provides dual displays, four ports of Can-FD, six ports of selectable RS-232/422/485, six RTD channels, and two ports of control pilot.

For EV charging, it integrates multiple, independent Can-FD and powerline communication (PLC) interfaces for CCS1, CCS2, NACS, GB/T and CHAdeMo compliance. Advantech (www.advantech.com) collaborates with ISVs to enable ISO 15118 and OCPP protocols to ease the deployment and maintenance of end devices. The company is also a member of CharIN which manages the CCS, MCS, plug-and-charge, and V2G standards.

With its processing capabilities, machine-learning integration and broad compatibility, the board is targeting EV charging and energy management for more efficiency and sustainability.