Abinsula: Rapid Development of a Compact EV Charger
The growth of e-mobility demands versatile, reliable charging solutions that meet high standards in compact formats. Using Arduino, Abinsula developed a proof of concept (POC) for a wall-mounted, smart EV charger within a remarkable timeframe.
26 Nov, 2024. 1 minute read
The Arduino Portenta X8 combines high performance and compact form factor.
The Challenge: Addressing E-Mobility’s Compact Performance Challenge
As e-mobility infrastructure expands, the need for advanced charging stations has introduced new technical requirements for size, reliability, and flexibility. When Abinsula – an innovative company in the embedded systems and IoT solutions space – was tasked with creating a POC for a smart, wall-mounted EV charger, the company’s priority was to balance high-performance with a compact design that could be customized for future functionality.
Abinsula’s experience in embedded systems positioned them well to tackle this project, but they quickly realized that most existing market solutions were either too bulky or limited in flexibility. After evaluating several options, they selected the Portenta X8 from Arduino’s Pro line and combined it with the Portenta Breakout to create a powerful yet compact solution that could be optimized for rapid development.
Developing a Customizable Solution with Portenta X8
Using Yocto for software customization, Abinsula was able to adapt the microcontroller to meet specific application needs while maintaining efficiency and scalability. As Paolo Doz, co-founder and CTO of Abinsula, explained, “The primary challenge was optimizing the resources of the microprocessor while planning for future functionality expansions. We were able to offload some functionalities to the Portenta X8’s onboard real-time microcontroller, ensuring the system could support additional smart features as needed, such as remote communication via 4G/Wi-Fi®.”
This approach allowed Abinsula to also integrate a full human-machine interface (HMI) and control software within just one month, a major accomplishment in a field where time-to-market can provide a decisive edge.
Efficiency, Reliability, and Scalability for Future Innovation
Abinsula’s success in delivering a complete, compact POC highlights the benefits of leveraging high-performance microcontrollers for e-mobility applications. The Portenta X8’s design offered Abinsula access to a powerful processing-to-size ratio, enabling the development of a fully operational charger that met the client’s standards for both functionality and flexibility. The project also benefited from Arduino’s Board Support Package (BSP), which allowed Abinsula to focus on application development without having to start from scratch.
Curious to find out more? Read the full case study on the Arduino website.