Facilitating access to an electric vehicle charging network

• US 10,343,542 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2014
• Issued: 07/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Recargo, Inc. (E.ON SE)
• Original Assignee: Recargo, Inc. (E.ON SE)
• Inventors: Wild, Nick, North, Forrest
• Primary Examiner(s): Hamilton, Lalita M
• Application Number:
  US14/503,151
• Publication Number:
  US 20150095218A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,743 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/2009 for braking
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/12 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/14 Acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/36 Temperature of vehicle components or parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/425 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/445 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/665 Light intensity
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/72 Charging station selection relying on external data
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/10 by alarm
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/12 Recording operating variables ; Monitoring of operating variables
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/665 Methods related to measuring, billing or payment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 15/005 dispensed for the electrical charging of vehicles electrical charging as such, B60L50/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 : Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 : Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 : Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/167 : Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for supporting the interoperability of electric or hybrid vehicles, i.e. smartgrids as interface for battery charging of electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/14 : Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

A system and method for facilitating access to an electric vehicle charging network is described. In some embodiments, the system provides an interface via which an electric vehicle may access and/or be authorized to one of multiple, disparate charging networks.

Claims

1. A method performed by an interface system that provides payment information to electric vehicle charging networks, the method comprising:

accessing a request associated with an electric vehicle to charge the electric vehicle at a specific charging station;

identifying, via the interface system, a charging network associated with the specific charging station;

obtaining, via the interface system, information for a payment protocol specific to the charging network by calling an application programming interface provided by the charging network to retrieve information identifying the payment protocol;

wherein the payment protocol is associated with processing of payments made to the charging network;

determining the electric vehicle is not registered with the charging network;

identifying a registration protocol associated with the charging network;

capturing information for the electric vehicle that is identified by the registration protocol;

registering the electric vehicle with the charging network by providing the captured information to the charging network; and

automatically providing payment information from the interface system to the charging network via the payment protocol associated with the charging network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein accessing a request to charge the electric vehicle at a specific charging station includes accessing a request provided by a driver of the electric vehicle via a mobile application associated with the interface system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying a charging network associated with the specific charging station includes determining a current location of the electric vehicle and identifying a charging network associated with one or more charging stations proximate to the current location of the electric vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically providing payment information to the charging network via a payment protocol associated with the charging network includes:

retrieving information identifying the payment protocol for the charging network from a database storing payment protocol information for multiple, disparate charging networks;

retrieving payment information for the electric vehicle that satisfies the payment protocol from a database storing payment information for multiple, different electric vehicles; and

providing the retrieved payment information that satisfies the payment protocol to the charging network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically providing payment information to the charging network via a payment protocol associated with the charging network includes:

determining that an account associated with the electric vehicle lacks sufficient payment information; and

providing payment information on behalf of the electric vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically providing payment information to the charging network via a payment protocol associated with the charging network includes:

determining that an account associated with the electric vehicle lacks sufficient funds to charge the electric vehicle at the specific charging station; and

providing payment from the interface system to the charging network on behalf of the electric vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a mobile application of a mobile device in communication with the charging network receives the request to charge the electric vehicle, identifies the charging network associated with the specific charging station, and provides the payment information to the charging network.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein a mobile application of a mobile device in communication with the charging network receives the request to charge the electric vehicle;

and wherein a remote server associated with the mobile application identifies the charging network associated with the specific charging station and provides the payment information to the charging network.

9. A system supported by an interface system that provides payment information to electric vehicle charging networks, the system comprising:

memory combined with one or more processors;

a request module that accesses a request received from an electric vehicle to charge the electric vehicle at a specific charging station;

a network identification module that identifies a charging network associated with the specific charging station;

a registration module that;

identifies a registration protocol associated with the charging network;

captures information for the electric vehicle that is identified by the registration protocol; and

registers the electric vehicle with the charging network before providing the payment information to the charging network by providing the captured information to the charging network; and

a payment module that automatically provides payment information to the charging network via a payment protocol associated with the charging network, by;

determining that an account associated with the electric vehicle lacks sufficient funds to pay for using the specific charging station; and

providing payment from the interface system to the charging network on behalf of the electric vehicle.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the payment module:

calls an application programming interface provided by the charging network to retrieve information identifying the payment protocol;

retrieves payment information for the electric vehicle that satisfies the payment protocol; and

provides the retrieved payment information that satisfies the payment protocol to the charging network.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the payment module:

retrieves information identifying the payment protocol for the charging network from a database storing payment protocol information for multiple, disparate charging networks;

retrieves payment information for the electric vehicle that satisfies the payment protocol from a database storing payment information for multiple, different electric vehicles; and

provides the retrieved payment information that satisfies the payment protocol to the charging network.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein a mobile application of a mobile device in communication with the charging network includes the request module, the network identification module, and the payment module.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein a mobile application of a mobile device in communication with the charging network includes the request module;

and wherein a remote server associated with the mobile application includes the network identification module and the payment module.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium whose contents, when executed by an interface system in communication with multiple different charging stations provided by multiple different charging networks, causes the interface system to perform a method of providing payment information to the charging networks, the method comprising:

accessing a request associated with an electric vehicle to charge the electric vehicle at a specific charging station;

identifying, via the interface system, a charging network associated with the specific charging station;

obtaining, via the interface system, information for a payment protocol specific to the charging network by calling an application programming interface provided by the charging network to retrieve information identifying the payment protocol;

wherein the payment protocol is associated with processing of payments made to the charging network;

determining the electric vehicle is not registered with the charging network;

identifying a registration protocol associated with the charging network;

capturing information for the electric vehicle that is identified by the registration protocol;

registering the electric vehicle with the charging network by providing the captured information to the charging network; and

automatically providing payment information from the interface system to the charging network via the payment protocol associated with the charging network.