SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SELLING ALTERNATIVE FUEL VEHICLES

• US 20090150285A1
• Filed: 12/10/2007
• Published: 06/11/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
• Original Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
• Inventors: Seidel, Markus
• Application Number:
  US11/953,414
• Publication Number:
  US 20090150285A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

An alternative fuel vehicle is provided to a consumer at an initial purchase price or lease rate which is subsidized by the vehicle manufacturer or financing institution. In one embodiment, the vehicle purchaser is then charged a periodic user fee that is a function of both the distance driven over some predetermined period of time and an applicable unit rate.

Claims

1. A method comprising the acts of:

receiving mileage information from an alternative fuel vehicle that was provided to a consumer at a subsidized purchase price, wherein the mileage information includes a distance traveled by the alternative fuel vehicle over a predetermined period of time;

calculating a user fee based on said mileage information and an applicable unit rate, wherein the applicable unit rate is based at least in part on the subsidized purchase price; and

generating a bill for the consumer corresponding to the user fee.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the subsidized purchase price comprises a subsidized lease rate.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said mileage information is based on at least one of global positing system data and odometer information for the alternative fuel vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein calculating the user fee comprises multiplying said distance traveled by the applicable unit rate.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein billing the consumer comprises billing the consumer the user fee on an interval based on said predetermined period of time.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the applicable unit rate is expressed as a monetary amount per unit distance.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the applicable unit rate is part of the customer'"'"'s vehicle account information.

6. (canceled)

7. A computer program product, comprising:

a processor readable medium having processor executable code embodied therein, the processor readable medium having;

processor executable program code to receive mileage information from an alternative fuel vehicle that was provided to a consumer at a subsidized purchase price, wherein the mileage information includes a distance traveled by the alternative fuel vehicle over a predetermined period of time;

processor executable program code to calculate a user fee based on said mileage information and an applicable unit rate, wherein the applicable unit rate is based at least in part on the subsidized purchase price; and

processor executable program code to bill the consumer the user fee.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein subsidized purchase price comprises a subsidized lease rate.

9. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein said mileage information is based on at least one of global positing system data and odometer information for the alternative fuel vehicle.

10. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the processor executable program code to calculate the user fee comprises processor executable program code to calculate the user fee by multiplying said distance traveled by the applicable unit rate.

11. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the processor executable program code to bill the consumer comprises processor executable program code to bill the consumer the user fee on an interval based on said predetermined period of time.

20. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the applicable unit rate is expressed as a monetary amount per unit distance.

23. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the applicable unit rate is part of the customer'"'"'s vehicle account information.

12. (canceled)

13. A system comprising:

a wireless network;

an onboard vehicle system for an alternative fuel vehicle that was provided to a consumer at a subsidized purchase price, wherein the onboard vehicle system is coupled to the wireless network; and

a server in communication with the onboard vehicle system via the wireless network, wherein the server is configured to;

receive mileage information from the onboard vehicle system includes a distance traveled by the alternative fuel vehicle over a predetermined period of time,

calculate a user fee based on said mileage information and an applicable unit rate, wherein the applicable unit rate is based at least in part on the subsidized purchase price, and

bill the consumer the user fee.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the subsidized purchase price comprises a subsidized lease rate.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein said mileage information is based on at least one of global positing system data and odometer information for the alternative fuel vehicle.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the server is further configured to calculate the user fee by multiplying the distance traveled by the applicable unit rate.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the server is further configured to bill the consumer on an interval based on said predetermined period of time.

21. The system of claim 13, wherein the applicable unit rate is expressed as a monetary amount per unit distance.

24. The system of claim 13, wherein the applicable unit rate is part of the customer'"'"'s vehicle account information.

18. (canceled)