System and Method for Managing the Consumption and Discharging of Power of Electric Vehicles

• US 20100082464A1
• Filed: 10/01/2008
• Published: 04/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Current Communications Services LLC (Widewall Investments SL)
• Original Assignee: Current Communications Services LLC (Widewall Investments SL)
• Inventors: Keefe, Robert A.
• Application Number:
  US12/243,354
• Publication Number:
  US 20100082464A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/32
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/70 Interactions with external data bases, e.g. traffic centres
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/68 Off-site monitoring or control, e.g. remote control
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 55/00 Arrangements for supplying energy stored within a vehicle to a power network, i.e. vehicle-to-grid [V2G] arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• 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: Y04S 10/126 the energy generation units being or involving electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV], i.e. power aggregation of EV or HEV, vehicle to grid arrangements [V2G]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/12 Billing, invoicing, buying or selling transactions or other related activities, e.g. cost or usage evaluation

Abstract

A system and method for managing the stored power of a plurality of vehicles connected to the power grid is provided. In one embodiment the method includes determining location information of each of the plurality of vehicles connected to the power grid, determining that a demand for power in a portion of the power grid has reached a power threshold, determining that the location information associated with a set of the plurality of vehicles satisfies a similarity threshold with the portion of the power grid, determining that a subset of the set of vehicles has stored power that satisfies a power availability threshold, and transmitting a command to at least one vehicle of the subset of vehicles to discharge power onto the power grid. The portion of the power grid may comprise a medium voltage power line or a substation.

Claims

1. A method of managing the fees associated with a vehicle, comprising:

determining a first location at which the vehicle is connected to the power grid for charging;

determining the amount of power consumed by the vehicle over a time period during which the vehicle is connected to the power grid at the first location;

determining a first consumer associated with the vehicle;

determining a first power customer associated with the first location;

crediting the first power customer a credit amount that is based on the amount of power consumed; and

debiting the first consumer a debit amount that is based on the amount of power consumed.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining identifying information of the vehicle connected to the power grid; and

wherein said determining a first consumer associated with the vehicle comprises retrieving data of the first consumer from memory based on the identifying information of the vehicle.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising determining a cost of power per unit of time during the time period.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining a second location at which the vehicle is connected to the power grid;

determining the amount of power discharged by the vehicle over a time period during which the vehicle is connected to the power grid at the second location;

determining a second power customer associated with the second location;

crediting the first consumer a second credit amount that is based on the amount of power discharged by the vehicle at the second location; and

debiting the second power customer a second debit amount that is based on the amount of power discharged by the vehicle at the second location.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said determining a first location at which the vehicle is connected to the power grid comprises determining a location associated with a utility meter with which the vehicle communicates.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said determining a first location at which the vehicle is connected to the power grid comprises determining a location based on location information transmitted from the vehicle.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the location information is determined by a navigation system located in the vehicle.

8. A method of managing the fees associated with the power supplied by a vehicle, comprising:

determining an amount of electric power discharged by a vehicle;

determining a first consumer associated with the vehicle;

determining a power customer associated with a location at which the vehicle discharged power;

crediting the first consumer a credit amount based on the amount of power discharged by the vehicle; and

debiting the power customer a debit amount based on the amount of power discharged by the vehicle.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

determining identifying information of the vehicle discharging power; and

wherein said determining a first consumer associated with the vehicle comprises retrieving data of the first consumer from memory based on the identifying information of the vehicle.

10. The method according to claim 8, further comprising determining a location at which the vehicle is discharging power.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein said determining a location at which the vehicle is discharging power comprises determining a location based on location information transmitted from the vehicle.

13. The method according to claim 8, wherein the debit amount is based on the entire amount of power discharged by the vehicle.

14. The method according to claim 8, wherein the debit amount is based on an amount of the power discharged by the vehicle that was consumed by one or more structures at the location.

15. The method according to claim 8, wherein said determining an amount of electric power discharged by a vehicle comprises receiving power data from measurements taken by a device integrated into the vehicle.

16. The method according to claim 8, wherein debiting the power customer comprises debiting the power customer based on the amount of power discharged by the vehicle and that does not enter the power grid from the location.

17. The method according to claim 8, wherein said determining an amount of electric power discharged by a vehicle comprises receiving data of the amount of electric power discharged by the vehicle via a communication path that includes a mobile telephone network.

12. The method according to claim 12, wherein the location information is determined by a navigation system located in the vehicle.

18. A method of managing the fees associated with the power supplied to a vehicle, comprising:

determining an amount of electric power supplied to the vehicle;

determining a first consumer associated with the vehicle;

determining a power customer associated with a location at which the vehicle was supplied power;

debiting the first consumer a debit amount based on the amount of power supplied to the vehicle; and

crediting the power customer a credit amount based on the amount of power supplied to the vehicle.

19. The method according to claim 18, further comprising:

determining identifying information of the vehicle; and

wherein said determining a first consumer associated with the vehicle comprises retrieving data of the first customer from memory based on the identifying information of the vehicle.

20. The method according to claim 18, further comprising determining a location at which the vehicle is discharging power;

and

wherein said determining a power customer comprises retrieving data of the power customer from memory based on the determined location.

21. The method according to claim 18, wherein said determining an amount of electric power supplied to the vehicle comprises receiving power data from measurements taken by a device integrated into the vehicle.

22. The method according to claim 18, wherein said determining an amount of electric power supplied to a vehicle comprises receiving data of the amount of electric power supplied to the vehicle via a communication path that includes a mobile telephone network.

23. The method according to claim 18, further comprising:

determining an amount of electric power discharged by a second vehicle;

determining a second consumer associated with the second vehicle;

determining a second power customer associated with a location at which the second vehicle discharged power;

crediting the second consumer a credit amount based on the amount of power discharged by the vehicle; and

debiting the second power customer a debit amount based on the amount of power discharged by the second vehicle.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein the debit amount is based on the entire amount of power discharged by the second vehicle.

25. The method according to claim 23, wherein the debit amount is based on an amount of the power discharged by the second vehicle that was consumed by one or more structures at the location at which the second vehicle discharged power.

26. The method according to claim 23, wherein debiting the second power customer comprises debiting the power customer based on the amount of power discharged by the vehicle and that does not enter the power grid from the location at which the second vehicle discharged power.