Electric Vehicle Having Exchangeable Battery Modules and Method of Resupply Therefor

• US 20100230188A1
• Filed: 04/16/2010
• Published: 09/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tuan N. Nguyen
• Original Assignee: Tuan N. Nguyen
• Inventors: Nguyen, Tuan
• Granted Patent: US 8,820,444 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 180/65.100
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/36 Vehicles designed to transport cargo, e.g. trucks
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/80 Exchanging energy storage elements, e.g. removable batteries
• 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 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

An Electric Vehicle Having Exchangeable Battery Modules and Method of Resupply Therefor. The device of the present invention is a electrically-powerable vehicle that provides the user with a usage pattern very similar to one experienced through use of an internal-combustion-powered vehicle. That is to say that the operating cost for the vehicle is “pay as you go,” rather than the user needing to pay an exorbitant up-front fee in order to purchase the vehicle. In order to accomplish this, the battery modules for use in the vehicle are exchangable by an individual driver. As a battery module becomes discharged, the user is able to visit a recharging station and exchange his or her discharged battery module with a fully charged module. The user is then be charged an amount that is relative to the number of exchanges and/or re-charge energy consumed. In order to enable this sort of system, and the battery modules are of standard size, and interface with a module tracking and monitoring system. The vehicle purchaser is able to purchase a vehicle without purchasing the battery modules, and then simply rent or lease the battery modules, as desired. Finally, the vehicle has an internal power mode selector switch system that permits the user to select different circuitry alignments for the power being supplied by the battery modules, including parallel, serial and individual. This allows the driver to control the trip length and our propulsion power available to the driver.

Claims

1. A motor vehicle, comprising:

a chassis;

a propulsion system attached to said chassis, said propulsion system comprising an electric motor operatively connected to drive at least one drive wheel;

a module receptacle attached to said chassis, said module receptacle defined by one or more power couplings electrically connected to said propulsion system; and

a battery module configured to insert into said module receptacle to provide power to one said power coupling.

2. The motor vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a power mode selector device electrically connected between said one or more power couplings and said electric motor.

3. The motor vehicle of claim 2, wherein said power mode selector device functions to selectively connect one or more of said power couplings to said electric motor.

4. The motor vehicle of claim 3, wherein said power mode selector device functions to selectively connect one or more of said power couplings to said electrical motor in parallel, series or individually.

5. The motor vehicle of claim 4, wherein each said battery module is selected from a group of battery modules having a common configuration.

6. The motor vehicle of claim 5, further comprising an internal recharging system for recharging each said battery module when said battery module is inserted into said module receptacle.

7. An electric vehicle and charging method therefor, comprising the steps of:

obtaining an electric vehicle having exchangeable battery module receptacles;

obtaining one or more battery modules cooperatively designed to interface with said receptacles;

installing one or more said battery modules into said receptacles;

charging said installed battery modules; and

exchanging one or more said installed battery modules with a charged said battery module.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said battery modules of said battery module obtaining step are selected from a group of battery modules having a common configuration.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein at least one said installed battery module was charged prior to said installation step.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein at least one said installed battery module was charged prior to said installation step at a exchange station, said exchange station comprising a site external to, and separate from, said electric vehicle.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein each said battery module of said group of battery modules comprises a housing having wheels extending therefrom.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein each said battery module of said group of battery modules comprises an identity element associated therewith.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein each said battery module of said group of battery modules comprises a module status element associated therewith.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein said installed battery module was exchanged with a battery module previously removed from one said battery module receptacles in said vehicle.

15. An electric vehicle and battery module supply system therefor, comprising:

an electrically-propelled vehicle having exchangeable battery module receptacles;

a pool of mobile battery modules cooperatively configured to be installable within said receptacles;

a plurality of module exchange stations for recharging and facilitating the removal and installation of said recharged battery modules within said vehicle; and

a battery module management system executed on a programmable computing system in communication with said module exchange stations to keep usage records of said battery modules.

16. The electric vehicle and battery module supply system therefor of claim 15, wherein said vehicle further comprising a power mode selector device electrically connected between battery modules installed within said receptacles and said electric motor.

17. The electric vehicle and battery module supply system therefor of claim 16, wherein said power mode selector device functions to selectively connect one or more of said installed battery modules to said electric motor.

18. The electric vehicle and battery module supply system therefor of claim 17, wherein said power mode selector device functions to selectively connect one or more of said battery modules to said electrical motor in parallel, series or individually.

19. The electric vehicle and battery module supply system therefor of claim 18, wherein said electric vehicle further comprises an internal recharging system for recharging each said battery module when said battery module is inserted into said module receptacle.

20. The electric vehicle and battery module supply system therefor of claim 19, wherein said battery module management system tracks and computes the number of re-charging steps each said battery module within said pool experiences, and attributes said computed re-charging steps to an identified user.