Localized Charging of Electric Vehicles

• US 20120181982A1
• Filed: 01/19/2011
• Published: 07/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Fecher, Dana B.
• Granted Patent: US 8,502,498 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/109
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/63 in response to network capacity
• 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 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]

Abstract

The described method and system provide for managing the charging of individual electric vehicles with respect to local substations or grids to lower the load on a given substation or grid. When the load on a substation or grid reaches a warning threshold, a call center may facilitate the implementation of a charging plan to reduce the load. The call center may locate and identify vehicles that are being charged in the relevant area and may further manage the charging of the located vehicles to reduce the load through a charging plan. The plan may be based on the current State of charge of each vehicle, the historical use and projected use of each vehicle, vehicle charging patterns, and the severity of the load on the substation or grid.

Claims

1. A method for managing the charging of one or more electric vehicles to reduce overall electrical load, the method comprising:

determining, at a call center, that at least one of a substation and a grid has reached a warning threshold of power consumption;

identifying, at the call center, one or more vehicles that are charging in a service area serviced by at least one of the substation and the grid;

determining, at the call center, a charge level of a battery of each of the one or more vehicles; and

implementing, by the call center, a charge allocation plan for charging the one or more vehicles such that at least one of the substation and the grid is subject to a lower load.

2. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

accessing at, least one application for each of the one or more vehicles charging in the service area, wherein the at least one application includes information regarding at least one of historical vehicle use and projected vehicle use.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the charge allocation plan for charging the one or more vehicles is based on the determination of charge level and at least one of the historical vehicle use and projected vehicle use.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the charge allocation plan is based on vehicle charge patterns in the service area serviced by at least one of the substation and the grid.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining that the substation has reached a warning threshold further comprises:

receiving, at the call center, a notification from at least one of the substation and the grid that at least one of the substation and the grid has reached a warning threshold.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining a charge level of a battery of each of the one, or more vehicles further comprises:

receiving, at the call center, information from a telematics unit of each of the vehicles including the charge level of the battery of the vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the charge allocation plan includes at least one of suspending and decreasing charge flow to at least one of the one or more vehicles.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the at least one of the one or more vehicles has at least one of:

a charge level above a predetermined amount of charge; and

a projected use below a predetermined amount of use.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the at least one of the one or more vehicles has at least one of:

relatively high charge level compared to others of the vehicles; and

relatively low projected use compared to others of the vehicles.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the charge allocation plan includes decreasing charge flow by different amounts to different ones of the one or more vehicles.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the charge allocation plan includes deferring the charging of at least one of the one or more vehicles to a later time when there is less load on at least one of the substation and the grid.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more vehicles are plug-in type electric vehicles.

13. A method for managing the charging of one or more electric vehicles to reduce overall electrical load on a substation, the method comprising:

determining, at the substation, that the substation has reached a power consumption warning threshold;

receiving, at the substation, a charging allocation plan for one or more vehicles being charged within a service area associated with the substation; and

distributing, by the substation, electricity to the one or more vehicles being charged according to the plan such that the electrical load on the substation is reduced.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein distributing electricity to the one or more vehicles being charged according to the charging allocation plan includes reducing the flow of charge to at least one of the one or more vehicles being charged by at least one of a charge controller on the vehicle, a telematics unit equipped on the vehicle, and a smart meter connected to a charging station.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the charging allocation plan includes prioritizing at least one vehicle being charged over at least one other vehicle being charged based on current charge levels of the vehicles and projected use of the vehicles.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the charging allocation plan includes prioritizing at least one vehicle being charged over at least one other vehicle being charged based on past charging patterns.

17. A system for managing the charging of electric vehicles being charged to reduce overall electrical load on a substation, the system comprising:

at least one charging station, adapted to receive electricity from the substation and to charge a vehicle, the substation being adapted to distribute electricity to vehicles being charged through the station; and

a call center;

adapted to communicate with the substation and at least one of the charging station, and vehicles being charged, and further adapted to implement a charging allocation plan such that the electrical load on the substation is reduced.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the substation is further adapted to reduce the flow of charge to individual vehicles based on the charging allocation plan.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the charging allocation plan involves reduction of the flow of charge to at least one vehicle by at least one of a charging station connected to the at least one vehicle and a telematics unit equipped on the at least one vehicle.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the call center is further adapted to determine the state of charge of each of the vehicles being charged and the charging allocation plan is based on the state of charge of each of the vehicles.