CONDITIONING AN ELECTRIC GRID USING ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• US 20140225564A1
• Filed: 09/04/2013
• Published: 08/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Recargo, Inc. (E.ON SE)
• Original Assignee: Recargo, Inc. (E.ON SE)
• Inventors: North, Forrest, Petrosian, Armen, Manfield, Lucas
• Granted Patent: US 9,434,271 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/109
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/36 by positioning the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/64 Optimising energy costs, e.g. responding to electricity rates
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/665 Methods related to measuring, billing or payment
• 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: G05D 1/0027 involving a plurality of vehicles, e.g. fleet or convoy travelling fleet control of land vehicles from a control room G05D1/0297; traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/00; for marine craft G08G3/00; for aircraft G08G5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0291 Fleet control monitoring fleets in traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/127, G08G1/127
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/69 Coordinated control of the position or course of two or more vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/692 involving a plurality of disparate vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00034 Charger exchanging data with an electronic device, i.e. telephone, whose internal battery is under charge
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• 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: 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 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 30/14 Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

A grid to vehicle system is described. In some examples, the system selectively controls one or more electric vehicles connected to an electric grid based on conditions associated with the electric grid. For example, the system may control charging operations of the electric vehicles based on load balancing conditions associated with the electric grid, based on cost conditions associated with electric power provided by the electric grid, and so on.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a grid communication component, wherein the grid communication component is configured to receive information from an electric grid associated with a current condition of the electric grid; and

a vehicle control component, wherein the vehicle control component is configured to selectively control charging operations of one or more electric vehicles connected to the electric grid based on the information associated with the current condition of the electric grid.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle control component is configured to start an active charging of the one or more vehicles when the current condition of the electric grid indicates electric production is greater than electric consumption.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle control component is configured to stop an active charging of the one or more vehicles when the current condition of the electric grid indicates electric consumption is greater than electric production.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle control component is configured to start an active charging of the one or more vehicles when the current condition of the electric grid indicates a cost of electric power is below a certain threshold cost.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle control component is configured to stop an active charging of the one or more vehicles of the electric grid when the current condition indicates a cost of electric power is above a certain threshold cost.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle control component is configured to hold an active charging of the one or more vehicles when the current condition of the electric grid indicates a price of providing available load capacity is above a certain threshold price.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle control component is configured to turn on an air conditioner of the one or more vehicles when the current condition of the electric grid indicates electric production is greater than electric consumption.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle control component is configured to turn on a heater of the one or more vehicles when the current condition of the electric grid indicates electric production is greater than electric consumption

9. A method for charging two or more electric vehicles using electric power from an electric grid, the method comprising:

receiving a request from an electric grid to provide a certain load capacity; and

commencing a charging of the two or more electric vehicles in response to the received request.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein commencing a charging of the two or more electric vehicles includes controlling operation of the two or more electric vehicles to commence charging battery packs for the two or more electric vehicles.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein commencing a charging of the two or more electric vehicles includes controlling operation of charging stations associated with the two or more electric vehicles to commence charging battery packs for the two or more electric vehicles.

12. A method for providing electric power to an electric grid, the method comprising:

receiving a request from an electric grid to provide electric power; and

transmitting control instructions to an electric vehicle to discharge stored electric power to the electric grid in response to the received request.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein transmitting control instructions to an electric vehicle includes transmitting control instructions to a vehicle computing system that controls operation of a battery of the electric vehicle.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein transmitting control instructions to an electric vehicle includes transmitting control instructions to a charging station that communicates with a battery of the electric vehicle.

15. A computer-readable storage medium whose contents, when executed by a grid to vehicle system, cause the system to perform operations for controlling a charging operation of one or more electric vehicles connected to an electric grid, comprising:

receiving information associated with a price for electric power provided by the electric grid; and

controlling the charging operation of the one or more electric vehicles based on the received information.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein controlling the charging operation of the one or more electric vehicles based on the received information includes charging the one or more electric vehicles when the received information indicates the price for electric power is below a threshold price.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein controlling the charging operation of the one or more electric vehicles based on the received information includes not charging the one or more electric vehicles when the received information indicates the price for electric power is above a threshold price.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein controlling the charging operation of the one or more electric vehicles based on the received information includes not charging the one or more electric vehicle when the received information indicates the price to provide load capacity is above a threshold price.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein controlling the charging operation of the one or more electric vehicles based on the received information includes controlling multiple electric vehicles based on the received information.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein controlling the charging operation of the one or more electric vehicles based on the received information includes:

determining a cost to charge a fleet of electric vehicles that is based on the price for electric power provided by the electric grid;

when a difference between the determined cost to charge the fleet of electric vehicles and a normal cost to the charge the fleet of electric vehicles is greater than a price to provide the fleet of electric vehicles as load capacity to the electric grid, causing charging of the fleet of electric vehicles.