CHARGING OF A FLEET OF ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• US 20150367740A1
• Filed: 06/19/2014
• Published: 12/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Proterra Operating Co., Inc.
• Original Assignee: Proterra AG
• Inventors: McGRATH, Seamus, Sarkar, Reuben
• Granted Patent: US 10,017,068 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/18 Buses
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/52 drive range estimation, e.g. of estimation of available travel distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/11 DC charging controlled by the charging station, e.g. mode 4
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/32 by charging in short intervals along the itinerary, e.g. during short stops
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/53 Batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/55 Capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/63 in response to network capacity
• 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 53/68 Off-site monitoring or control, e.g. remote control
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: B60M 3/00 Feeding power to supply lines in contact with collector on vehicles; Arrangements for consuming regenerative power controlling rail vehicles by varying voltage of power fed to vehicle B60L; power distribution in general H02J
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/00 Information and communication technology [ICT] specially adapted for implementation of business processes of specific business sectors, e.g. utilities or tourism healthcare informatics G16H
• 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 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 method for controlling the charging of multiple electric vehicles operating in a geographic area may include inputting a tariff schedule into a control system. The tariff schedule may identify the cost of energy at different times in the geographic area. The method may also include receiving data from the multiple electric vehicles. The data may include at least the state of charge of the vehicle. The method may further include sending instructions to at least one vehicle of the multiple electric vehicles. The instructions may include directives on charging based at least on the tariff schedule and the received data.

Claims

1. A method for controlling the charging of multiple electric vehicles operating in a geographic area using a control system, the geographic area including one or more charging stations configured to charge the multiple electric vehicles, comprising:

inputting a tariff schedule into the control system, the tariff schedule identifying the cost of energy at different times in the geographic area;

receiving, using the control system, data from each electric vehicle of the multiple electric vehicles, the data including at least a state of charge of the vehicle; and

sending instructions from the control system to at least one vehicle of the multiple electric vehicles or at least one charging station of the one or more charging stations, the instructions including at least an amount of energy to transfer to the at least one vehicle based at least on (a) the tariff schedule and (b) the state of charge of each vehicle of the multiple electric vehicles.

2. The method of claim 1, further including receiving using the control system, data from the one or more charging stations.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein at least one charging station of the one or more charging stations includes an energy storage device coupled thereto, the energy storage device being configured to store energy therein, and wherein the data from the at least one charging station includes the state of charge of the energy storage device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the sending instructions include sending instructions to the at least one charging station to charge the at least one vehicle using at least a portion of the energy stored in the energy storage device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein sending instructions include a directive to the at least one vehicle to skip a scheduled charging event.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein sending instructions include sending instructions to each electric vehicle of the multiple electric vehicles.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the multiple electric vehicles include a fleet of fast-charge electric buses.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving data includes (a) receiving data from at least one vehicle electrically coupled to a charging station of the one or more charging stations and (b) receiving data from at least one vehicle not electrically coupled to a charging station of the one or more charging stations.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the data received from each vehicle further includes vehicle identifying information and a current location of the vehicle in the geographic area.

3. (canceled)

6-7. -7. (canceled)

11. A method of controlling the charging of a fleet of electric buses operating in a geographic area using a control system, the geographic area including one or more charging stations configured to charge the fleet of electric buses, comprising:

inputting a tariff schedule into the control system, the tariff schedule identifying the cost of energy at different times;

receiving, using the control system, data from each bus of a plurality of electric buses of the fleet, the plurality of electric buses including (a) at least one bus electrically coupled to a charging station of the one or more charging stations and (b) at least one bus not electrically coupled to a charging station of the one or more charging stations, the data including at least a state of charge of the bus;

receiving, using the control system, data related to charging from the one or more charging stations; and

sending instructions from the control system to the at least one bus electrically coupled to the charging station or a charging station that the at least one bus is electrically coupled with, the instructions including an amount of energy to transfer to the at least one bus based on at least (a) the tariff schedule and (b) the state of charge of each electric bus of the plurality of electric buses.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the instructions further include a rate of energy transfer to the at least one bus.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the fleet of electric buses are fast-charge electric buses.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the instructions include a directive to the at least one electric bus to skip a scheduled charging event.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the instructions include a directive to the at least one electric bus to delay a scheduled charging event or to charge at a reduced power level.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein at least one charging station of the one or more charging stations includes an energy storage device coupled thereto, and the method further includes sending instructions from the control system to the at least one charging station, wherein the instructions to the at least one charging station includes a directive to charge an electric bus using at least a portion of energy stored in the energy storage device.

23. The method of claim 11, wherein the receiving data from each bus further includes receiving bus identifying information and a current location of the bus in the geographic area.

17. A control system for controlling the charging of a fleet of electric vehicles operating in a geographic area, the geographic area including one or more charging stations configured to charge the fleet of electric vehicles, comprising:

a computer system configured to receive a tariff schedule, the tariff schedule identifying the cost of energy at different times in the geographic area;

a receiver configured to receive data related to a state of charge from multiple electric vehicles of the fleet of electric vehicles, the multiple electric vehicles including (a) at least one vehicle electrically coupled to a charging station of the one or more charging stations and (b) at least one vehicle not electrically coupled to a charging station of the one or more charging stations; and

a processor configured to determine an amount of energy to transfer to an electric vehicle of the multiple electric vehicles during charging based on at least (a) the tariff schedule and (b) the state of charge of each electric vehicle of the multiple electric vehicles.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the receiver is further configured to receive data related to charging from the one or more charging stations.

24. The system of claim 17, wherein the receiver is configured to receive data from each electric vehicle of the multiple electric vehicles.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the data received from each electric vehicle includes vehicle identifying information and a current location of the vehicle in the geographic area.

19-20. -20. (canceled)