RENTAL FEE SETTING APPARATUS, METHOD AND SYSTEM

• US 20190156407A1
• Filed: 11/19/2018
• Published: 05/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2017
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: IGATA, Hiroshi, SAKURADA, Shin, JINNAI, Kuniaki, HATTA, Motoyoshi, HIROSE, Shota
• Application Number:
  US16/194,895
• Publication Number:
  US 20190156407A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0284 Time or distance, e.g. usage of parking meters or taximeters
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0645 Rental transactions; Leasing transactions
• 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 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

When a condition for setting a fee is established, a management server performs: determining a target of setting the fee; obtaining a utilization plan; when a nationwide utilization plan is not selected and a set-area utilization plan is instead selected, setting a correction coefficient C(1) corresponding to the number of stations; setting a correction coefficient C(3) corresponding to the number of stations each with an electric charging device; setting a correction coefficient C(4) corresponding to the number of stations each with a quick electric charging device; obtaining a utilization history; and when there is no utilization beyond the plan, setting a monthly fee.

Claims

1. A rental fee setting apparatus configured to set a rental fee for an electric vehicle comprising a power storage device mounted therein, the rental fee setting apparatus comprising:

a storage device configured to store a movement range selected by a user from a plurality of movement ranges, the plurality of movement ranges including (i) a first movement range allowing the electric vehicle to move therein when the electric vehicle is rented and (ii) a second movement range being different from the first movement range and including a smaller number of stations each serving as a base for renting the electric vehicle than the first movement range; and

a setting device configured to set a rental fee for the electric vehicle based on the selected movement range,

the setting device being configured to set a lower rental fee when the second movement range is selected than when the first movement range is selected.

2. The rental fee setting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when a number of stations with an electric charging device in the first movement range is different from a number of stations with an electric charging device in the second movement range, the setting device is configured to set different rental fees for the movement ranges.

3. The rental fee setting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when a number of stations with a quick electric charging device in the first movement range is different from a number of stations with a quick charging device in the second movement range, the setting device is configured to set different rental fees for the movement ranges.

4. The rental fee setting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a reservation receiving device configured to receive a reservation for rental of the electric vehicle for a scheduled utilization period of time, the reservation receiving device receiving the reservation no earlier than a reservation receivable time point earlier by a predetermined period of time than a starting time of the scheduled utilization period of time, wherein

the storage device is configured to store in association with the user a grade of a plurality of grades set in accordance with a predetermined criterion, and

the predetermined period of time is set for each grade.

5. A method for setting a rental fee for an electric vehicle comprising a power storage device mounted therein, the method comprising:

storing a movement range selected by a user from a plurality of movement ranges, the plurality of movement ranges including (i) a first movement range allowing the electric vehicle to move therein when the electric vehicle is rented and (ii) a second movement range being different from the first movement range and including a smaller number of stations each serving as a base for renting the electric vehicle than the first movement range;

setting a rental fee for the electric vehicle based on the selected movement range; and

setting a lower rental fee when the second movement range is selected than when the first movement range is selected.

6. A rental fee setting system comprising:

an electric vehicle including a power storage device mounted therein; and

a server configured to set a rental fee for the electric vehicle,

the server being configured to;

store a movement range selected by a user from a plurality of movement ranges, the plurality of movement ranges including (i) a first movement range allowing the electric vehicle to move therein when the electric vehicle is rented and (ii) a second movement range being different from the first movement range and including a smaller number of stations each serving as a base for renting the electric vehicle than the first movement range;

set a rental fee for the electric vehicle based on the selected movement range; and

set a lower rental fee when the second movement range is selected than when the first movement range is selected.