Conditioning an electric grid using electric vehicles

• US 9,434,271 B2
• Filed: 09/04/2013
• Issued: 09/06/2016
• 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, Mansfield, Lucas
• Primary Examiner(s): Doan, Nghia
• Application Number:
  US14/018,048
• Publication Number:
  US 20140225564A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,098 Days
• Field of Search: 320/104, 320108-109
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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: 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 an expected load condition of the electric grid; and

a vehicle control component in communication with computing systems of multiple electric vehicles connected to the electric grid, wherein the vehicle control component is configured to selectively control charging operations of the multiple electric vehicles connected to the electric grid based on the information associated with the expected load condition of the electric grid, by;

transmitting control instructions to a computing system of at least one electric vehicle to start an active charging of the at least one electric vehicle when the expected load condition of the electric grid indicates electric production is greater than electric consumption, or

transmitting control instructions to the computing system of at least one electric vehicle to stop an active charging of the at least one electric vehicle when the expected load condition of the electric grid indicates electric consumption is greater than electric production.

2. 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 expected 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 turn on a heater of the one or more vehicles when the expected condition of the electric grid indicates electric production is greater than electric consumption.

4. A method, comprising:

receiving information from an electric grid associated with an expected load condition of the electric grid; and

selectively controlling charging operations of multiple electric vehicles connected to the electric grid based on the received information associated with the expected load condition of the electric grid, by;

transmitting control instructions to a computing system of at least one electric vehicle to start an active charging of the at least one electric vehicle when the expected load condition of the electric grid indicates electric production is greater than electric consumption, or

transmitting control instructions to the computing system of at least one electric vehicle to stop an active charging of the at least one electric vehicle when the expected load condition of the electric grid indicates electric consumption is greater than electric production.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein selectively controlling charging operations of the multiple electric vehicles connected to the electric grid based on the received information associated with the expected load condition of the electric grid includes turning on an air conditioner of the one or more vehicles when the expected condition of the electric grid indicates electric production is greater than electric consumption.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein selectively controlling charging operations of the multiple electric vehicles connected to the electric grid based on the received information associated with the expected load condition of the electric grid includes turning on a heater of the one or more vehicles when the expected condition of the electric grid indicates electric production is greater than electric consumption.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable medium whose contents, when executed by a computing system, cause the computing system to perform a method, comprising:

receiving information from an electric grid associated with an expected load condition of the electric grid; and

selectively controlling charging operations of multiple electric vehicles connected to the electric grid based on the received information associated with the expected load condition of the electric grid, by;

transmitting control instructions to a computing system of at least one electric vehicle to start an active charging of the at least one electric vehicle when the expected load condition of the electric grid indicates electric production is greater than electric consumption, or

transmitting control instructions to the computing system of at least one electric vehicle to stop an active charging of the at least one electric vehicle when the expected load condition of the electric grid indicates electric consumption is greater than electric production.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein selectively controlling charging operations of the multiple electric vehicles connected to the electric grid based on the received information associated with the expected load condition of the electric grid includes turning on an air conditioner of the one or more vehicles when the expected condition of the electric grid indicates electric production is greater than electric consumption.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein selectively controlling charging operations of the multiple electric vehicles connected to the electric grid based on the received information associated with the expected load condition of the electric grid includes turning on a heater of the one or more vehicles when the expected condition of the electric grid indicates electric production is greater than electric consumption.