Electric vehicle recharging station including a battery bank

• US 9,586,497 B2
• Filed: 11/27/2013
• Issued: 03/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lightening Energy
• Original Assignee: Lightening Energy
• Inventors: Epstein, Michael L., Dyer, Christopher K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Grant, Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Trischler, John
• Application Number:
  US14/092,401
• Publication Number:
  US 20150054460A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,196 Days
• Field of Search: 320/109, 320/104
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/11 DC charging controlled by the charging station, e.g. mode 4
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/53 Batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/64 Optimising energy costs, e.g. responding to electricity rates
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/24 for controlling the temperature of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/26 by cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/27 by heating
• 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 90/167 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 30/14 Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

An electric vehicle recharging station is provided. The electric vehicle recharging station includes an electric power supply system for rapidly recharging an onboard electric vehicle battery. The electric power supply system includes a first energy source and a battery bank including one or more rechargeable charging batteries for rapidly recharging the onboard electric vehicle battery. The electric vehicle recharging station also includes a temperature management system providing heat exchange fluid to both the onboard electric vehicle battery and the battery bank to thermally condition the onboard electric vehicle battery and the battery bank. A method of recharging onboard electric vehicle batteries is also provided.

Claims

1. An electric vehicle recharging station comprising:

an electric power supply system for rapidly recharging an onboard electric vehicle battery, the electric power supply system comprising a first energy source and a battery bank including one or more rechargeable charging batteries for rapidly recharging the onboard electric vehicle battery; and

a temperature management system providing heat exchange liquid to both the onboard electric vehicle battery and the battery bank to thermally condition the onboard electric vehicle battery and the battery bank, the temperature management system being configured for heating one of the onboard electric vehicle battery and the battery bank while cooling the other of the onboard electric vehicle battery and the battery bank.

2. The electric vehicle recharging station as recited in claim 1 wherein the temperature management system includes a first section for providing heat exchange liquid to the onboard electric vehicle battery and a second section for providing heat exchange liquid to the battery bank.

3. The electric vehicle recharging station as recited in claim 2 wherein the temperature management system includes a cooler for cooling the heat exchange liquid of the first section and the second section.

4. The electric vehicle recharging station as recited in claim 2 wherein the temperature management system includes a heater for heating the heat exchange liquid of the first section and the second section.

5. The electric vehicle recharging station as recited in claim 2 wherein the temperature management system includes a heat exchanger for heat exchange between the first section and the second section.

6. The electric vehicle recharging station as recited in claim 2 wherein the heat transfer liquid is transferred between the first second and the second section.

7. The electric vehicle recharging station as recited in claim 6 wherein the heat exchange liquid exiting the onboard electric vehicle battery is supplied to the battery bank.

8. The electric vehicle recharging station as recited in claim 6 wherein the heat exchange liquid exiting the battery bank is supplied to the onboard electric vehicle battery.

9. The electric vehicle recharging station as recited in claim 1 further comprising a controller, the first energy source including a power grid, the controller controlling the supply of electricity such that the battery bank supplies energy to the onboard electric vehicle battery during a peak period of demand of the power grid and the power grid supplies energy to the onboard electric vehicle battery during an off-peak period of demand of the power grid.

10. The electric vehicle recharging station as recited in claim 9 wherein the controller directs electricity from the power grid to the battery bank during the off-peak period of demand of the power grid.

11. The electric vehicle recharging station as recited in claim 9 wherein the first energy source further includes a renewable energy source.

12. The electric vehicle recharging station as recited in claim 9 wherein the controller selectively controls the one or more rechargeable charging batteries and the at least one energy source such that both the one or more rechargeable charging batteries and the at least one energy source supply energy to the plurality of electrically powered devices on a daily basis.

13. A method of recharging onboard electric vehicle batteries comprising:

recharging one or more batteries of a battery bank via an energy source;

alternately coupling the energy source and the battery bank to an electricity supply line of a rapid recharging station for recharging the onboard electric vehicle batteries;

providing heat exchange liquid to both the onboard electric vehicles batteries and one or more batteries of the battery bank; and

at least one of transferring heat from heat exchange liquid exiting one of the onboard electric vehicles batteries to the heat exchange liquid being provided to the battery bank and transferring heat from heat exchange liquid exiting the battery bank to the heat exchange fluid being provided to one of the onboard electric vehicle batteries.

14. The method as recited in claim 13 further comprising cooling the heat exchange liquid provided to both the onboard electric vehicles batteries and one or more batteries of the battery bank.

15. The method as recited in claim 13 further comprising heating the heat exchange liquid provided to both the onboard electric vehicles batteries and one or more batteries of the battery bank.

16. The method as recited in claim 13 wherein the alternately coupling the energy source and the battery bank to the electricity supply line of the rapid recharging station includes supplying electricity to onboard electric vehicle battery from the battery bank during a peak period of demand of the power grid and supplying electricity to onboard electric vehicle battery from the power grid during an off-peak period of demand of the power grid.

17. The method as recited in claim 13 wherein the recharging one or more batteries of a battery bank via an energy source is performed during the off-peak period of demand of the power grid.

18. The method as recited in claim 13 wherein the heat exchange liquid is liquid and is delivered to channels within the onboard electric vehicles batteries and channels within the one or more batteries of the battery bank.

19. An electric vehicle recharging station comprising:

an electric power supply system comprising a first energy source and a battery bank including one or more rechargeable charging batteries, the first energy source recharging the battery bank at a first power, the battery bank recharging onboard electric vehicle batteries at a second power greater than the first power such that the first energy source is prevented from being exposed to the stress of discharging at the second power; and

a temperature management system providing heat exchange liquid to both the onboard electric vehicle battery and the battery bank to thermally condition both the onboard electric vehicle battery and the battery bank, the temperature management system being configured for heating the battery bank and cooling at least one of the onboard electric vehicle batteries while the battery bank recharges the at least one onboard electric vehicle battery.

20. The electric vehicle recharging station as recited in claim 19 wherein the first energy source is solely used in electric vehicle recharging station to recharge the battery bank, and not to recharge the onboard electric vehicle batteries.