Optimizing vehicle recharging to limit use of electricity generated from non-renewable sources

• US 10,121,158 B2
• Filed: 04/26/2013
• Issued: 11/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Vardhan, Vijay, Jayaraman, Mohan
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunn, Darrin D
• Application Number:
  US13/871,639
• Publication Number:
  US 20140324510A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,020 Days
• Field of Search: 700291
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06314 Calendaring for a resource
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0202 Market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/14 Marketing, i.e. market research and analysis, surveying, promotions, advertising, buyer profiling, customer management or rewards

Abstract

Methods and systems for maximizing the proportion of renewable energy relative to the total energy used during the charging of electrically powered vehicles are described. The methods and systems contemplate the acquisition, by a TSP, of data pertaining to the renewable energy mixture, i.e. the ratio of energy produced from renewable sources to energy produced from non-renewable sources, of the energy provided by one or more utility companies. Renewable energy mixture forecasts and information pertaining to charging and use of one or more vehicles are used to generate schedules for charging one or more electrically powered vehicles such that the use of renewable energy in vehicle charging is optimized.

Claims

1. A method for scheduling, on a telematics unit of an electricaly powered vehicle, a future recharging event for the electrically powered vehicle, the method comprising:

maintaining a forecast of renewable energy mixture of energy provided by one or more utilities at specified time intervals;

generating a recharging recommendation for the electrically powered vehicle, to be executed by the telematics unit, for the future recharging event, wherein the recharging recommendation is generated based upon;

the forecast of renewable energy mixture,

vehicle usage time-of-day period patterns of the electrically powered vehicle, and

schedule information, based upon a schedule containing time and location data for each of a set of upcoming events, indicating availability of the electrically powered vehicle for the future recharging event at a vehicle recharging venue;

providing the recharging recommendation to the telematics unit of the electrically powered vehicle; and

recharging, under control of instructions issued by the telematics unit according to the recharging recommendation, the electrically powered vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the schedule information includes at least one of the group consisting of:

information stored on a calendar application of a computerized device, and information stored on an application of a computerized device that provides event reminders to a user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the forecast of the renewable energy mixture is one of the group consisting of:

a forecast received by a telematics service provider and a forecast generated by a telematics service provider.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the forecast of the renewable energy mixture is provided by time intervals wherein each time interval is associated with one of the group consisting of:

a quantitative value of renewable energy available, a quantitative value of the total energy available, a quantitative value of the ratio of renewable energy available to total energy available, a normalized value of the quantity of renewable energy available, and a normalized value of the ratio of renewable energy available to total energy available.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the forecast of the renewable energy mixture is provided by time intervals wherein each time interval is associated with one of the group consisting of:

a qualitative renewable energy mixture level and a qualitative time of use level;

wherein the qualitative renewable energy mixture level and the qualitative time of use level are defined by one of the group consisting of;

a normalized value of the quantity of renewable energy available and a normalized value of the ratio of renewable energy available to total energy available.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the forecast of the renewable energy mixture relies on one of the group consisting of:

a weather forecast and a forecast of future events.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the software based instructions require additional input from information stored locally at the vehicle.

8. A system for scheduling, on a telematics unit of an electrically powered vehicle, a future charging event for the electrically powered vehicle, the system comprising:

the electrically powered vehicle; and

a server for carrying out a method comprising;

maintain a forecast of renewable energy mixture of energy provided by one or more utilities at specified time intervals;

generating a recharging recommendation for the electrically powered vehicle, to be executed by the telematics unit, for the future recharging event, wherein the recharging recommendation is based upon;

the forecast of renewable energy mixture,

vehicle usage time-of-day period patterns of the electrically powered vehicle, and

schedule information based upon a schedule containing time and location data for each of a set of upcoming events, indicating availability of the electrically powered vehicle for the future recharging event at a vehicle recharging venue;

providing the recharging recommendation to the telematics unit of the electrically powered vehicle; and

wherein the electrically powered vehicle performs a recharging, under control of instructions issued by the telematics unit according to the recharging recommendation, the electrically powered vehicle.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the schedule information includes at least one of the group consisting of:

information stored on a calendar application of a computerized device, and information stored on an application of a computerized device that provides event reminders to a user.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the forecast of the renewable energy mixture is one of the group consisting of:

a forecast received by a telematics service provider and a forecast generated by a telematics service provider.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the forecast of the renewable energy mixture is provided by time intervals wherein each time interval is associated with one of the group consisting of:

a quantitative value of renewable energy available, a quantitative value of the total energy available, a quantitative value of the ratio of renewable energy available to total energy available, a normalized value of the quantity of renewable energy available, and a normalized value of the ratio of renewable energy available to total energy available.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the forecast of the renewable energy mixture is provided by time intervals wherein each time interval is associated with one of the group consisting of:

a qualitative renewable energy mixture level and a qualitative time of use level;

wherein the qualitative renewable energy mixture level and the qualitative time of use level are defined by one of the group consisting of;

a normalized value of the quantity of renewable energy available and a normalized value of the ratio of renewable energy available to total energy available.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the forecast of the renewable energy mixture relics on one of the group consisting of:

a weather forecast and a forecast of future events.