CHARGING INFORMATION-PROVIDING APPARATUS

• US 20140214321A1
• Filed: 08/12/2011
• Published: 07/31/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Endo, Masato, Kawamata, Shinya
• Application Number:
  US14/238,408
• Publication Number:
  US 20140214321A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/533
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3469 Fuel consumption; Energy use; Emission aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3476 using point of interest [POI] information, e.g. a route passing visible POIs

Abstract

An information providing apparatus is configured so as to provide, to an occupant of an electric vehicle, information indicating a location of a charging station together with information indicating whether or not the electric vehicle can be charged with a clean electric power at that charging station, through an on-board display. Accordingly, the occupant of the electric vehicle can go to the charging station at which the electric vehicle can be charged with electric power including the clean electric power, based on the provided location information of the charging station and a clean degree, and can charge the electric vehicle with the electric power including the clean electric power there. In this manner, the electric vehicle is charged with the electric power including the clean electric power, and thus, the demand for the clean electric power serving as the electric power for charging electric vehicles can be increased.

Claims

1. A charging information-providing apparatus for providing information relating to charging for an electric vehicle, which,

provides, to an occupant of the electric vehicle, charging station information representing a charging station at which the electric vehicle can be charged, together with clean electric power information which is information indicating whether or not electric power with which the electric vehicle can be charged at the charging station includes clean electric power generated by a power generation method defined as a power generation method which provides a low burden to environment.

2. The charging information-providing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein,

the charging station information includes information indicating a location of the charging station, and

the charging information-providing apparatus provides, to the occupant of the electric vehicle, the charging station information together with the clean electric power information, by displaying, at a position corresponding to the location of the charging station in a map displayed on a display device capable of displaying the map, a charge enablement sign indicating that a place corresponding to the charge enablement sign is a place where the electric vehicle can be charged, together with the clean electric power information for that charging station.

3. The charging information-providing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein,

the charging information-providing apparatus:

searches for a clean electric power charge priority running route, which is a running route of the electric vehicle to a destination, and which passes through a clean electric power charging station being a charging station at which the electric vehicle can be charged with the electric power including the clean electric power, and

displays the clean electric power charge priority running route in the map displayed on the display device.

4. The charging information-providing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein,

the clean electric power information is a clean degree which represents a ratio of the clean electric power to the electric power used to charge the electric vehicle.

5. The charging information-providing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein,

the charging information-providing apparatus:

searches for a high clean degree charging station at which the electric vehicle can be charged with electric power having the clean degree which is higher than a home clean degree representing a ratio of the clean electric power to electric power used for charging the electric vehicle at a home of the occupant of the electric vehicle, while the electric vehicle is running along a returning road to the home of the occupant of the electric vehicle; and

provides, to the occupant of the electric vehicle, the charging station information together with the clean electric power information, by displaying, at a position corresponding to a location of the high clean degree charging station in a map displayed on a display device capable of displaying the map, a charge enablement sign indicating that a place corresponding to the charge enablement sign is a place where the electric vehicle can be charged, together with the clean degree for the high clean degree charging station.

6. A charging information-providing apparatus for providing information relating to charging for an electric vehicle, which,

provides, to an occupant of the electric vehicle, clean electric power supply information which is information indicating whether or not electric power supplied from an electric power source includes a clean electric power generated by a power generation method defined as a power generation method which provides a low burden to environment, together with area information representing an area to which the electric power is supplied from the electric power source.

7. The charging information-providing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein,

the charging information-providing apparatus:

provides, to the occupant of the electric vehicle, the clean electric power supply information together with the area information, by displaying, in a map displayed on a display device capable of displaying the map, a clean electric power supplied area to which electric power including the clean electric power is supplied from the electric power source in such a manner that the clean electric power supplied area can be differentiated from an un-clean electric power supplied area to which electric power which does not include the clean electric power is supplied from the electric power source.

8. The charging information-providing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein,

the charging information-providing apparatus:

searches for a clean electric power supplied area passing priority running route, which is a running route of the electric vehicle to a destination, and which passes through the clean electric power supplied area; and

displays the clean electric power supplied area passing priority running route in the map displayed on the display device.