FACILITATING ACCESS TO AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING NETWORK

• US 20150095233A1
• Filed: 09/30/2014
• Published: 04/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Recargo, Inc. (E.ON SE)
• Original Assignee: Recargo, Inc. (E.ON SE)
• Inventors: Wild, Nick, North, Forrest
• Application Number:
  US14/503,154
• Publication Number:
  US 20150095233A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/44
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/2009 for braking
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/12 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/14 Acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/36 Temperature of vehicle components or parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/425 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/445 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/665 Light intensity
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/72 Charging station selection relying on external data
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/10 by alarm
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/12 Recording operating variables ; Monitoring of operating variables
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/665 Methods related to measuring, billing or payment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 15/005 dispensed for the electrical charging of vehicles electrical charging as such, B60L50/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• 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 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility
• 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 30/14 : Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

A system and method for facilitating access to an electric vehicle charging network is described. In some embodiments, the system provides an interface via which an electric vehicle may access and/or be authorized to one of multiple, disparate charging networks.

Claims

1. A method performed by an interface system that provides payment information to electric vehicle charging networks, the method comprising:

accessing a request to charge an electric vehicle at a charging station;

authorizing a first amount of charge to be provided to the electric vehicle by the charging station in response to the request to charge the electric vehicle at the charging station; and

authorizing a second amount of charge to be provided to the electric vehicle in response to receiving payment information associated with charging the electric vehicle at the charging station.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein authorizing a first amount of charge to be provided to the electric vehicle by the charging station includes authorizing a first amount of charge to be provided to the electric vehicle before receiving the payment information associated with charging the electric vehicle at the charging station.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein authorizing a first amount of charge to be provided to the electric vehicle by the charging station includes authorizing the first amount of charge before receiving the payment information associated with charging the electric vehicle at the charging station for drivers of electric vehicles that are members of a charging network that provides the charging station.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein authorizing a first amount of charge to be provided to the electric vehicle by the charging station includes authorizing the first amount of charge using payment information from a third party network that includes a driver of the electric vehicle as a member of the third party network.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

billing a driver of the electric vehicle for the first amount of charge and the second amount of charge using the received payment information.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein authorizing a first amount of charge to be provided to the electric vehicle by the charging station includes authorizing the first amount of charge based on a driver of the electric vehicle performing one or more actions associated with registering as a user of a charging network providing the charging station.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein authorizing a first amount of charge to be provided to the electric vehicle by the charging station includes authorizing the first amount of charge based on a driver of the electric vehicle performing one or more actions associated with providing the payment information to a charging network providing the charging station.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the charging station authorizes the first amount of charge to be provided to the electric vehicle by the charging station and authorizes the second amount of charge to be provided to the electric vehicle in response to receiving payment information associated with charging the electric vehicle at the charging station.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein a charging network providing the charging station authorizes the first amount of charge to be provided to the electric vehicle by the charging station and authorizes the second amount of charge to be provided to the electric vehicle in response to receiving payment information associated with charging the electric vehicle at the charging station.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein a third party network that provides an interface between the electric vehicle and the charging station authorizes the first amount of charge to be provided to the electric vehicle by the charging station and authorizes the second amount of charge to be provided to the electric vehicle in response to receiving payment information associated with charging the electric vehicle at the charging station.

11. A system supported by an interface system that provides payment information to electric vehicle charging networks, the system comprising:

a request module that accesses a request to charge an electric vehicle at a charging station; and

an authorization module that authorizes a first amount of charge to be provided to the electric vehicle by the charging station, and authorize a second amount of charge to be provided to the electric vehicle in response to receiving payment information associated with charging the electric vehicle at the charging station.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the authorization module authorizes the first amount of charge to be provided to the electric vehicle before receiving the payment information associated with charging the electric vehicle at the charging station.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the authorization module authorizes the first amount of charge before receiving the payment information associated with charging the electric vehicle at the charging station for drivers of electric vehicles that are members of a charging network that provides the charging station.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the authorization module authorizes the first amount of charge using payment information from a third party network that includes a driver of the electric vehicle as a member of the third party network.

15. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

a billing module that bills a driver of the electric vehicle for the first amount of charge and the second amount of charge using the received payment information.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the authorization module authorizes a first charging duration as the first amount of charge when a request to charge is received by the request module from an unknown electric vehicle, and is configured to authorize a second charging duration greater than the first charging duration as the first amount of charge when a request to charge is received by the request module from a known electric vehicle.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the first amount of charge is substantially smaller than the second amount of charge.

18. A computer-readable storage medium whose contents, when executed by a mobile application, cause the mobile application to perform operations, comprising:

identifying multiple charging stations proximate to an electric vehicle;

pre-authorizing the electric vehicle at one or more of the multiple charging stations; and

causing icons representing the one or more charging stations at which the electric vehicle is pre-authorized to be displayed on a map presented by the mobile application via a user interface of a mobile device that supports the mobile application.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein causing icons representing the one or more charging stations at which the electric vehicle is pre-authorized to be displayed on a map presented by the mobile application via a user interface of a mobile device that supports the mobile application includes:

causing the icons representing the one or more charging stations at which the electric vehicle is pre-authorized to be displayed in a first configuration; and

causing icons representing charging stations at which the electric vehicle is not pre-authorized to be displayed in a second configuration.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein pre-authorizing the electric vehicle at one or more of the multiple charging stations includes providing payment information to multiple, disparate charging networks providing the one or more charging stations on behalf of a driver of the electric vehicle.