Method for battery charging based on cost and life

• US 7,719,232 B2
• Filed: 05/01/2009
• Issued: 05/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tesla Motors Incorporated (Tesla Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Tesla Motors Incorporated (Tesla Inc.)
• Inventors: Berdichevsky, Eugene M., Kelty, Kurt R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso; Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): RAMADAN, RAMY O
• Application Number:
  US12/434,067
• Publication Number:
  US 20090212745A1
• Time in Patent Office: 382 Days
• Field of Search: 320/104, 320/132, 701/22
• US Class Current: 320/132
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/10 by alarm
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0092 with use of redundant elements for safety purposes
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/64 Optimising energy costs, e.g. responding to electricity rates
• 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: G06Q 30/0284 Time or distance, e.g. usage of parking meters or taximeters
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0071 with a programmable schedule
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/14 Marketing, i.e. market research and analysis, surveying, promotions, advertising, buyer profiling, customer management or rewards

Abstract

One embodiment of the present subject matter includes a system that includes a battery, an electric vehicle, the battery coupled to the electric vehicle to propel the electric vehicle, and a charging circuit to charge the battery. The embodiment includes a charging cost circuit to estimate a charging cost rate and to turn on the charging circuit. The embodiment also includes a timer circuit to provide a time signal to the charging cost circuit. The embodiment is configured such that the charging cost circuit is to turn on the charging circuit during a first time period in which the charging cost rate is below a first threshold until the battery reaches a first energy stored level, and to turn on the charging circuit during a second time period in which the charging cost rate is above the first threshold.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

storing a user selected driving range for an electric vehicle;

determining a potential driving range based on a pattern of driving ranges achieved by charging a battery of the electric vehicle to a first percentage of capacity;

determining whether a first amount of energy stored when the battery is charged to the first percentage of capacity is sufficient to achieve the user selected driving range based on the pattern of driving ranges achieved;

charging the battery to the first percentage of capacity if the first amount energy stored is sufficient to power the electric vehicle through the user selected driving range; and

charging the battery to a second percentage of capacity, which is higher than the first percentage of capacity, if the first energy stored is not sufficient to power the electric vehicle through the user selected driving range, charging the battery to the second percentage of capacity being prevented if a predicted end of life of the battery is outside a warranty period of the electric vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second percentage of capacity is 100%.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising incrementally adding an increment to the magnitude of the first percentage of capacity to determine the second percentage of capacity.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the magnitude of the first percentage of capacity is regularly incremented by a predetermined increment.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first capacity is increased by 0.05% a day to determine the second percentage.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein charging the battery to a second percentage of capacity comprises charging the battery to a second percentage of capacity if the user selects to charge to the second percentage of capacity.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically charging the battery to the second percentage of capacity.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing an alert to the user when charging the battery to the second percentage of capacity.

9. A method, comprising:

operating an electric vehicle in a first mode of operation or in a second mode of operation, wherein;

the first mode of operation comprises storing a user selected driving range for the electric vehicle and charging the battery to a corresponding first percentage of capacity; and

the second mode of operation comprises;

storing the user selected driving range for the electric vehicle;

determining a potential driving range based on a pattern of driving ranges achieved by charging a battery of the electric vehicle to the first percentage of capacity;

determining whether a first amount of energy stored when the battery is charged to the first percentage of capacity is sufficient to achieve the user selected driving range based on the pattern of driving ranges achieved;

charging the battery to the first percentage of capacity if the first amount energy stored is sufficient to power the electric vehicle through the user selected driving range; and

charging the battery to a second percentage of capacity, which is higher than the first percentage of capacity, if the first energy stored is not sufficient to power the electric vehicle through the user selected driving range, charging the battery to the second percentage of capacity being prevented if a predicted end of life of the battery is outside a warranty period of the electric vehicle.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the second percentage of capacity is 100%.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising incrementally adding an increment to the magnitude of the first percentage of capacity to determine the second percentage of capacity.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the magnitude of the first percentage of capacity is regularly incremented by a predetermined increment.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first capacity is increased by 0.05% a day to determine the second percentage.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising providing an alert to the user when charging the battery to the second percentage of capacity.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the charging circuit is to alert the user when charging the battery to the second percentage of capacity.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the charging circuit is to automatically charge the battery to the second percentage of capacity if the first energy stored is not sufficient to power the electric vehicle through the user selected driving range.

15. A system, comprising:

a battery;

an electric vehicle, the battery coupled to the electric vehicle to propel the electric vehicle; and

a charging circuit to;

store a user selected driving range for the electric vehicle;

determine a potential driving range based on a pattern of driving ranges achieved by charging a battery of the electric vehicle to a first percentage of capacity;

determine whether a first amount of energy stored when the battery is charged to the first percentage of capacity is sufficient to achieve the user selected driving range based on the pattern of driving ranges achieved; and

charge the battery to the first percentage of capacity if the first amount energy stored is sufficient to power the electric vehicle through the user selected driving range, and to charge the battery to a second percentage of capacity, which is higher than the first percentage of capacity, if the first energy stored is not sufficient to power the electric vehicle through the user selected driving range, the charging circuit being to prevent charging the battery to the second percentage of capacity if a predicted end of life of the battery is outside a warranty period of the electric vehicle.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the charging circuit is to incrementally add an increment to a magnitude of the first percentage of capacity to determine the second percentage of capacity.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the charging circuit is to regularly increment the magnitude by a predetermined increment.