Charging Service Vehicles and Methods with Output Points and Cables

Abstract

Charging service vehicles and methods with output points and cables are disclosed. The service vehicles are vehicles having electric vehicle (EV) charging equipment and output points affixed. The output points are configured as power outputs of the charging equipment to which connectors may be attached. Output points are located on multiple sides of the vehicle and can receive charging cables to connect the charging equipment to an EV. The charging cables, and potentially extension cables, may be limited in size and weight to allow a user to reach the charging port of an EV without mechanical assistance. In some cases the vehicle may be connected to multiple EVs at once to provide charging services from multiple output points. These embodiments permit a service vehicle operator to quickly and safely reach EVs in remote roadside environments that would otherwise be inaccessible to vehicles with limited ports and fixed charging connection devices.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]Priority is claimed to the following related co-pending U.S. Provisional Patent Applications, which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety: (1) Ser. No. 61 / 489,849, filed May 25, 2011, (2) Ser. No. 61 / 489,879, filed May 25, 2011, (3) Ser. No. 61 / 493,970, filed Jun. 6, 2011, (4) Ser. No. 61 / 494,878, filed Jun. 8, 2011, and (5) Ser. No. 61 / 497,216, filed Jun. 15, 2011.BACKGROUND[0002]The present invention is directed to the fields of roadside assistance, electric vehicle charging, modular energy storage systems, and related fields.[0003]In recent years, the popularity and affordability of electric vehicles (EVs) such as battery-powered EVs, hybrid gasoline-electric EVs (or HEVs), and other vehicles having motors and engines powered by electrical energy has grown dramatically. As these vehicles gain more market penetration and presence, there will be a need for increased on-the-road-services for EVs, such as providing a “boos...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0015]Embodiments of the invention using battery modules allow rescue vehicles to follow economic incentives to be out and ready to serve customers as many hours of the day as possible so that they can maximize turnover of successful assignments. Running out of electrical charge and having to return to a home base charging station to recharge onboard energy storage is time consuming, and therefore reduces the number of operations each rescue vehicle can achieve. In some embodiments the rescue vehicles run on diesel and do not have large battery modules.

[0016]Additional embodiments describe quick disconnectable battery modules and enclosures that provide safety to users while providing accessibility to components by using relays and disconnects to energize battery modules when they are securely pos...

Problems solved by technology

One of the challenges in providing these services will be the numerous differing standards used in the batteries of electric vehicles that are coming to market, since their various battery chemistries, capacities, and dimensions make the range and charging requirements of each vehicle quite different.

For example, small EVs will only need a small amount of energy to allow them to travel safely to a dedicated service or charging area, but large electric vehicles will require a relatively large charge of energy to reach a service area due to their larger energy consumption rates.

Furthermore, vehicles involved in roadside assistance will be compelled to recharge or refill their boost charging equipment, resulting in losses due to inefficiency and downtime.

One of the challenges in using removable batteries is the danger to operators that arises from the high powered connectors for the batteries.

Some inventors use plastic shrouds or robotic battery manipulation for personal protection from exposed electrodes or simply use no protection at all, leaving the operator and equipment at risk.

These systems can make it dangerous to use and store a battery-powered EV charging system.

This configuration is not ideal since it doesn't allow for the de-activation of a “live” battery tray during handling without some human intervention, like opening a switch or removing a fuse, and since humans can forget to take these safety measures ...

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