Electric vehicle state of charge status

Abstract

A control system (100, Fig. 2) for controlling an electric vehicle supply equipment (200, Fig. 1), comprising a visual indicator element and one or more processors collectively configured to receive 3

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to an electric vehicle status and in particular the state of charge of an electric vehicle. Aspects of the invention relate to a control system for controlling an electric vehicle supply equipment, to a system, to an electric vehicle supply equipment, to a method for controlling an electric vehicle supply equipment and to computer readable instructions. BACKGROUND It is known to provide a home charger which can be used to supply charge to an energy store of an electric vehicle to recharge the energy store. It would help the user understand what charging can take place if the user was provided with some indication of the state of charge of the vehicle. Providing such information away from the vehicle itself is a challenge. It is an aim of the present invention to address one or more of the disadvantages associated with the prior art. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Aspects and embodiments of the invention provide aa control system for controlling an electric vehicle supply equipment, to a system, to an electric vehicle supply equipment, to a method for controlling an electric vehicle supply equipment and computer readable instructions, as claimed in the appended claims. According to an aspect of the present invention there is provided a control system for controlling a visual indicator element of an electric vehicle supply equipment, the control system comprising one or more processors collectively configured to: receive a vehicle identification signal indicative of the presence of a vehicle in operational proximity to the electric vehicle supply equipment; determine, in dependence on the received vehicle identification signal, a state of charge of the vehicle; and output a state of charge signal to the visual indicator element to cause the visual indicator element to indicate the state of charge of the vehicle. Advantageously, on approach of the vehicle to the electric vehicle supply equipment, a visual indication is provided to clearly and intuitively show the current state of charge of the vehicle, for example so the driver can readily understand the charging needs and current charge status of the vehicle. According to an aspect of the present invention there is provided a control system for controlling an electric vehicle supply equipment, the electric vehicle supply equipment comprising a visual indicator element, the control system comprising one or more processors collectively configured to: receive, over a wireless connection, an authorised vehicle identification signal indicative of the presence of an authorised vehicle in operational proximity to the electric vehicle supply equipment; determine, in dependence on the received authorised vehicle identification signal, a state of charge of the authorised vehicle; and output a state of charge signal to the visual indicator element of the electric vehicle supply equipment to cause the visual indicator element to indicate the state of charge of the authorised vehicle. Advantageously, on approach of the vehicle to the electric vehicle supply equipment, through wireless detection, a visual indication is provided to the driver to show, clearly and intuitively, the current state of charge of the vehicle, so the driver can readily understand the charging needs and current charge status of the vehicle. The control system comprises one or more controllers collectively comprising at least one electronic processor having an electrical input for receiving an input signal; and at least one memory device electrically coupled to the at least one electronic processor and having instructions stored therein; and wherein the at least one electronic processor is configured to access the at least one memory device and execute the instructions thereon so as to: receive, over a wireless connection, an authorised vehicle identification signal indicative of the presence of an authorised vehicle in operational proximity to the electric vehicle supply equipment; determine, in dependence on the received authorised vehicle identification signal, a state of charge of the authorised vehicle; and output a state of charge signal to the visual indicator element of the electric vehicle supply equipment to cause the visual indicator element to indicate the state of charge of the authorised vehicle. Advantageously, on approach of the vehicle to the electric vehicle supply equipment, through wireless detection, a visual indication is provided to the driver to show the current state of charge of the vehicle so the driver can readily understand the charging needs and current charge status of the vehicle. The control system may be configured to: receive a charging cable connection signal indicative of connection of a charging cable of the electric vehicle supply equipment to a charging port of the authorised vehicle; and output the state of charge signal to the visual indicator element of the electric vehicle supply equipment further in dependence on receipt of the charging cable connection signal. Advantageously, the state of charge is visually indicated once the charging cable is connected to the vehicle, since the state of charge of the vehicle is linked to the capability of the vehicle to be recharged by the electric vehicle supply equipment. The control system is configured to authorise the electric vehicle in operational proximity to the electric vehicle supply equipment by: receiving, over the wireless connection, an electric vehicle identifier of an electric vehicle in operational proximity to the electric vehicle supply equipment; comparing the received electric vehicle identifier to a stored list of authorised vehicle identifiers; and if the received electric vehicle identifier matches one of the stored list of authorised vehicle identifiers, determining the electric vehicle is an authorised vehicle. Advantageously, only authorised vehicles can have the state of charge indicated for them, which is beneficial from a security perspective to ensure only authorised vehicles are able to use the state of charge indication functionality. The electric vehicle supply equipment may comprise a Wi-Fi sniffing module configured to receive the authorised vehicle identification signal over the wireless connection and transmit the authorised vehicle identification signal to the control system. Advantageously, the vehicle can be automatically detected through Wi-Fi sniffing, and information about the vehicle, such as a vehicle identifier, can automatically be provided to the control system without requiring any explicit input from the driver of the user. The authorised vehicle identification signal transmitted by the authorised vehicle may comprise a portion of a Vehicle Identification Number, VIN, of the authorised vehicle. Advantageously, a vehicle specific setting may be retrieved in dependence on receipt of the unique VIN and the control system can control the electric vehicle supply equipment to provide the visual indication according to the vehicle specific setting. The control system may be configured to determine the state of charge of the authorised vehicle by: providing a state of charge authorisation code to a digital shadow storage means, the state of charge authorisation code indicative of the presence of the authorised vehicle in operational proximity to the electric vehicle supply equipment and configured to cause the authorisation of provision of the state of charge of the authorised vehicle; and retrieving the state of charge of the authorised vehicle from the digital shadow storage means. Advantageously, the digital shadow storage means receives real-world data from the vehicle and / or from the electric vehicle supply equipment for example, to provide a digital copy of data representing the physical vehicle, so that information about the vehicle can be retrieved from the digital shadow without explicitly receiving data directly from the vehicle to the control system. For example the vehicle may communicate charge level data with the digital shadow storage means, and the control system may retrieve charge level data from the digital shadow storage means, without the vehicle necessarily directly providing charge level data to the control system and requiring communication infrastructure to facilitate that. The digital shadow storage means may be configured to: receive, from the electric vehicle, an indication of the remaining charge of a charge storage means of the electric vehicle when the electric vehicle is in communication with the digital shadow storage means; model, in dependence on the received indication of the remaining charge and a model of the electric vehicle, the state of charge of the electric vehicle; and receive, as the state of charge of the authorised vehicle, a state of charge determined by the model. Advantageously, the digital shadow storage means can provide predictive capabilities of the state of charge of the vehicle, for example based on information provided from the vehicle about the current state of charge and predictions made on planned journeys, historical journeys, weather forecasts, or other factors, for a more accurate or informed indication of the state of charge of the vehicle. The visual indicator element of the electric vehicle supply equipment may comprise a plurality of visual indicators. The state of charge signal output to the visual indicator element may cause a representative number of the plurality of visual indicators to illuminate to indicate the remaining state of charge of the electric vehicle. Advantageously, a simple to understand and intuitive output interface is provided whereby the number of illuminated visual indicators provides an easily understandable representation of the remaining charge level of the vehicle. The plurality of visual indicators may comprise a plurality of LEDs and wherein each LED represents a portion of charge of the state of charge of the electric vehicle. Advantageously, LEDs only require very small levels of power to be illuminated, are simple and cheap to use in the manufacturing process of the electric vehicle supply equipment, and can provide a readily understandable visual indication of the state of charge. For example, for five LEDs, if the state of charge is between 0% and 20%, one of five LEDs may be illuminated; between 20% and 40%, two of five LEDs may be illuminated; between 40% and 60%, three of five LEDs may be illuminated, between 60% and 80%, four of five LEDs may be illuminated, and between 80 and 100% charge, five of five (i.e. all) LEDs may be illuminated. The plurality of visual indicators may comprise at least one low charge LED which, when illuminated, indicates that the state of charge is below a predetermined low state of charge threshold. Advantageously, the driver or other user can readily recognise when there is an especially low charge level from the differently displayed visual indicator and is prompted to take appropriate action. For example the low charge LED may illuminate in a different colour to the other LEDs, e.g. in red, or may flash rather than be constantly illuminated, for example. This is advantageous as the driver or the user may decide to perform some other action to usual, once prompted that the charge level is particularly low, for example providing a boost of charge to the electric vehicle rather than waiting for a scheduled charging to take place. In some examples, the electric vehicle supply equipment may comprise a display screen; and the display screen may comprise the visual indicator element. Advantageously, the display screen can provide the state of charge indication, and may include one or more of coloured indicators, textual information, pictorial information, or other information available a display screen. In some examples the display screen may be a touch display screen to allow the user to interact with the supply equipment. The control system of any preceding claim may be configured to continue to update and output the state of charge signal to the visual indicator element of the electric vehicle supply equipment during charging of an electric storage means of the electric vehicle by the electric vehicle supply equipment. Advantageously, the visual indication providing the state of charge is accurate even during a charging event, so the driver of the user can see that the vehicle is successfully receiving charge and can see the level of charge currently stored in a vehicle. According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a system comprising the control system of any preceding claim, and the visual indicator element. According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided an electric vehicle supply equipment comprising any system disclosed herein or any control system disclosed herein. According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for controlling an electric vehicle supply equipment, the electric vehicle supply equipment comprising a visual indicator element, the method comprising: receiving, over a wireless connection, an authorised vehicle identification signal indicative of the presence of an authorised vehicle in operational proximity to the electric vehicle supply equipment; determining, in dependence on the received authorised vehicle identification signal, a state of charge of the authorised vehicle; and outputting a state of charge signal to the visual indicator element of the electric vehicle supply equipment to cause the visual indicator element to indicate the state of charge of the authorised vehicle. According to an aspect of the invention, there are provided computer readable instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform any method disclosed herein. Within the scope of this application it is expressly intended that the various aspects, embodiments, examples and alternatives set out in the preceding paragraphs, in the claims and / or in the following description and drawings, and in particular the individual features thereof, may be taken independently or in any combination. That is, all embodiments and / or features of any embodiment can be combined in any way and / or combination, unless such features are incompatible. The applicant reserves the right to change any originally filed claim or file any new claim accordingly, including the right to amend any originally filed claim to depend from and / or incorporate any feature of any other claim although not originally claimed in that manner. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS One or more embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows electric vehicle supply equipment according to embodiments of the invention; Figure 2 shows a control system according to embodiments of the invention; Figure 3 shows a flow chart showing a method which control systems disclosed herein are configured to perform for controlling an electric vehicle supply equipment according to embodiments of the invention; Figure 4 shows a process which control systems disclosed herein are configured to perform for controlling an electric vehicle supply equipment according to embodiments of the invention; and Figure 5 shows an arrangement of a supply equipment connected to a vehicle according to embodiments of the invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION It is known to provide a home charger which can be used to supply charge to an energy store of an electric vehicle to recharge the energy store. Discussion herein of a supply of electrical charge to the vehicle should be understood as a supply of electrical charge to an energy storage means of the vehicle e.g. a rechargeable battery. An electric vehicle supply equipment (or simply supply equipment) may be understood to be a “charger” or “home charger”, i.e. an apparatus which can be connected to a vehicle (and the electrical energy storage of that vehicle) for the provision of charge from the supply equipment to the vehicle, to recharge the electrical energy storage. The vehicle may be a battery electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle, for example. It would help the user understand what charging should take place if the user was provided with some indication of the state of charge of the vehicle but providing such information away from the vehicle itself is a challenge. When a vehicle is plugged into an electric vehicle supply equipment at a user’s home, it is not currently possible to see the current state of charge of the vehicle’s electric battery, unless the user unlocks the car to display state of charge on display screen of the vehicle itself, or uses a vehicle control application on their personal electronic device. In some examples the current state of charge may be displayed inside the charging bowl located where the charging gun from the home charger connects to the vehicle. However it would be beneficial for the customer to be able to see the state of charge at the charger, for example to see what the state of charge of the vehicle is during charging, or to be prompted to connect the vehicle for charging if required. This is a technical challenge as information about the current state of charge in a vehicle needs to be transmitted to the electric vehicle supply equipment for it to be displayed there. Examples disclosed herein provide means for the electric vehicle supply equipment and the vehicle to communicate at least the current state of charge of the vehicle, and provide an output display means at the electric vehicle display equipment to indicate the current state of charge. Figure 1 shows electric vehicle supply equipment 200 according to embodiments of the invention. The electric vehicle supply equipment 200 comprises a control system 100 as discussed in relation to Figure 2. The electric vehicle supply equipment 200 comprises a visual indicator element 204 which may be illuminated to indicate a state of charge of an energy store of a vehicle. In some examples the visual indicator element 204 may comprise an output device such as a display screen to indicate information to a user. In some examples the visual indicator element 204 may comprise one or more light indicators 204a-e (e.g. LEDs) which may be illuminated or extinguished to indicate the state of charge of an energy store of a vehicle. The supply equipment 200 also comprises a charging cable 202 which can be connected to a charging port of the vehicle to supply charge from the supply equipment to an energy store of the connected vehicle. Figure 2 shows a control system 100 according to embodiments of the invention. The control system 100 comprises one or more processors 120 collectively configured to: receive, over a wireless connection, an authorised vehicle identification signal indicative of the presence of an authorised vehicle in operational proximity to the electric vehicle supply equipment; determine, in dependence on the received authorised vehicle identification signal, a state of charge of the authorised vehicle; and output a state of charge signal 320 to the visual indicator element of the electric vehicle supply equipment to cause the visual indicator element to indicate the state of charge of the authorised vehicle. The control system 100 as illustrated in Figure 2 comprises one controller 110, although it will be appreciated that this is merely illustrative. The controller 110 comprises processing means 120 and memory means 1130. The processing means 120 may be one or more electronic processing device 120 which operably executes computer-readable instructions. The memory means 130 may be one or more memory device 130. The memory means 130 is electrically coupled to the processing means 120. The memory means 130 is configured to store instructions, and the processing means 120 is configured to access the memory means 130 and execute the instructions stored thereon. The control system 100 is configured to receive an authorised vehicle identification signal 165 indicative of the presence of an authorised vehicle in operational proximity to the electric vehicle supply equipment over a wireless connection and determine a state of charge of the authorised vehicle in dependence on the received authorised vehicle identification signal. The control system 110 may then output a state of charge signal 155 to the visual indicator 204 element of the electric vehicle supply equipment 200 to cause the visual indicator element 204 to indicate the state of charge of the authorised vehicle. In terms of obtaining the state of charge, this may be achieved by obtaining a logged, or modelled, state of charge of the vehicle following detection of the authorised vehicle being in proximity to the supply equipment 200. The state of charge may be provided from the vehicle to the supply equipment and the state of charge may be displayed because the vehicle has been determined to be an authorised vehicle. The state of charge may be provided from a model such as a digital shadow (discussed below) in some examples, retrieved in dependence on the vehicle being detected as an authorised vehicle. The controller 110 comprises an input means 140 and an output means 150. The input means 140 may comprise an electrical input 140 of the controller 110. The output means 150 may comprise an electrical output 150 of the controller 110. The input 140 is arranged to wirelessly receive an authorised vehicle identification signal 165 indicative of the presence of an authorised vehicle in operational proximity to the electric vehicle supply equipment over a wireless connection. The controller 100 is configured to determine a state of charge of the authorised vehicle in dependence on the received authorised vehicle identification signal. The output 150 is arranged to output a state of charge signal 155 to the visual indicator 204 element of the electric vehicle supply equipment 200 to cause the visual indicator element 204 to indicate the state of charge of the authorised vehicle. Operational proximity of the authorised vehicle to the electric vehicle supply equipment may be understood to be a Wi-Fi transmission range proximity within which Wi-Fi signalling can be transmitted from the authorised vehicle to the electric vehicle supply equipment. This may be considered an operational proximity because WiFi communications can take place between the electric vehicle supply equipment and a Wi-Fi communication module of the vehicle, for example to communicate a vehicle identifier from the vehicle to the supply equipment. Operational proximity of the authorised vehicle to the electric vehicle supply equipment may be understood to be an electric vehicle supply equipment charging cable length proximity within which the charging cable can be connected to a charging port of the authorised vehicle. This may be considered an operational proximity because within this distance, the vehicle by operationally connected to the supply equipment via the charging cable of the supply equipment so the vehicle can receive charge from the supply equipment. The operational proximity of the authorised vehicle to the electric vehicle supply equipment may be understood to be the lesser of these two factors. The operational proximity of the authorised vehicle to the electric vehicle supply equipment may in other examples be determined using geofencing, such that when the vehicle is detected to be located within a predetermined geofence perimeter, it is deemed to be within operational proximity (e.g. within a 10 m radius of the supply equipment 200). The operational proximity of the authorised vehicle to the electric vehicle supply equipment may in other examples be determined using Bluetooth, such that when the vehicle is detected to be located within Bluetooth communication range of the supply equipment (or other Bluetooth communication device located with the supply equipment, or for example in the house where the supply equipment is located), the vehicle is deemed to be within operational proximity (e.g. within a 10 m radius of the supply equipment 200). Advantageously, the approach of a vehicle within meaningful operational distance from the supply equipment (e.g. communication range and / or charging cable connection distance) triggers the provision of functionality for the authorised vehicle. This process will be discussed in more detail with reference to Figures 3 to 5. Figure 3 shows a flow chart showing a method which control systems disclosed herein are configured to perform for controlling an electric vehicle supply equipment according to embodiments of the invention. The method 300 is for controlling an electric vehicle supply equipment 200, wherein the electric vehicle supply equipment 200 comprises a visual indicator element 204. The method 300 comprises receiving 302, over a wireless connection, an authorised vehicle identification signal 310 indicative of the presence of an authorised vehicle in operational proximity to the electric vehicle supply equipment 200. The method 300 comprises determining 304, in dependence on the received authorised vehicle identification signal 310, a state of charge of the authorised vehicle. The method 300 comprises outputting 306 a state of charge signal 320 to the visual indicator element 204 of the electric vehicle supply equipment 200 to cause the visual indicator element 204 to indicate the state of charge of the authorised vehicle. The methods 300 may be performed by the control system 100 illustrated in Figure 2, and the supply equipment 200 of Figure 1. In particular, the memory 130 may comprise computer-readable instructions which, when executed by the processor 120, perform the method 300. The method 300 may be performed prior to connection ofthe charging cable 202 of the supply equipment 200 in some examples so the user is able to easily see what the state of charge is and decide to connect the supply equipment and recharge the vehicle energy store, or not. The method may be performed during charging ofthe vehicle energy store by the supply equipment 200 following connection ofthe charging cable 202 to the vehicle in some examples, so the user is able to easily see what the state of charge is during charging, and make an informed decision to, for example, disconnect the vehicle earlier than planned to use the vehicle, knowing there is sufficient charge in the vehicle energy store for the user’s planned journey, or for the user to be reassured that the vehicle is charging as expected, or quickly enough, for when the user is planning to use the vehicle. The visual indicator element 204 ofthe electric vehicle supply equipment 200 may comprise a plurality of visual indicators, as shown in Figure 1 in elements 204a-e. The state of charge signal 320 output to the visual indicator element 204 may cause a representative number of the plurality of visual indicators 204a-e to illuminate to indicate the remaining state of charge ofthe electric vehicle. For example, for five LEDs, if the state of charge is between 0% and 20%, one of five LEDs may be illuminated; between 20% and 40%, two of five LEDs may be illuminated; between 40% and 60%, three of five LEDs may be illuminated, between 60% and 80%, four of five LEDs may be illuminated, and between 80 and 100% charge, five of five (i.e. all) LEDs may be illuminated. In examples where the vehicle energy store is receiving charge from the supply equipment 200 in a charging process, as the charge stored by the energy store increases, the indicators may correspondingly illuminate until at full charge, all the indicators are illuminated. For different types of visual indicator (e.g. a bar displayed on a display screen to show e.g. “23% charged”, or a percentage indicator displayed on a screen e.g. or “45% and charging”, the indicator may correspondingly increase as charging takes place (e.g. 23% changes to 24%, 25%... as charge is received). Advantageously, a simple to understand and intuitive output interface is provided whereby the number of illuminated visual indicators provides an easily understandable representation ofthe remaining charge level ofthe vehicle. The plurality of visual indicators 204a-e may comprise at least one low charge LED 204a which, when illuminated, indicates that the state of charge is below a predetermined low state of charge threshold. The low charge LED 204a may illuminate in a different colour, e.g. red, compared with other LEDs 204b-e which illuminate in a different colour, e.g. green. In examples in which a display screen shows the stage of charge in a textual / numerical format, a message may be displayed such as “low charge”. Advantageously, the driver or other user can readily recognise when there is an especially low charge level from the differently displayed visual indicator and is prompted to take appropriate action. For example the low charge LED may illuminate in a different colour to the other LEDs, e.g. in red, or may flash rather than be constantly illuminated, for example. This is advantageous as the driver or the user may decide to perform some other action to usual, once prompted that the charge level is particularly low, for example providing a boost of charge to the electric vehicle rather than waiting for a scheduled charging to take place. In some examples, the control system 100 may be configured to (continue to) update and output the state of charge signal 320 to the visual indicator element 204 of the electric vehicle supply equipment 200 during charging of an electric storage means of the electric vehicle by the electric vehicle supply equipment 200. Advantageously, the visual indication providing the state of charge is accurate even during a charging event, so the user can see that the vehicle is successfully receiving charge and can see the level of charge currently stored in a vehicle. Figure 4 shows a process 400 which control systems 100 disclosed herein are configured to perform, for controlling an electric vehicle supply equipment 200 according to embodiments of the invention. Figure 4 shows a vehicle 50 which is able to wirelessly communicate over a Wi-Fi connection 500 with a Wi-Fi module 402 of the electric vehicle supply equipment 200 when in Wi-Fi range of the Wi-Fi module 402. Also shown is an authorisation list storage means 404 which the control system 100 may communicate with and which has stored therein information about one or more authorised vehicles which are authorised to use the functionality of the electrical vehicle supply equipment 200. Also shown is a digital shadow storage means 450 as discussed below. The control system 100 may thus be configured to authorise a vehicle 50 in operational proximity to the electric vehicle supply equipment 200 by receiving, over the wireless connection 500, a vehicle identifier of a vehicle 50 in operational proximity to the electric vehicle supply equipment 200, and comparing 406 the received vehicle identifier to a stored list of authorised vehicle identifiers (stored in the authorisation list storage means 404). If the received vehicle identifier matches one of the stored list of authorised vehicle identifiers, the control system 100 can determine the vehicle 50 is an authorised vehicle, and then go on to output 410 a state of charge signal 320 to the visual indicator element 204 of the electric vehicle supply equipment 200 to cause the visual indicator element 204 to indicate the state of charge of the authorised vehicle. Advantageously, only authorised vehicles can have the state of charge indicated for them, which is beneficial from a security perspective to ensure only authorised vehicles are able to use the state of charge indication functionality. If the control system 100 cannot determine the vehicle 50 is an authorised vehicle, or determines that the vehicle 50 is not authorised, the process may end 408 and authorisation may be inhibited by the control system, e.g. so that no state of charge is indicated, and for example no charge is supplied by the supply equipment 200. The electric vehicle supply equipment 200 may comprise, as shown in Figure 4, a Wi-Fi sniffing module 402 which is configured to receive the authorised vehicle identification signal 310 over the wireless connection 500, and transmit the authorised vehicle identification signal 310 to the control system 100. Advantageously, the vehicle 50 can be automatically detected through Wi-Fi sniffing, and information about the vehicle, such as a vehicle identifier, can automatically be provided to the control system 100 via the Wi-Fi sniffer module 402 without requiring any explicit input from the driver of the vehicle. In other examples, the proximity of the vehicle to the supply equipment may be detected by geofencing, or by detecting that the vehicle is in Bluetooth range of the supply equipment, for example. The authorised vehicle identification signal 310 transmitted by the authorised vehicle 50 may comprise a portion of a Vehicle Identification Number, VIN, of the authorised vehicle 50. Advantageously, the vehicle 50 can be automatically detected and identified via the provision of a unique immutable identifier, the VIN code portion, and comparison of the transmitted authorised vehicle identification signal 310 with stored authorised vehicle identification information stored in the authorisation list storage means 404. A vehicle specific visual indication setting may be retrieved in dependence on receipt of the unique VIN (e.g. display of the state of charge using LEDs, or display of the state of charge as a textual message using a display screen) and the control system 100 can control the electric vehicle supply equipment 200 to provide the visual indication according to the vehicle specific setting. In terms of obtaining the state of charge in order to display a suitable visual indicator, as shown in Figure 4, the supply equipment 200 may comprise a digital shadow storage means 450. A digital shadow may be thought of as an evolving digital representation that mirrors the current state and behaviour of a physical entity or system, in this case the vehicle 50. It may collect data from the electric vehicle 50 through sensors, Internet of Things (loT) apparatus, or other sources, and use such data to provide a feed of information that is fed into a digital shadow model. This means that a digital shadow, via the model, can provide information which is up-to-date with the physical electric vehicle 50. The control system 100 may be configured to determine the state of charge of the authorised vehicle 50 by providing a state of charge authorisation code 412 to a digital shadow storage means 450. The state of charge authorisation code 412 is indicative of the presence of the authorised vehicle 50 in operational proximity to the electric vehicle supply equipment 200 and is configured to cause the authorisation of provision of the state of charge 414 of the authorised vehicle 50 from the digital shadow storage means 450. The control system 100 may then retrieve the state of charge 414 of the authorised vehicle 50 from the digital shadow storage means 450. Advantageously, the digital shadow storage means 450 receives real-world data from the vehicle 50 and / or from the electric vehicle supply equipment 200 for example, to provide a digital copy of data representing the physical vehicle 50, so that information about the vehicle can be retrieved from the digital shadow 450 without explicitly needing to receive data directly from the vehicle 50 at the control system 100, therefore there need not be an active communication channel or state of charge communication protocol between the vehicle and the supply equipment to provide information on the state of charge to the supply equipment. For example, the vehicle may communicate charge level data with the digital shadow storage means 450, and the control system 100 may retrieve charge level data 414 from the digital shadow storage means 450. The digital shadow storage means 450 may be configured to receive, from the electric vehicle 50, an indication of the remaining charge of a charge storage means of the electric vehicle 50 when the electric vehicle 50 is in communication with the digital shadow storage means 450. The digital shadow storage means 450 may model the state of charge of the electric vehicle in dependence on the received indication of the remaining charge and a model of the electric vehicle. The control system may then receive, as the state of charge of the authorised vehicle, a state of charge determined by the model of the digital shadow storage means 450. Advantageously, the digital shadow storage means 450 can provide predictive capabilities of the state of charge of the vehicle 50, for example based on information provided from the vehicle 50 about the current state of charge and predictions made on planned journeys, historical journeys, weather forecasts, or other factors, for a more accurate or informed indication of the state of charge of the vehicle. The electric vehicle supply equipment 200 may comprise a system of a control system 100 and a visual indicator 204 in some examples. The electric vehicle supply equipment 200 may comprise a system of a control system 100 and a digital shadow storage means 450 in some examples. The electric vehicle supply equipment 200 may comprise a system of a control system 100 and an authorisation list storage means 404 in some examples. Figure 5 shows an arrangement according to embodiments of the invention comprising a supply equipment 200 and a vehicle 50. The supply equipment 200 and the vehicle 50 are in communication over a wireless connection 502, for example so that the vehicle can be authorised, as described above. In this example the supply equipment 200 is also connected physically to the vehicle 50 by a charging cable 504. In some examples, the control system 100 may be configured to receive a charging cable connection signal indicative of connection of a charging cable 504 of the electric vehicle supply equipment 200 to a charging port of the authorised vehicle 50. The control system 100 may be configured to then output the state of charge signal 320 to the visual indicator element 204 of the electric vehicle supply equipment 200 further in dependence on receipt of the charging cable connection signal. Advantageously, the state of charge is visually indicated once the charging cable 504 is connected to the vehicle 50, since the state of charge of the vehicle is linked to the capability of the vehicle to be recharged by the electric vehicle supply equipment 200. In some examples, the communication between the vehicle 50 and the electric vehicle supply equipment 200 to provide the current state of charge information to the electric vehicle supply equipment 200 may be wireless, such as via the cloud, or via a local wireless communication 502 connection. In some examples the communication may be wired connection 504 communication, such as via a wired protocol, e.g. 15118-20. Once the vehicle 50 is physically connected to the supply equipment 200 by the charging cable 502 of the supply equipment 200 the vehicle energy store may be recharged. In this example the supply equipment 200 includes a power provision control module which is configured to control the provision of electric charge to the connected vehicle 50. The state of charge of the vehicle may be displayed by the visual indicator element 204 before supplying charge (e.g. to indicate how much charge remains and how much charge is needed to fully replenish the vehicle energy store), during charging (e.g. so a user can see that charging is taking place and how quickly the energy store of the vehicle is being recharged), and / or after charging (so the user can see the result of a charging process). It will be appreciated that various changes and modifications can be made to the present invention without 5 departing from the scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A control system for controlling an electric vehicle supply equipment, the electric vehicle supply equipment comprising a visual indicator element, the control system comprising one or more processors collectively configured to:receive, over a wireless connection, an authorised vehicle identification signal indicative of the presence of an authorised vehicle in operational proximity to the electric vehicle supply equipment;determine, in dependence on the received authorised vehicle identification signal, a state of charge of the authorised vehicle; andoutput a state of charge signal to the visual indicator element of the electric vehicle supply equipment to cause the visual indicator element to indicate the state of charge of the authorised vehicle.

2. The control system of claim 1, configured to:receive a charging cable connection signal indicative of connection of a charging cable of the electric vehicle supply equipment to a charging port of the authorised vehicle; andoutput the state of charge signal to the visual indicator element of the electric vehicle supply equipment further in dependence on receipt of the charging cable connection signal.

3. The control system of any preceding claim, wherein the control system is configured to authorise the electric vehicle in operational proximity to the electric vehicle supply equipment by:receiving, over the wireless connection, an electric vehicle identifier of an electric vehicle in operational proximity to the electric vehicle supply equipment;comparing the received electric vehicle identifier to a stored list of authorised vehicle identifiers; and if the received electric vehicle identifier matches one of the stored list of authorised vehicle identifiers, determining the electric vehicle is an authorised vehicle.

4. The control system of any preceding claim, wherein the electric vehicle supply equipment comprises a Wi-Fi sniffing module configured to receive the authorised vehicle identification signal over the wireless connection and transmit the authorised vehicle identification signal to the control system.

5. The control system of any preceding claim, configured to determine the state of charge of the authorised vehicle by:providing a state of charge authorisation code to a digital shadow storage means, the state of charge authorisation code indicative of the presence of the authorised vehicle in operational proximity to the electric vehicle supply equipment and configured to cause the authorisation of provision of the state of charge of the authorised vehicle; andretrieving the state of charge of the authorised vehicle from the digital shadow storage means.

6. The control system of claim 5, wherein the digital shadow storage means is configured to:receive, from the electric vehicle, an indication of the remaining charge of a charge storage means of the electric vehicle when the electric vehicle is in communication with the digital shadow storage means;model, in dependence on the received indication of the remaining charge and a model of the electric vehicle, the state of charge of the electric vehicle; andreceive, as the state of charge of the authorised vehicle, a state of charge determined by the model.

7. The control system of any preceding claim, wherein:the visual indicator element of the electric vehicle supply equipment comprises a plurality of visual indicators; andthe state of charge signal output to the visual indicator element causes a representative number of the plurality of visual indicators to illuminate to indicate the remaining state of charge of the electric vehicle.

8. The control system of claim 7, wherein:the plurality of visual indicators comprises a plurality of LEDs and wherein each LED represents a portion of charge of the state of charge of the electric vehicle.

9. The control system of claim 8, wherein:the plurality of visual indicators comprises at least one low charge LED which, when illuminated, indicates that the state of charge is below a predetermined low state of charge threshold.

10. The control system of any preceding claim, wherein:the electric vehicle supply equipment comprises a display screen; and the display screen comprises the visual indicator element.

11. The control system of any preceding claim, configured to continue to update and output the state of charge signal to the visual indicator element of the electric vehicle supply equipment during charging of an electric storage means of the electric vehicle by the electric vehicle supply equipment.

12. A system comprising the control system of any preceding claim and the visual indicator element.

13. An electric vehicle supply equipment comprising the system of claim 12 or the control system of any of claims 1 to 11.

14. A method for controlling an electric vehicle supply equipment, the electric vehicle supply equipment comprising a visual indicator element, the method comprising:receiving, over a wireless connection, an authorised vehicle identification signal indicative of the presence of an authorised vehicle in operational proximity to the electric vehicle supply equipment;determining, in dependence on the received authorised vehicle identification signal, a state of charge of the authorised vehicle; andoutputting a state of charge signal to the visual indicator element of the electric vehicle supply equipment to cause the visual indicator element to indicate the state of charge of the authorised vehicle.

15. Computer readable instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the method according to claim 14.

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