Management system

Abstract

To reduce the possibility that unexpected charging by a first management device is performed after the first management device transmits information showing the charge / discharge capacity of a vehicle group to a second management device.SOLUTION: A management system includes: a first management device for managing a vehicle group including multiple electric vehicles; and a second management device for requesting an energy management related to an electric power system PG to the first management device. The first management device is configured including: determining whether or not an electric vehicle needed to be immediately charged exists among the vehicle group; acquiring information showing the charge / discharge capacity including at least one of an electric power amount the vehicle group can charge and an electric power amount the vehicle group can discharge, on the premise that the electric vehicle can be immediately charged when it is determined that the electric vehicle needed to be immediately charged exists among the vehicle group; and transmitting the information showing the acquired charge / discharge capacity to the second management device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a management system for energy management.

Background Art

[0002] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-060834 (Patent Document 1) discloses a technique for charging a plurality of electric vehicles (for example, electric cars), in which the power discharged from an electric vehicle whose charging is expected to end first is used for charging other electric vehicles.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] A management system is known that includes a first management device that manages a group of vehicles including a plurality of electric vehicles, and a second management device that requests the first management device to perform energy management related to the power grid. In such a management system, for example, the first management device calculates the charge and discharge capacity of the vehicle group in a future predetermined period and transmits it to the second management device, and the second management device determines the energy management requested to the first management device in the above predetermined period based on the charge and discharge capacity of the vehicle group received from the first management device. However, if charging that was not predicted by the first management device is executed in the above predetermined period according to the user's request, there may be a deviation between the charge and discharge capacity of the vehicle group transmitted by the first management device and the actual charge and discharge capacity of the vehicle group.

[0005] The above deviation may prevent the execution of energy management required according to the charge / discharge capacity of the vehicle group transmitted by the first management device. For example, when the actual charge / discharge capacity of the vehicle group is smaller than the value transmitted by the first management device, it becomes difficult to execute the required energy management. Therefore, it is conceivable to offset the above deviation by power transfer between electric vehicles included in the vehicle group (see, for example, Patent Document 1). However, in such power transfer between electric vehicles, losses occur due to charging and discharging. In order to reduce the losses, it is desirable to eliminate the need for power transfer between electric vehicles, that is, to reduce the possibility that charging that the first management device did not predict is executed after the first management device transmits the charge / discharge capacity of the vehicle group.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above problems, and an object thereof is to reduce the possibility that charging that the first management device did not predict is executed after the first management device transmits information indicating the charge / discharge capacity of the vehicle group to the second management device.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] A management system according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a first management device that manages a vehicle group including a plurality of electric vehicles, and a second management device that requests the first management device to perform energy management related to the power grid. Each of the plurality of electric vehicles included in the vehicle group is provided with a power storage device and is configured to be chargeable with power from the power grid. The first management device determines whether there is an electric vehicle in the vehicle group that requires immediate charging, and when it is determined that there is an electric vehicle in the vehicle group that requires immediate charging, on the premise that the electric vehicle performs immediate charging, information indicating the charge / discharge capacity including at least one of the amount of electric power that the vehicle group can charge and the amount of electric power that the vehicle group can discharge is acquired, and the information indicating the acquired charge / discharge capacity is transmitted to the second management device. Immediate charging is charging that immediately starts using power from the power grid when any electric vehicle included in the vehicle group is electrically connected to the power grid.

Advantages of the Invention

[0008] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to reduce the possibility that charging that was not predicted by the first management device is executed after the first management device transmits information indicating the charge / discharge available amount of the vehicle group to the second management device.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the figures, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals and their description will not be repeated.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overview of a power system and a management system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 1, the power system includes a power grid PG, a plurality of EVSEs (Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment) 10, and a plurality of power storage devices 20. The power grid PG is a power grid constructed by power transmission and distribution facilities. The power grid PG may include substation facilities. The power grid PG may be connected to power generation facilities (not shown). Each of the plurality of EVSEs 10 and the plurality of power storage devices 20 is electrically connected to the power grid PG. In this embodiment, the EVSE 10 is an AC power supply facility that outputs AC power. However, it is not limited to this, and the EVSE 10 may be a DC power supply facility that outputs DC power. The EVSE 10 may be a charger installed (fixed) in a house or a public charging stand. The power storage device 20 is a stationary power storage device. The power storage device 20 may be a commercial ESS (Energy Storage System) or a power storage device installed (fixed) in a house.

[0012] The management system includes a power market system 100, an EMS (Energy Management System) 200, and a VPP (Virtual Power Plant) system 300.

[0013] The VPP system 300 manages a vehicle group VG including a plurality of electric vehicles 30. Each of the plurality of electric vehicles 30 included in the vehicle group VG includes a power storage device 31 and is configured to be chargeable with power from the power grid PG. The power storage device 31 corresponds to an in-vehicle battery. The electric vehicle 30 is configured to be able to travel using the power output from the power storage device 31. The electric vehicle 30 further includes a drive device (for example, one or more motors not shown) that rotates the drive wheels of the electric vehicle 30 using the power from the power storage device 31. The electric vehicle 30 may be a battery electric vehicle (BEV) without an internal combustion engine or a PHEV (plug-in hybrid vehicle) with an internal combustion engine. An example of the configuration of the electric vehicle 30 is shown in FIG. 1.

[0014] In addition to the power storage device 31, the electric vehicle 30 further includes a charge and discharge circuit 32 (on-vehicle charger), an inlet 33 (power reception port), an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 35, an HMI (Human Machine Interface) 38, and a communication device 39. The ECU 35 includes a processor 351 and a storage device 352. The power storage device 31 is provided with a BMS (Battery Management System) 31a for monitoring the state of the power storage device 31. The BMS 31a includes various sensors for detecting the state of the power storage device 31, and outputs the detection results to the ECU 35. The BMS 31a detects, for example, the temperature, current, voltage, and SOC (State Of Charge) of the power storage device 31. The SOC indicates the power storage amount, and is, for example, a ratio of the current power storage amount to the power storage amount in a fully charged state, expressed as 0 to 100%.

[0015] When the tip (connector 12) of the charging cable 11 connected to the EVSE 10 is connected to the inlet 33 of the parked electric vehicle 30 (plugged in), the electric vehicle 30 is electrically connected to the EVSE 10 (and thus to the power grid PG). Hereinafter, the state in which the electric vehicle 30 and the power grid PG are electrically connected is referred to as the "grid connection state", and the state in which the electric vehicle 30 and the power grid PG are not electrically connected is referred to as the "grid disconnection state".

[0016] The charge / discharge circuit 32 includes a power conversion circuit (e.g., a bidirectional inverter). In the electric vehicle 30 in a grid-connected state, external charging (charging of the power storage device 31 with power from outside the vehicle) and external power supply (power supply from the power storage device 31 to the outside of the vehicle) are made possible. The electric vehicle 30 can perform energy management of the power grid PG through external charging and external power supply. The power for external charging is supplied, for example, from the power grid PG through the EVSE10 to the inlet 33. The charge / discharge circuit 32 converts the power received by the inlet 33 into power suitable for charging the power storage device 31 (e.g., DC power), and outputs the converted power to the power storage device 31. The power for external power supply is supplied from the power storage device 31 to the charge / discharge circuit 32. The charge / discharge circuit 32 converts the DC power supplied from the power storage device 31 into power suitable for external power supply (e.g., AC power), and outputs the converted power to the inlet 33. In the following description, the charging, discharging, and power storage amount of the electric vehicle 30 respectively mean the charging, discharging, and power storage amount of the power storage device 31.

[0017] The HMI 38 includes an input device and a display device. The HMI 38 includes, for example, a navigation system (hereinafter referred to as "navi"). The navi detects the position of the electric vehicle 30 using a positioning system such as GPS (Global Positioning System). When the user sets a destination in the navi, the navi displays the driving route to the destination to the user. The ECU 35 performs wireless communication with the VPP system 300 through the communication device 39. The VPP system 300 can remotely execute the charge / discharge control of the electric vehicle 30 in a grid-connected state.

[0018] The mobile terminal 50 is carried by the user of the electric vehicle 30. The mobile terminal 50 is, for example, a smartphone equipped with a touch panel display. Application software for using the VPP system 300 is installed in the mobile terminal 50. The mobile terminal 50 receives a charging reservation from the user. By inputting the scheduled departure time and the target SOC at that time into the mobile terminal 50, the user can reserve (request) charging to make the SOC of the power storage device 31 equal to or higher than the target SOC by the scheduled departure time to the VPP system 300. The mobile terminal 50 transmits information regarding the reserved charging (hereinafter referred to as "charging reservation information") to the VPP system 300 together with the identification information of the corresponding electric vehicle 30. The charging reservation information includes the scheduled departure time and the target SOC input by the user.

[0019] The EMS200 may be a CEMS (City EMS) or a FEMS (Factory EMS). The EMS200 includes a processor 201 and a storage device 202. The EMS200 is configured to be able to control each of a plurality of power storage devices 20 directly or indirectly. The VPP system 300 includes a processor 301 and a storage device 302. The storage device 302 stores information regarding each electric vehicle included in the vehicle group VG, distinguishing them by identification information (vehicle ID) for each individual vehicle (electric vehicle 30). The storage device 302 stores in advance specification information (e.g., storage capacity) of the power storage device 31 for each electric vehicle included in the vehicle group VG. Also, each of the plurality of electric vehicles 30 included in the vehicle group VG sequentially transmits the state (operation / stop) of the vehicle system, navigation information, and the position and state of the own vehicle (electric vehicle 30) detected by an in-vehicle sensor to the VPP system 300. The processor 301 updates the information in the storage device 302 using the information (position, SOC, charging reservation information, etc.) acquired from the electric vehicle 30 or the mobile terminal 50. In this embodiment, each control shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 described later is executed by one or more processors executing a program stored in one or more storage devices. However, these processes may be executed only by hardware (electronic circuit) without relying on software. The VPP system 300 and the EMS200 respectively correspond to examples of the "first management device" and the "second management device" according to the present disclosure.

[0020] The EMS200 is configured to be communicable with each of the power market system 100 and the VPP system 300. The EMS200 transmits a signal (hereinafter referred to as the "first request signal") requesting the charge / discharge available amount of the vehicle group VG in a future predetermined period (hereinafter referred to as the "target period") to the VPP system 300. The EMS200 may transmit the first request signal based on power supply and demand prediction. When the VPP system 300 receives the first request signal, it acquires information (hereinafter referred to as "VPP information") indicating the charge / discharge available amount of the vehicle group VG in the target period. The charge / discharge available amount includes at least one of the amount of power that the vehicle group VG can charge and the amount of power that the vehicle group VG can discharge. The VPP system 300 transmits the VPP information to the EMS200.

[0021] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a processing flow in which the VPP system 300 acquires and transmits VPP information. When the VPP system 300 receives the above-described first request signal, it starts a processing flow F1 shown as a flowchart in FIG. 2. "S" in the flowchart means a step. In S11, the processor 301 makes a movement prediction (behavior prediction) for each electric vehicle included in the vehicle group VG using the information of each electric vehicle (for example, position, SOC, charging reservation information) stored in the storage device 302. The processor 301 may make a movement prediction of the electric vehicle 30 using a travel plan (for example, departure place, departure time, destination, arrival time, travel route to the destination, etc.) set in the navigation of the electric vehicle 30. The processor 301 may predict the movement schedule of the electric vehicle 30 from historical data (for example, weather information, traffic jam information, and past position data managed separately by day of the week) regarding the movement (user behavior) of the electric vehicle 30. While tracking the position of the electric vehicle 30 using the position information of the electric vehicle 30, the processor 301 may predict the arrival time of the electric vehicle 30 at the destination and the remaining battery level (SOC) at the time of arrival. The processor 301 may predict the scheduled departure time of the electric vehicle 30 using the charging reservation information.

[0022] In this embodiment, the processor 301 predicts, in S11, not only the change in the position of the electric vehicle 30 but also the change in the power storage amount. Further, for each electric vehicle included in the vehicle group VG, the processor 301 determines the connection timing, which is the timing when the electric vehicle changes from a non-connected state to a connected state with respect to the power grid PG, the power storage amount of the electric vehicle at the connection timing, and the disconnection timing (for example, the scheduled departure time), which is the timing when the electric vehicle becomes non-connected to the power grid PG after the connection timing. Based on the results of these predictions, the processor 301 estimates what state each electric vehicle included in the vehicle group VG will be in during the above-mentioned target period. Specifically, the processor 301 classifies each electric vehicle included in the vehicle group VG into an electric vehicle 30A (hereinafter also referred to as a "standby vehicle") that is always in a grid-connected state during the target period, an electric vehicle 30B (hereinafter also referred to as a "traveling vehicle") that is always in a grid-disconnected state during the target period, an electric vehicle 30C (hereinafter also referred to as a "connecting vehicle") that changes from a grid-disconnected state to a grid-connected state within the target period, and an electric vehicle 30D (hereinafter also referred to as a "disconnecting vehicle") that changes from a grid-connected state to a grid-disconnected state within the target period.

[0023] In subsequent S12, the processor 301 determines whether there is an electric vehicle 30 that requires immediate charging among the vehicle group VG. Specifically, the processor 301 determines whether immediate charging is required for each electric vehicle classified as the above-connected vehicle in S11. Immediate charging is external charging that starts immediately using the power from the power grid PG when the electric vehicle is electrically connected to the power grid PG (when the electric vehicle 30 changes from the grid-disconnected state to the grid-connected state). The processor 301 may determine whether immediate charging is required for the electric vehicle using the predicted connection timing and disconnection timing. For example, the processor 301 may determine that immediate charging is required for an electric vehicle whose time from the connection timing to the disconnection timing (hereinafter referred to as the "departure margin time") is shorter than a predetermined value. Also, the processor 301 may increase the above predetermined value as the predicted state of charge at the connection timing of the electric vehicle is lower. The shorter the departure margin time, the higher the tendency for the need for immediate charging. Also, the lower the state of charge at the connection timing, the higher the tendency for the need for immediate charging. For example, the processor 301 may determine that immediate charging is required for an electric vehicle that arrives (plugs in) in a low SOC state at night and departs several hours later, and that immediate charging is not required for an electric vehicle that arrives (plugs in) in a low SOC state at night and is left in the grid-connected state until morning.

[0024] If it is determined that immediate charging is required for at least one electric vehicle 30 classified as a connected vehicle, the determination in S12 is YES, and the process proceeds to S13. Hereinafter, a connected vehicle for which immediate charging is determined to be required is referred to as an "immediate charging vehicle". Also, each of the connected vehicle for which immediate charging is determined to be unnecessary, the departing vehicle, and the standby vehicle is referred to as a "VPP vehicle".

[0025] In S13, the processor 301 creates a charging plan for the immediate charging vehicles during the target period. The charging plan shows the transition of the charging power of the power storage device 31. For the immediate charging vehicles, the processor 301 may calculate the start time and end time of the immediate charging using at least one of, for example, the power storage amount at the connection timing (predicted value in S11) and the target SOC at the scheduled departure time (charging reservation information). Instead of the target SOC set by the user, a predetermined fixed value (for example, an SOC value near full charge) may be adopted. The charging plan for the immediate charging vehicles includes the amount of power required for the immediate charging and the time period during which the immediate charging is executed. The VPP system 300 may obtain the specification information (for example, the rated charging power) of the EVSE 10 to which the immediate charging vehicle is connected at the connection timing, and based on the specification information, obtain the time required for the immediate charging. When there are a plurality of immediate charging vehicles in the vehicle group VG, the processor 301 creates a charging plan for each immediate charging vehicle. Then, when the creation of the charging plan for all the immediate charging vehicles is completed, the process proceeds to S14.

[0026] In S14, the processor 301 obtains VPP information indicating the charge and discharge available amount of the vehicle group VG during the target period, using the result of the behavior prediction in S11 and the charging plan of the immediate charging vehicles created in S13. The processor 301 obtains VPP information indicating the charge and discharge available amount of the vehicle group VG on the premise that the immediate charging vehicles perform immediate charging. The VPP information includes the charging plan of the immediate charging vehicles. The processor 301 calculates the charge and discharge available amount of the vehicle group VG based on the vehicle group capacity and the vehicle group power storage amount. The vehicle group capacity is the total maximum power storage amount of all the electric vehicles electrically connected to the power grid PG in the vehicle group VG. The vehicle group power storage amount is the total power storage amount of all the electric vehicles electrically connected to the power grid PG in the vehicle group VG. In S14, information indicating the transition of each of the vehicle group capacity and the vehicle group power storage amount during the target period is obtained as the VPP information. The processor 301 calculates the vehicle group power storage amount taking into account the change amount of the power storage amount of the immediate charging vehicle due to the immediate charging for the immediate charging vehicle.

[0027] FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining an example of VPP information. An example is shown in which among a group of vehicles VG, the first to third electric vehicles are electrically connected to a power grid PG in at least a part of a target period. The first electric vehicle, the second electric vehicle, and the third electric vehicle respectively correspond to an immediate charging vehicle, a standby vehicle, and a connected vehicle determined not to require immediate charging. Times t1 and t2 respectively indicate the connection timings of the third electric vehicle and the first electric vehicle. Lines L11, L21, and L31 respectively indicate the transitions of the storage capacities (the maximum amount of power that can be stored) of the first, second, and third electric vehicles, and line L1 indicates the transition of the total value (vehicle group capacity) of the storage capacities of these electric vehicles. Lines L12, L22, and L32 respectively indicate the transitions of the stored power amounts (the amounts of power held by the power storage device 31) when the first, second, and third electric vehicles are electrically connected to the power grid PG, and line L2 indicates the transition of the total value (vehicle group stored power amount) of the stored power amounts of these electric vehicles.

[0028] Referring to FIG. 3, line L12 indicates the charging plan of the first electric vehicle created in S13 of FIG. 2. Time t3 corresponds to the end timing of the immediate charging calculated in S13. The charging plan of the first electric vehicle is created such that immediate charging starting at time t2 and ending at time t3 is performed. Time t4 after time t3 corresponds to the departure timing of the first electric vehicle predicted in S11. Lines L22 and L32 respectively indicate the transitions of the stored power amounts when the second and third electric vehicles do not perform charge and discharge in the target period. Such prediction information for each individual vehicle (the second electric vehicle, the third electric vehicle) is created based on the result of the behavior prediction in S11 of FIG. 2.

[0029] Lines L1 and L2 indicate the transitions of the charge and discharge possible amounts of the vehicle group VG in the target period. The value obtained by subtracting the vehicle group stored power amount indicated by line L2 from the vehicle group capacity (charging upper limit value) indicated by line L1 corresponds to the amount of power that the vehicle group VG can charge (chargeable amount). The value obtained by subtracting the discharge lower limit value (for example, 0 kWh) from the vehicle group stored power amount indicated by line L2 corresponds to the amount of power that the vehicle group VG can discharge (dischargeable amount). Note that FIG. 3 shows an example in which the number of VPP vehicles is 2, but the number of VPP vehicles is arbitrary. The number of VPP vehicles may be 3 or more and less than 50, or 50 or more.

[0030] Referring back to FIG. 2, when it is determined that immediate charging is not required for all electric vehicles 30 classified as connected vehicles, it is determined as NO in S12, and the process skips S13 and proceeds to S14. Also in this case, the processor 301 obtains the aforementioned VPP information using the result of the action prediction in S11 at S14. However, since there is no electric vehicle that requires immediate charging in the vehicle group VG, immediate charging is not considered in the calculation of the vehicle group power storage amount.

[0031] When the VPP information is obtained at S14, the VPP system 300 transmits the VPP information to the EMS 200 at S15. At this time, in addition to the VPP information, the VPP system 300 may further transmit information indicating the transition of the maximum charge / discharge power (maximum charging power and / or maximum discharging power) of the vehicle group VG during the target period. The VPP system 300 may obtain the specification information of the EVSE 10 to which each VPP vehicle is connected (for example, the rated power indicating the charge / discharge capacity) for each VPP vehicle, and obtain the maximum charge / discharge power (kW) of the electric vehicle based on the specification information. When the process of S15 is executed, the processing flow F1 ends.

[0032] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the energy management according to this embodiment. When the EMS 200 receives the above VPP information, it starts the processing flow F2.

[0033] Referring to FIG. 4, in S21, the EMS 200 conducts a power transaction based on the charge / discharge capacity of the vehicle group VG (distributed power source). Specifically, the EMS 200 determines the bidding amount during the target period using the charge / discharge capacity of the vehicle group VG indicated by the VPP information, and transmits the bidding information including the bidding amount to the power market system 100. Then, when the product bid by the EMS 200 is awarded in the power market, a contract is reached. In this case, the target period becomes the contract period, and the bidding amount becomes the contracted amount. The power market may be a spot market, a forward market, or a supply-demand adjustment market, and may be opened and operated by a power exchange such as JEPX (Japan Electric Power Exchange). In each market, transactions using electricity as a commodity are conducted.

[0034] In subsequent S22, based on the result of the above power transaction, EMS200 requests the VPP system 300 to perform energy management regarding the power grid PG. Specifically, EMS200 creates a charging and discharging plan for the vehicle group VG in order to cause the vehicle group VG to perform energy management (charging and discharging) corresponding to at least a part of the agreed quantity during the agreed period (target period). EMS200 creates a charging and discharging plan for the vehicle group VG so that the charging and discharging amount of the vehicle group VG during the target period does not exceed the chargeable and dischargeable amount. The charging and discharging plan indicates at least one of the transition of the charging power of the vehicle group VG and the transition of the discharging power of the vehicle group VG during the target period. Then, EMS200 transmits a signal (hereinafter referred to as the "second request signal") including the created charging and discharging plan of the vehicle group VG to the VPP system 300. The second request signal requests the VPP system 300 to charge and discharge the vehicle group VG according to the above charging and discharging plan. Thereby, the processing flow F2 ends.

[0035] When the VPP system 300 receives the above second request signal, it starts the processing flow F3. In S31, the VPP system 300 creates a charging and discharging plan for each VPP vehicle (individual vehicle) by distributing the charging and discharging amount for executing the charging and discharging plan of the vehicle group VG indicated by the second request signal to a plurality of VPP vehicles (individual vehicles). The charging and discharging plan may be a charging plan or a discharging plan. The VPP system 300 creates a charging and discharging plan for each VPP vehicle so that charging by one VPP vehicle and discharging by another VPP vehicle are not executed simultaneously. Thereby, the power transfer between electric vehicles (see FIG. 6) described later is suppressed. When the second request signal indicates a charging plan for the vehicle group VG, the VPP system 300 may determine the charging plan for each VPP vehicle so that the earlier the scheduled departure time indicated by the charging reservation information, the earlier the charging start time for the plurality of VPP vehicles. Thereby, it becomes easier to execute the charging desired by the user.

[0036] In the subsequent S32, the VPP system 300 transmits charge / discharge instructions (remote instructions) to each corresponding electric vehicle (immediate charging vehicle, VPP vehicle) so that each of the charging plan for the immediate charging vehicle created in S13 of FIG. 2 and the charge / discharge plan for each VPP vehicle (individual vehicle) created in S31 is executed. However, if there is no immediate charging vehicle in the vehicle group VG, the charging plan for the immediate charging vehicle is not created in S13 of FIG. 2, and in S32, the charge / discharge instruction is transmitted only to the VPP vehicle. The VPP system 300 executes charge / discharge control (remote control) for each individual vehicle according to the above charge / discharge instruction (charge instruction and / or discharge instruction). When the charge / discharge control (S32) is completed, the processing flow F3 ends.

[0037] The ECU 35 of each electric vehicle included in the vehicle group VG starts the processing flow F4 when the corresponding electric vehicle 30 changes from the off-grid state to the grid-connected state. In S41, the ECU 35 determines whether the corresponding electric vehicle 30 (target vehicle) has received a charge / discharge instruction (S32) from the VPP system 300. If the target vehicle has received a charge / discharge instruction (YES in S41), the ECU 35, in S42, executes charge / discharge control of the power storage device 31 according to the charge / discharge instruction from the VPP system 300. The ECU 35 controls the charge / discharge circuit 32 according to the charge / discharge instruction. If the target vehicle is a VPP vehicle, the charge / discharge plan assigned to the VPP vehicle is executed by the target vehicle. As a result, the charge / discharge plan of the vehicle group VG requested by the EMS 200 to the VPP system 300 is executed by a plurality of VPP vehicles. If the target vehicle is an immediate charging vehicle, immediate charging is executed by the target vehicle. When the charge / discharge control (S42) is completed, the processing flow F4 ends.

[0038] FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining an example of the above charge and discharge control (remote control). In FIG. 5, the same reference numerals are given to the same parameters as those shown in FIG. 3. Referring to FIG. 5, in this example, as a charge and discharge plan for the vehicle group VG, a charge plan indicated by line L2A is created and transmitted from the EMS 200 to the VPP system 300 (S22 in FIG. 4). The EMS 200 creates a charge plan (line L2A) showing the transition of the charging power of the vehicle group VG in the target period so that the vehicle group battery capacity does not exceed the vehicle group capacity, using the VPP information received from the VPP system 300. The VPP system 300 controls the vehicle group VG using the charge plan received from the EMS 200. Specifically, the charge plan indicated by line L2A requests charging from the VPP system 300 from time t4 to time t6. The VPP system 300 creates a charging plan for each of the second electric vehicle and the third electric vehicle so that the charging requested from this charging plan is executed. For example, the VPP system 300 creates a first vehicle charging plan for causing the second electric vehicle to be charged in the period from time t4 to time t5 as shown by line L22A, and a second vehicle charging plan for causing the third electric vehicle to be charged in the period from time t5 to time t6 as shown by line L32A. Then, by the processes of S32 and S42 in FIG. 4, according to the immediate charging plan for causing the first electric vehicle to be charged in the period from time t2 to time t3 as shown by line L12, the first vehicle charging plan shown by line L22A, and the second vehicle charging plan shown by line L32A, charge and discharge control (remote control) is executed for each vehicle.

[0039] Referring to FIG. 4 again, when the target vehicle does not receive a charge / discharge instruction (NO in S41), the ECU 35 determines in S43 whether a charge request has been received from the user. The user may request charging to the ECU 35 through, for example, the mobile terminal 50 or the HMI 38. When a charge request is received from the user (YES in S43), in S44, the ECU 35 controls the charge / discharge circuit 32 so that external charging is executed until the SOC of the power storage device 31 reaches a predetermined SOC value. The predetermined SOC value may be set by the user or may be a fixed value. The ECU 35 executes charge control (local control) of the power storage device 31 regardless of external instructions. When the charge control (S44) is completed, the processing flow F4 ends.

[0040] If it is determined NO in both S41 and S43, the process returns to the first step (S41). The determinations in S41 and S43 are repeated until either S41 or S43 is determined YES. However, when the target vehicle enters a system disconnection state, the processing flow F4 ends.

[0041] As described above, when the target vehicle changes from the system disconnection state to the system connection state, even if it is determined NO in S41, if the user requests charging to the ECU 35, it is determined YES in S43 and immediate charging is executed. The user can execute immediate charging based on their own judgment. However, if immediate charging is executed according to an instruction from the user during the target period, there may be a deviation between the charge / discharge available amount of the vehicle group VG indicated by the VPP information and the actual charge / discharge available amount of the vehicle group VG.

[0042] Therefore, when there is an electric vehicle in the vehicle group VG that requires immediate charging, the VPP system 300 according to this embodiment is configured to obtain VPP information (see FIG. 3) indicating the charge and discharge capacity of the vehicle group VG on the premise that the electric vehicle (immediate charging vehicle) performs immediate charging, and transmit the obtained VPP information to the EMS 200 (see FIG. 2). Thereby, after the VPP system 300 transmits the VPP information to the EMS 200, the possibility of charging (especially immediate charging) that the VPP system 300 did not predict is reduced. The EMS 200 can formulate a charge and discharge plan for the vehicle group VG considering the power component caused by the immediate charging vehicle. The EMS 200 does not handle the information of individual vehicles, but only handles the information of the vehicle group VG. Thereby, the information processing load (for example, calculation load) in the EMS 200 is reduced.

[0043] Furthermore, the VPP system 300 causes the immediate charging vehicle to perform immediate charging by remote control (see FIG. 4). That is, for electric vehicles that require immediate charging during the target period, immediate charging is performed by remote control. For this reason, the possibility of immediate charging being executed according to an instruction from the user during the target period is low. Therefore, the occurrence of the above deviation is suppressed.

[0044] If a deviation occurs between the charge and discharge capacity of the vehicle group VG indicated by the VPP information and the actual charge and discharge capacity of the vehicle group VG during the target period, the VPP system 300 may offset the deviation by power transfer between the electric vehicles included in the vehicle group VG. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining power transfer between electric vehicles included in the vehicle group VG.

[0045] Referring to FIG. 6, when each of the electric vehicle 30E in a low SOC state and the electric vehicle 30F in a high SOC state is in a system connection state, the VPP system 300 may cause the electric vehicle 30F with a large amount of stored electricity to perform external power feeding (discharging to the power grid PG) of a predetermined amount of power, and cause the electric vehicle 30E with a small amount of stored electricity to perform external charging of the above-mentioned predetermined amount of power. Thereby, power transfer of the above-mentioned predetermined amount of power is performed between the electric vehicles 30E and 30F. The power transfer is performed via the power grid PG. However, in such power transfer between electric vehicles, losses associated with charging and discharging occur. In order to reduce the losses, it is desirable to eliminate the power transfer between the electric vehicles, that is, to reduce the possibility that charging not predicted by the VPP system 300 is performed after the VPP system 300 transmits VPP information (S15 in FIG. 2).

[0046] The processing flows shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 can be changed as appropriate. For example, depending on the purpose, the order of the processes may be changed, or unnecessary steps may be omitted. Also, the content of any of the processes may be changed. For example, in S15, the VPP system 300 may separately transmit to the EMS200 information indicating the transition of each of the storage capacity and the stored power amount regarding the immediate charging vehicle, and information indicating the transition of each of the storage capacity and the stored power amount regarding the VPP vehicle. Further, in S43 (FIG. 4) of the processing flow F4, the ECU 35 may determine whether the user requests charging based on the charging reservation information. Also, when there is an immediate charging vehicle in the vehicle group VG, the VPP system 300 may transmit a charge / discharge instruction only to the VPP vehicle in S32 (FIG. 4) of the processing flow F3. Regarding the immediate charging vehicle, it is predicted that immediate charging will be required, and even if the VPP system 300 does not instruct the immediate charging vehicle to charge, there is a high possibility that immediate charging (local control) will be performed according to a request from the user.

[0047] The power grid PG is not limited to a large-scale AC grid, and may be a microgrid or a DC (direct current) grid. The mobile terminal 50 is not limited to a smartphone, and may be other terminals (such as wearable devices and portable game machines).

[0048] The configuration of the electric vehicle is not limited to the configuration described above (refer to FIG. 1). In the above embodiment, each electric vehicle included in the vehicle group VG is configured to be able to discharge the power of the power storage device 31 to the power grid PG. However, such a configuration is not essential, and the electric vehicle may be provided with a charger (charging circuit) instead of a charger / discharger. The power conversion circuit for charging and discharging the in-vehicle battery may be mounted on the EVSE instead of the electric vehicle. The electric vehicle may be configured to be capable of non-contact charging. An electric vehicle performing non-contact charging may be regarded as being in a state conforming to the above-described "system connection state" when the alignment between the power transmission unit (for example, a power transmission coil) on the power supply facility side and the power reception unit (for example, a power reception coil) on the electric vehicle side is completed. The electric vehicle may be configured to be capable of autonomous driving. The electric vehicle is not limited to a four-wheel passenger car, and may be a bus or a truck, and the number of wheels is also arbitrary.

[0049] The above various modifications may be implemented in any combination.

[0050] The embodiments disclosed this time should be considered as illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is shown not by the description of the above embodiments but by the claims, and it is intended that all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims are included.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0051] 30 Electric vehicle, 31 Power storage device, 200 EMS, 300 VPP system, PG Power grid.

Claims

1. A management system including a first management device for managing a group of vehicles including a plurality of electric vehicles, and a second management device for requesting the first management device to perform energy management related to an electric power system, each of the plurality of electric vehicles included in the vehicle group is provided with a power storage device and is configured to be chargeable with electric power from the electric power system, the first management device determines whether there is an electric vehicle in the vehicle group that requires immediate charging, and when it is determined that there is an electric vehicle in the vehicle group that requires immediate charging, on the premise that the electric vehicle performs immediate charging, information indicating a charge / discharge available amount including at least one of the chargeable electric power amount of the vehicle group and the dischargeable electric power amount of the vehicle group is acquired, and the information indicating the acquired charge / discharge available amount is transmitted to the second management device, wherein the immediate charging is charging that immediately starts using electric power from the electric power system when any electric vehicle included in the vehicle group is electrically connected to the electric power system. The management system.

2. the first management device is configured to predict, for each of the plurality of electric vehicles included in the vehicle group, a connection timing that is a timing at which the electric vehicle changes from a non-connected state to a connected state with respect to the electric power system, and a disconnection timing that is a timing at which the electric vehicle becomes non-connected with respect to the electric power system after the connection timing, the first management device is configured to determine whether there is an electric vehicle in the vehicle group that requires immediate charging by using the predicted connection timing and disconnection timing. The management system according to claim 1.

3. the first management device is configured to further predict the power storage amount of each of the plurality of electric vehicles included in the vehicle group at the connection timing, and further use the predicted power storage amount to determine whether there is an electric vehicle in the vehicle group that requires immediate charging. The management system according to claim 2.

4. the first management device is configured to acquire, as the information indicating the charge / discharge available amount, information indicating the transition of each of the vehicle group capacity, which is the total maximum chargeable electric power amount of all the electric vehicles electrically connected to the electric power system in the vehicle group, and the vehicle group charge amount, which is the total electric power amount stored by all the electric vehicles electrically connected to the electric power system in the vehicle group, within a predetermined period, The management system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first management device is configured to calculate the vehicle group power storage amount in consideration of a change amount of the power storage amount of the electric vehicle by immediate charging for an electric vehicle that requires immediate charging during the predetermined period.

5. The second management device is configured to create a charging plan indicating a transition of charging power of the vehicle group in the predetermined period so that the vehicle group power storage amount does not exceed the vehicle group capacity, using the information indicating the charge / discharge possible amount received from the first management device, and transmit the created charging plan to the first management device. The management system according to claim 4, wherein the first management device is configured to control the vehicle group using the charging plan received from the second management device.

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