Information provision system

Abstract

To provide an information provision system which can provide information on the discharge amount of greenhouse gases related to an on-board battery pack.SOLUTION: An information provision system provides carbon footprint information on a battery pack mounted on a vehicle, and comprises one or more processors. The one or more processors each acquires the carbon footprint information including first CO2 discharge amount information converted from the discharge amount of greenhouse gases related to the production of the battery pack and the vehicle to a CO2 discharge amount and second CO2 discharge amount information converted from the discharge amount of greenhouse gases discharged upon the primary utilization of the battery pack in the vehicle to a CO2 discharge amount, and provides the carbon footprint information to an applicant at the request of the applicant.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information providing system that provides carbon footprint information of an in-vehicle battery pack. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a greenhouse gas emission display device mounted on vehicles with different types of drive sources. Patent Document 2 discloses a technology for estimating greenhouse gas emissions from electronic media such as e-books and information and communication devices that view or play the media. Patent Document 3 discloses a greenhouse gas emissions trading system. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-254053 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-215773 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-123670 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Regarding battery packs that are expected to be reused after their primary use in vehicles, information on the amount of greenhouse gases emitted from resource extraction to primary use is valuable to people who are interested in the battery packs, such as users who reuse battery packs. Therefore, it is important to understand the amount of greenhouse gases emitted and make it available. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The information provision system according to the present disclosure is a system for providing carbon footprint information of a battery pack installed in a vehicle, and includes one or more processors. The one or more processors acquire carbon footprint information including first CO2 emission information obtained by converting greenhouse gas emissions related to the manufacture of the battery pack and the vehicle into CO2 emissions, and second CO2 emission information obtained by converting greenhouse gas emissions emitted during the primary use of the battery pack in the vehicle into CO2 emissions, and provide the carbon footprint information to an applicant at the request of the applicant. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the information providing system according to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide information on greenhouse gas emissions associated with an in-vehicle battery pack as carbon footprint information. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a conceptual diagram for explaining an overview of a battery reuse management system according to an embodiment; [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram for explaining information related to the reuse of the battery pack. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing steps P1 to P7 related to a battery pack. [Figure 4] 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a first example relating to acquisition and provision of CFP information. FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a second example relating to the acquisition and provision of CFP information. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a third example relating to the acquisition and provision of CFP information. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0009] 1. Battery reuse management system FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram for explaining an overview of a battery reuse management system 1 according to this embodiment. The battery reuse management system 1 manages the reuse of battery packs 10. Reuse is a concept that includes secondary reuse, tertiary reuse, etc. In particular, the battery reuse management system 1 manages the reuse of battery packs (vehicle battery packs) 10 mounted on a vehicle 100. The vehicle 100 is, for example, a battery electric vehicle (BEV) that uses an electric motor as a power unit for driving. Alternatively, the vehicle 100 may be, for example, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) that uses an electric motor and an internal combustion engine as power units for driving and in which the battery pack 10 can be charged externally. The battery pack 10 is mounted on the vehicle 100, and the electric motor is driven by power supplied from the battery pack 10.

[0010] The battery reuse management system 1 includes one or more vehicles 100 and an information management system 300. The information management system 300 serves as an information platform that manages various types of information. The information management system 300 includes one or more servers. The information management system 300 may be configured with multiple servers that perform distributed processing. The vehicles 100 and the information management system 300 can communicate with each other via a wireless communication network.

[0011] More specifically, the information management system 300 includes an information processing device 310. The information processing device 310 stores various types of information, executes various types of information processing, and communicates with the outside world via a communication interface. The information processing device 310 includes one or more processors and one or more storage devices. The functions of the information processing device 310 may be realized by cooperation between the processor that executes a control program and the storage device. The control program is stored in the storage device. Alternatively, the control program may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. The information processing device 310 may also be called a processing circuitry.

[0012] The vehicle 100 may periodically transmit vehicle information related to the vehicle 100 to the information management system 300. The vehicle information may include driving history information TRV indicating the driving history of the vehicle 100. For example, the driving history information TRV may include the total driving distance of the vehicle 100. As another example, the driving history information TRV may include position history information of the vehicle 100. The position of the vehicle 100 may be represented by a combination of latitude and longitude.

[0013] The vehicle information may include battery information BAT that reflects the usage history of the battery pack 10. For example, the battery information BAT includes battery usage history information. The battery usage history information includes at least one of temperature history, SOC (State Of Charge) history, current history, voltage history, charging history, etc. Each history may be expressed as a frequency distribution. The battery information BAT may include SOH (State Of Health). The SOH may be calculated based on the battery usage history information. The battery information BAT may include the total charged amount of electricity and the total discharged amount of electricity, or may include the total charged amount of energy and the total discharged amount of energy. The battery information BAT may include battery capacity and battery output.

[0014] The battery reuse management system 1 may further include a terminal 200 used in a vehicle dealership or a vehicle repair shop. The vehicle information can also be read from the vehicle 100 by using a predetermined tool at the vehicle dealership or the vehicle repair shop. The vehicle information read from the vehicle 100 is input to the terminal 200. That is, the terminal 200 can also acquire the vehicle information. The terminal 200 can communicate with the information management system 300 via a wireless or wired communication network. The terminal 200 may transmit the vehicle information read from the vehicle 100 to the information management system 300.

[0015] The information management system 300 collects, stores, and manages vehicle information of a large number of vehicles 100. The information management system 300 includes a vehicle information database 320 that stores the vehicle information of a large number of vehicles 100. The vehicle information database 320 is realized by one or more storage devices.

[0016] Next, a description will be given of the reuse of the battery pack 10 that was installed in the vehicle 100. The battery pack 10 is removed from the vehicle 100 and reused.

[0017] The battery utilization system 500 is a system that uses a storage battery. For example, the battery utilization system 500 is a stationary storage battery system that stores renewable energy in a stationary storage battery. As another example, the battery utilization system 500 may be a residential power supply system that uses a stationary storage battery. According to this embodiment, the battery packs 10 that were installed in the vehicles 100 are reused in such a battery utilization system 500. By providing a large number of battery packs 10 from a large number of vehicles 100, the cost of the battery utilization system 500 is reduced, and the widespread use of the battery utilization system 500 is promoted. Furthermore, by promoting the use of renewable energy, CO2 emissions are also reduced.

[0018] 2 is a conceptual diagram for explaining information related to the reuse of the battery pack 10. The battery pack 10 includes one or more battery cells 11 and a controller 12 for controlling the battery pack 10. The controller 12 is also called an ECU (Electronic Control Unit).

[0019] When reusing the battery pack 10, the battery reuse management system 1 acquires primary use information PU. The primary use information PU corresponds to vehicle information when the battery pack 10 was used primarily in the vehicle 100.

[0020] For example, the primary use information PU includes battery information BAT that reflects the usage history of the battery pack 10 during primary use in the vehicle 100. The battery information BAT is stored in the controller 12 (ECU) in the battery pack 10 and is read out from the controller 12. For example, immediately before the battery pack 10 is removed from the vehicle 100, an information processing device of the vehicle 100 acquires the battery information BAT from the controller 12 in the battery pack 10 and transmits the battery information BAT to the information management system 300.

[0021] The primary use information PU may include driving history information TRV of the vehicle 100 in which the battery pack 10 is mounted. The driving history information TRV indicates at least one of the total driving distance and the location history of the vehicle 100. The total driving distance is stored in the controller 12 in the battery pack 10 or in the storage device of the in-vehicle system. The location history information is obtained from the storage device of the in-vehicle system or the vehicle information database 320 of the information management system 300. The information management system 300 acquires the driving history information TRV in the same manner as the battery information BAT.

[0022] The battery management information 30 is information used when reusing the battery pack 10. The battery management information 30 is generated based on the primary usage information PU. More specifically, the battery management information 30 includes battery information BAT and driving history information TRV. The environments (temperature, humidity, etc.) in the areas where the vehicle 100 has been traveling vary, and the deterioration state of battery performance also changes depending on the environment, so the driving history information TRV can also be useful information when reusing the battery pack 10. The battery management information 30 may also include the model of the vehicle 100 in which the battery pack 10 is mounted. Note that the battery management information 30 may be generated by any of the vehicle 100, the terminal 200, and the information management system 300.

[0023] The information management system 300 collects, stores, and manages battery management information 30 of a large number of vehicles 100. The information management system 300 includes a battery management information database 330 that stores the battery management information 30 of a large number of vehicles 100 (see FIG. 1). The battery management information database 330 is realized by one or more storage devices.

[0024] The reuse identification information (hereinafter referred to as "reuse ID") is identification information of the battery pack 10 at the time of reuse. The reuse ID is associated with the battery pack 10. The information processing device of the vehicle 100 associates the reuse ID with the primary use information PU or the battery management information 30 and transmits them to the information management system 300. In this way, the information management system 300 acquires the reuse ID and battery management information 30 of the battery pack 10. The information management system 300 associates the reuse ID with the battery management information 30 in the battery management information database 330. In other words, the information management system 300 manages the reuse ID and the battery management information 30 in association with each other.

[0025] The battery pack 10 removed from the vehicle 100 is provided to a user who reuses the battery pack 10 (hereinafter referred to as a "reuse user" or "reuser"). The reuse user is the operator of the battery utilization system 500. Furthermore, the information management system 300 provides the reuse user with a reuse ID and battery management information 30 in association with each other.

[0026] More specifically, the battery utilization system 500 includes an information collection device 510. The information collection device 510 is capable of communicating with the information management system 300 via a wired or wireless communication network. The information management system 300 transmits the reuse ID and battery management information 30 of the battery pack 10 to the information collection device 510 of the battery utilization system 500 in which the battery pack 10 is reused. The information collection device 510 manages the reuse ID and the battery management information 30 in association with each other. Meanwhile, the reuse ID of the battery pack 10 is stored in the controller 12 within the battery pack 10. Therefore, in the battery utilization system 500, the battery pack 10, the reuse ID, and the battery management information 30 are associated with each other.

[0027] When the battery pack 10 is reused in the battery utilization system 500, the information collection device 510 monitors the usage status of the battery pack 10 and adds battery usage history information of the battery pack 10 to the battery management information 30 (battery information BAT). As a result, the battery management information 30 includes the battery information BAT when the battery pack 10 is reused in the battery utilization system 500, in addition to the battery information BAT when the battery pack 10 was first used in the vehicle 100.

[0028] The information collection device 510 periodically uploads the latest battery management information 30 together with the reuse ID to the information management system 300. The information management system 300 periodically acquires the latest battery management information 30 and the reuse ID. The information management system 300 updates the battery management information 30 associated with the reuse ID in the battery management information database 330 to the latest information.

[0029] A user who wishes to reuse a battery pack 10 will be referred to as a "reuse-desiring user" hereinafter. A reuse-desiring user may become a reuse user in the future. The information management system 300 may provide the reuse-desiring user with the reuse ID and battery management information 30 of the battery pack 10. More specifically, the reuse-desiring user requests information provision from the information management system 300 using a terminal 400 (see FIG. 1). The information management system 300 provides the terminal 400 with the battery management information 30 and reuse IDs of various battery packs 10. The reuse-desiring user can view the battery management information 30 displayed on the terminal 400 and select the desired battery pack 10 (reuse ID).

[0030] 2. Providing CFP information FIG. 3 is a diagram showing steps P1 to P7 related to the battery pack 10. Step P1 relates to the mining of resources required to manufacture the battery cells 11 included in the battery pack 10 and the manufacture of materials required for this manufacture. Step P2 relates to the manufacture of the battery cells 11. Step P3 relates to the manufacture of the battery pack 10. Broadly speaking, steps P1 to P3 can be said to relate to the manufacture of the battery pack 10. Step P4 relates to the manufacture of the vehicle 100 on which the battery pack 10 is mounted. Step P5 relates to the primary use of the battery pack 10 in the vehicle 100. Step P6 relates to the reuse of the battery pack after the primary use is completed. The reuse includes at least secondary use and may be performed multiple times in some cases. The disposal step P7 relates, for example, to the collection of discarded battery packs 10 and various disposals of the collected battery packs 10. The various disposals include, for example, detoxifying the battery cells 11 and recycling to extract reusable materials from the battery cells 11. Depending on the battery pack 10, the recycling step P6 may be omitted.

[0031] In each of the above-described processes P1 to P7, greenhouse gases such as CO2 are or may be emitted. In this embodiment, the information management system 300 corresponds to an example of an "information provision system" according to the present disclosure. Therefore, in order to provide carbon footprint (CFP) information of the battery pack 10, the information management system 300 acquires (collects) CO2 emissions converted from the greenhouse gas emissions in each of the processes P1 to P7 as CFP information. Then, the information management system 300 provides the CFP information to an applicant at the request of the applicant.

[0032] 2-1. First example 4 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a first example related to the acquisition and provision of CFP information. The information management system 300 includes a first emission amount acquisition unit 340, a second emission amount acquisition unit 350, and a CFP information processing unit 360, which are realized by an information processing device 310. The CFP information acquired in the first example includes first CO2 emission amount information and second CO2 emission amount information.

[0033] (1st emissions acquisition department) The first emission amount acquisition unit 340 acquires first CO2 emission information and stores the acquired first CO2 emission information in the storage device of the information processing device 310. The first CO2 emission information is obtained by converting greenhouse gas emissions related to the manufacture of the battery pack 10 and the vehicle 100 into CO2 emissions, and includes, for example, the following CO2 emission amounts A to D. CO2 emission amount A is the total value of CO2 emissions emitted during resource mining and material production in process P1. CO2 emission amount A may be calculated, for example, as the CO2 emission per kg of material for the battery cell 11. CO2 emission amount B is the CO2 emission emitted during the manufacture of the battery cell 11 in process P2, and may be calculated, for example, as the CO2 emission required to manufacture one battery cell 11. Alternatively, CO2 emission amount B may be calculated as the CO2 emission required to manufacture one battery stack consisting of multiple battery cells 11. CO2 emission amount C is the CO2 emission emitted during the manufacture of one battery pack 10 in process P3. The CO2 emission amount D is the CO2 emission amount emitted during the production of one vehicle 100 in process P4.

[0034] For example, CO2 emissions A can be calculated based on the greenhouse gases used for resource extraction and material production and the CO2 emissions during the generation of electricity. Similarly, CO2 emissions B, C, and D can be calculated based on the greenhouse gases used for the production of the battery cell 11, the battery pack 10, and the vehicle 100, respectively. In addition, CO2 emissions A, B, C, and D may also include the CO2 emissions during the transportation of the materials, battery cell 11, battery pack 10, and vehicle 100, respectively, to the locations where the next process is performed.

[0035] The above-mentioned CO2 emissions A to D are calculated, for example, by businesses in charge of the respective processes P1 to P4. The businesses may be the same for at least two of the processes P1 to P4 (for example, the manufacturer of the battery pack 10 and the manufacturer of the vehicle 100). As shown in FIG. 4, the first emission acquisition unit 340 communicates with each terminal 600 of the businesses to acquire the CO2 emissions A to D (i.e., the first CO2 emission information). Alternatively, in an example where the manufacturer of the vehicle 100 has previously acquired upstream CO2 emissions A to C, the first emission acquisition unit 340 may communicate with the terminal 600 of the manufacturer of the vehicle 100 to acquire the CO2 emissions A to D. Alternatively, the first emission acquisition unit 340 may acquire information that is the basis for calculating the CO2 emissions A to D from each business and calculate the CO2 emissions A to D based on the information.

[0036] (Second emissions acquisition department) The second emission amount acquisition unit 350 acquires the second CO2 emission information and stores the acquired second CO2 emission information in the storage device of the information processing device 310. The second CO2 emission information is the amount of greenhouse gas emissions emitted during the primary use of the battery pack 10 in the vehicle 100 (more specifically, during the entire period of primary use), converted into CO2 emission amounts. Here, a method for calculating the second CO2 emission information will be described using a BEV and a PHEV as examples, respectively.

[0037] First, in the example of a BEV, the amount of CO2 emissions E during the generation of electricity for charging the battery pack 10 using an external charger corresponds to the second CO2 emission information. The CO2 emission E is the product of the total amount of charging electricity (kWh) of the battery pack 10 during primary use and the CO2 emission coefficient Ke. The CO2 emission coefficient Ke is, for example, the CO2 emission coefficient of electricity per unit amount of electricity (t-CO2 / kWh). The total amount of charging electricity used to calculate the CO2 emission E can be obtained, for example, as follows. That is, if the total amount of charging electricity (Ah) is included in the battery information BAT obtainable from the vehicle 100, the total amount of charging electricity can be obtained by dividing the product of the total amount of charging electricity derived from the battery information BAT and the total voltage (V) of the main power source by 1000. For example, the value (so-called catalog value) published by the manufacturer of the vehicle 100 can be used as the total voltage of the main power source. Furthermore, if the total amount of charging electricity itself is included in the battery information BAT, the total amount of charging electricity can be obtained directly from the battery information BAT. The CO2 emission coefficient Ke can be, for example, a value published annually by an external organization for each electric power supplier. The storage device of the information processing device 310 stores data on the CO2 emission coefficient Ke for each electric power supplier, which data is acquired by communicating with a server of the external organization.

[0038] The second emission amount obtaining unit 350 calculates the CO2 emission amount E for each year during the primary use of the battery pack 10, for example, by multiplying the amount of charging power for one year by the CO2 emission coefficient Ke. Then, the second emission amount obtaining unit 350 adds up the CO2 emission amounts E for each year to calculate the total CO2 emission amount E during the primary use as the second CO2 emission information. In addition, the CO2 emission coefficient Ke decreases as the proportion of renewable energy generated in the amount of power generated by the electric utility supplying power to the external charger (renewable energy proportion) increases. For example, if this proportion is 100%, the CO2 emission coefficient Ke becomes 0, and therefore the CO2 emission amount E also becomes 0. Therefore, the CO2 emission amount E may be calculated using the CO2 emission coefficient Ke that takes this proportion into consideration. The electric utility supplying power to the external charger can be identified based on the location information of the vehicle 100 during external charging.

[0039] Alternatively, the second emission amount obtaining unit 350 may obtain the CO2 emission amount E not every year but every time the battery pack 10 is charged. That is, when charging is completed, the second emission amount obtaining unit 350 may obtain information on the amount of charged electricity and location information from the vehicle 100 and calculate a current value of the CO2 emission amount E based on the obtained information. Then, the second emission amount obtaining unit 350 may update the integrated value of the CO2 emission amount E up to the previous charging by adding the current value. Alternatively, the second emission amount obtaining unit 350 may calculate the CO2 emission amount E based on information on the total amount of charged electricity obtained from the vehicle 100 when primary use is completed. Furthermore, the calculation of the CO2 emission amount E may be performed by an information processing device of the vehicle 100. In this example, the second emission amount obtaining unit 350 may communicate with the vehicle 100, for example, when primary use is completed, and obtain the CO2 emission amount E from the vehicle 100.

[0040] Next, in the case of a PHEV, the sum of the above-mentioned CO2 emission amount E and the following CO2 emission amount F corresponds to the second CO2 emission information. A PHEV can run using only the electric motor without operating the internal combustion engine (BEV running) and running using the internal combustion engine and the electric motor in cooperation (HEV running). CO2 emission amount E corresponds to the CO2 emission amount during BEV running, and CO2 emission amount F corresponds to the CO2 emission amount during HEV running. CO2 emission amount F is the product of a value obtained by dividing the mileage DH (km) of the vehicle 100 running in HEV running by the fuel consumption rate Fe (km / L) and the CO2 emission amount X per liter of fuel. For example, the mileage DH can be a value included in the driving history information TRV obtainable from the vehicle 100. For example, the fuel consumption rate Fe can be a value published by the manufacturer of the vehicle 100 (so-called catalog value). CO2 emission amount X can be obtained, for example, by communicating with a server of an external organization. The obtained fuel consumption rate Fe and CO2 emission amount X are stored in the storage device of the information processing device 310.

[0041] During primary use, the second emission acquisition unit 350 periodically communicates with the vehicle 100 to acquire the mileage DH since the previous data acquisition. The second emission acquisition unit 350 calculates a current value of CO2 emission F based on the acquired mileage DH, fuel consumption rate Fe, and CO2 emission amount X. The second emission acquisition unit 350 then updates the integrated value of CO2 emission F by adding the current value to the integrated value of CO2 emission F calculated at the time of the previous value of CO2 emission F. The second emission acquisition unit 350 then periodically calculates the sum of the integrated values ​​of CO2 emission E and CO2 emission F, which were calculated separately, and updates the second CO2 emission information using this sum.

[0042] Alternatively, the CO2 emission amount F may be calculated using the total driving distance DH acquired from the vehicle 100 at the end of the primary use. The calculation of the CO2 emission amount F described above may also be performed by an information processing device of the vehicle 100. In this example, the second emission amount acquisition unit 350 may communicate with the vehicle 100 at the end of the primary use, for example, and acquire the CO2 emission amount F from the vehicle 100.

[0043] In addition, the second CO2 emission information calculated as described above may include the CO2 emission amount when the battery pack 10 removed from the vehicle 100 at the end of its primary use is transported to a reuse location.

[0044] (CFP Information Processing Department) In a first example, the CFP information processing unit 360 acquires the latest values ​​of the first and second CO2 emission information from the first and second emission acquisition units 340, 350, respectively, and manages the acquired latest values ​​as CFP information. The CFP information processing unit 360 may, for example, manage the latest values ​​of the first and second CO2 emission information individually as CFP information. Furthermore, the managed CFP information may include the sum of the latest values ​​of the first and second CO2 emission information. Alternatively, the managed CFP information may be only the sum.

[0045] The information management system 300 is capable of communicating with a terminal 700 used by an applicant requesting the provision of CFP information. The terminal 700 is, for example, a personal computer or a smartphone. In response to a request from the applicant operating the terminal 700, the CFP information processing unit 360 provides the CFP information to the applicant via the terminal 700. Sending the CFP information to the applicant or allowing the applicant to access the CFP information using the terminal 700 corresponds to an example of providing the CFP information.

[0046] The applicant is, for example, a secondary use-desiring user (reuse-desiring user) who wishes to make secondary use of the battery pack 10. In an example where the applicant is a secondary use-desiring user, the terminal 700 (see FIG. 4) is the same as the terminal 400 (see FIG. 1). In addition, the CFP information may be provided to the secondary use-desiring user together with the reuse ID and battery management information 30 of the battery pack 10.

[0047] As shown in FIG. 4, the CFP information processing unit 360 may include a price setting unit 361. The price setting unit 361 sets the price of the battery pack 10 to be presented to the secondary use user according to the CFP information. Specifically, the price may be set so that it increases as the numerical value of the CFP information (at least one of the numerical values ​​of the first and second CO2 emission information) decreases. More specifically, the second CO2 emission information used to set the price covers the entire period of primary use. Furthermore, in the example of a BEV in which the CO2 emission amount E corresponds to the second CO2 emission information, the price may be set so that it increases as the value obtained by dividing the CO2 emission amount E by the total amount of charging power of the battery pack 10 during primary use (i.e., the CO2 emission coefficient Ke) decreases. Similarly, in the example of a PHEV in which the sum of the CO2 emission amount E and the CO2 emission amount F corresponds to the second CO2 emission information, the price may be set so that it increases as the CO2 emission coefficient Ke decreases.

[0048] Alternatively, the applicant may be, for example, a secondary use user (reuse user). For example, after the secondary use user is determined as a recipient of the battery pack 10, the CFP information processing unit 360 may provide the CFP information to the secondary use user in response to a prior request. Alternatively, the CFP information may be provided in response to a request after the start of secondary use.

[0049] Alternatively, the applicant may be, for example, a consumer. The consumer here is, for example, a user who owns another vehicle 100 of the same model as the vehicle 100 equipped with the battery pack 10 having the CFP information to be provided, or a user who wishes to purchase the other vehicle 100.

[0050] In addition, the CFP information may be provided to the applicant free of charge, for example, but may be provided for a fee. Whether the provision is free or for a fee may vary depending on the applicant. In addition, in an example in which the CFP information is periodically updated during the primary use of the battery pack 10, the CFP information processing unit 360 may accept an application from the applicant during the primary use of the battery pack 10. Then, the CFP information processing unit 360 may provide the applicant with CFP information including the latest second CO2 emissions at the time of the applicant's application.

[0051] (effect) According to the first example of obtaining and providing CFP information, first CO2 emission information from resource mining to the manufacture of vehicle 100 and second CO2 emission information during primary use can be provided to applicants as CFP information upon request.

[0052] Furthermore, receiving the CFP information up to the time of primary use has the following advantages for secondary users of the battery pack 10 and users who wish to use it secondary. That is, if the CFP information up to the time of primary use is excellent, the business operator who uses the battery pack 10 secondary can clearly demonstrate to society that they have built a low-carbon storage battery system using the battery pack 10 with low CO2 emissions. Also, in an example where the manufacturer of the vehicle 100 is an operator that operates the information management system 300 (information provision system), providing the CFP information upon request has the following advantages for the manufacturer. That is, if the CFP information is excellent, the manufacturer can clearly demonstrate to society that the vehicle 100 that it manufactures is equipped with a low-carbon battery pack 10.

[0053] Furthermore, the price setting unit 361 sets the price of the battery pack 10 to be presented to users who wish to make secondary use of the battery pack 10 according to the CFP information. For businesses that make secondary use of the battery pack 10, having good CFP information has the above-mentioned advantages. Therefore, it can be said that a battery pack 10 with good CFP information has higher value than a battery pack 10 with poor CFP information. Therefore, setting the price according to the CFP information promotes trading of the battery pack 10 at a more appropriate price that reflects the value based on the CFP information.

[0054] 2-2. Second example 5 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a second example regarding the acquisition and provision of CFP information. The second example differs from the first example in that the information management system 300 additionally includes a third emission amount acquisition unit 370.

[0055] The third emission amount acquisition unit 370 acquires the third CO2 emission information and stores the acquired third CO2 emission information in the storage device of the information processing device 310. The third CO2 emission information is the amount of greenhouse gas emissions emitted when the battery pack 10 is reused, converted into CO2 emission amounts.

[0056] Specifically, the amount of CO2 emissions G during the generation of electricity for charging the battery pack 10 when the battery pack 10 is reused corresponds to the third CO2 emission information. A method for calculating the amount of CO2 emissions G is similar to, for example, the method for calculating the amount of CO2 emissions E described above. That is, the amount of CO2 emissions G is, for example, the product of the total amount of charging energy (kWh) of the battery pack 10 being reused and the CO2 emission coefficient Ke. This total amount of charging energy (kWh) can be acquired, for example, from the battery management information 30 of the battery pack 10, which is periodically transmitted from the information collection device 510 of the battery utilization system 500. More specifically, even if the total amount of charging energy is the same, the amount of CO2 emissions G decreases as the renewable energy ratio described above increases. The calculation of the amount of CO2 emissions G may also be performed by an information processing device of the battery utilization system 500. In this example, the third emission amount acquisition unit 370 may communicate with the battery utilization system 500, for example, at the end of secondary utilization, and acquire the CO2 emission amount G from the battery utilization system 500.

[0057] In addition, the third CO2 emission information calculated as described above may include the CO2 emission amount during transportation from the location of secondary use to the location of tertiary use or disposal.

[0058] In a second example, the CFP information processing unit 360 acquires the latest values ​​of the first to third CO2 emission information from the first to third emission acquisition units 340, 350, and 370, respectively, and manages the acquired latest values ​​as CFP information. The CFP information processing unit 360 may, for example, manage the latest values ​​of the first to third CO2 emission information individually as CFP information. Furthermore, the managed CFP information may include a sum of the latest values ​​of the first to third CO2 emission information. Alternatively, the managed CFP information may be only the sum.

[0059] Furthermore, in an example where tertiary reuse is performed after secondary reuse, the third emission acquisition unit 370 calculates the CO2 emission amount H during tertiary reuse, similar to the CO2 emission amount G during secondary reuse, and adds the calculated CO2 emission amount H to the third CO2 emission information. This also applies to cases where reuse such as quaternary reuse is performed.

[0060] With regard to the provision of CFP information up to the time of primary use, the applicant in the second example is, for example, the same as the applicant described above for the first example. Furthermore, with regard to the provision of only CFP information at the time of secondary use (third CO2 emission information) or total CFP information up to the time of secondary use, the applicant may include the following: That is, when tertiary use is performed after secondary use of the battery pack 10, the applicant in the second example may be a secondary use-desiring user (reuse-desiring user) who desires tertiary use. Furthermore, as in the example of the secondary use-desiring user, the price setting unit 361 may set the price of the battery pack 10 to be provided to the tertiary use-desiring user according to the CFP information. The applicant may also be, for example, a tertiary use user (reuse user). The same applies when reuse such as quaternary use is performed.

[0061] According to the second example described above, it is possible to provide the applicant with CFP information that includes the third CO2 emission information as well as the first and second CO2 emission information upon request.

[0062] As in the case of secondary use, businesses that recycle battery packs 10 also have the advantage of being able to clearly demonstrate to society that they have built a low-carbon storage battery system by receiving CFP information from the time of primary or secondary use. This also applies to cases where reuse such as quaternary use is carried out.

[0063] 2-3. Third Example 6 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a third example regarding the acquisition and provision of CFP information. The third example differs from the second example in that the information management system 300 additionally includes a fourth emission amount acquisition unit 380.

[0064] The fourth emission amount acquisition unit 380 acquires the fourth CO2 emission information and stores the acquired fourth CO2 emission information in the storage device of the information processing device 310. The fourth CO2 emission information is the amount of greenhouse gas emissions emitted in the disposal process P7 of the battery pack 10 converted into CO2 emission amounts.

[0065] Specifically, the fourth CO2 emission information corresponds to the CO2 emission amount I, which is the total amount of CO2 emitted during the collection of the battery pack 10 and the various disposal processes (such as recycling the materials of the battery cells 11) included in the disposal process P7. For example, the CO2 emission amount I can be calculated based on the CO2 emissions during the generation of greenhouse gases and electricity used for the collection of the battery pack 10 and the various disposal processes. In addition, the CO2 emission amount I may include the CO2 emissions during the transportation of the recycled materials to the location where the next process (i.e., process P2 of manufacturing the battery cells 11 using the recycled materials) is performed.

[0066] The information management system 300 is capable of communicating with one or more terminals 800 used by one or more businesses involved in the disposal process P7 (see FIG. 3) of the battery pack 10. The fourth emission amount acquisition unit 380 communicates with the one or more terminals 800 and acquires the CO2 emission amount I. Alternatively, the fourth emission amount acquisition unit 380 may acquire information that is the basis for calculating the CO2 emission amount I from one or more businesses and calculate the CO2 emission amount I itself based on the information.

[0067] In the third example, the CFP information processing unit 360 acquires the latest values ​​of the first to fourth CO2 emission information from the first to fourth emission acquisition units 340, 350, 370, and 380, respectively, and manages the acquired latest values ​​as CFP information. The CFP information processing unit 360 may, for example, manage the latest values ​​of the first to fourth CO2 emission information individually as CFP information. Furthermore, the managed CFP information may include a sum of the latest values ​​of the first to fourth CO2 emission information. Alternatively, the managed CFP information may be only the sum.

[0068] With regard to the provision of CFP information up to the time of reuse such as secondary use, the applicant in the third example is, for example, the same as the applicant described above for the first and second examples. Furthermore, with regard to the provision of CFP information for all processes from process P1 to process P7, the applicant may be, for example, the manufacturer of vehicle 100 in the case where an operator other than the manufacturer of vehicle 100 operates information management system 300 (information provision system). Furthermore, with regard to the provision of only CFP information for disposal process P7 (fourth CO2 emission information), the applicant may be, for example, a reuse user who reused battery pack 10 that proceeded to disposal process P7.

[0069] According to the third example described above, it is possible to provide the applicant with CFP information including the fourth CO2 emission information as well as the first to third CO2 emission information upon request.

[0070] Furthermore, in an example where the manufacturer of vehicle 100 is the operator of information management system 300 (information provision system), collecting and providing the first to fourth CO2 emission information from resource extraction to disposal as CFP information has the following advantage. That is, the manufacturer of vehicle 100 can clearly demonstrate its efforts toward low carbonization and its contribution to society. Furthermore, in an example where the manufacturer of vehicle 100 is not the operator of information management system 300, providing the total CFP information from resource extraction to disposal by information management system 300 has the following advantage for the manufacturer. That is, the manufacturer of vehicle 100 can obtain missing CO2 emission information (e.g., fourth CO2 emission information) from information management system 300 and grasp the total CFP information from resource extraction to disposal. Then, the manufacturer can use the CFP information to clearly demonstrate its efforts toward low carbonization and its contribution to society. [Explanation of symbols]

[0071] 1 Battery reuse management system, 10 Battery packs, 100 Vehicles, 200, 400, 600, 700, 800 Terminals, 300 Information management system, 500 Battery utilization system

Claims

1. An information providing system that provides carbon footprint information of a battery pack mounted on a vehicle, one or more processors; the one or more processors: The greenhouse gas emissions related to the manufacture of the battery pack and the vehicle are CO ２ First CO converted into emissions ２ Emission information and the amount of greenhouse gas emissions emitted during the primary use of the battery pack in the vehicle are calculated as CO ２ Secondary CO converted into emissions ２ and carbon footprint information, Provide the applicant with the carbon footprint information upon request of the applicant. Information provision system.

2. 2. The information providing system according to claim 1, The carbon footprint information is the amount of greenhouse gas emissions emitted when the battery pack is reused, expressed as CO ２ Tertiary CO converted into emissions ２ Also includes emissions information Information provision system.

3. 3. The information providing system according to claim 1 or 2, The applicant includes a user who reuses the battery pack or a user who wishes to reuse the battery pack. Information provision system.

4. 3. The information providing system according to claim 1 or 2, The applicant is a user who wishes to reuse the battery pack, The one or more processors set a price of the battery pack to be presented to the user in accordance with the carbon footprint information. Information provision system.

5. 3. The information providing system according to claim 1 or 2, The carbon footprint information is the amount of greenhouse gas emissions emitted in the disposal process of the battery pack expressed as CO ２ Quaternary CO converted into emissions ２ Also includes emissions information Information provision system.

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