How to Use Temperature Data to Protect Electric Vehicle Battery Health When Using a Bidirectional Charger

Abstract

The present invention describes a method for using temperature data to protect the health of batteries during bidirectional charging in conjunction with monetization activities. The method includes receiving temperature data and determining an expected energy demand for a building. The temperature data includes at least the temperature of one or more electric vehicle batteries or information necessary to determine the temperature of the one or more electric vehicle batteries, where the expected energy demand is related to the ambient air temperature. The method includes determining an amount of discharge of one or more electric vehicle batteries necessary to offset the expected energy demand of the building by a predetermined amount, and determining, based on the temperature data, whether discharging the one or more electric vehicle batteries will harm the health of the one or more electric vehicle batteries. The method includes discharging the one or more electric vehicle batteries to offset the expected energy demand of the building.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to using temperature data to protect battery health during bidirectional charging of electric vehicles, including bidirectional charging that is related to revenue generation and / or results in cost savings. [Background technology]

[0002] As environmental concerns and dwindling resources increase, the use of plug-in electric vehicles is becoming more common. Such vehicles include battery electric vehicles (BEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), and hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). These vehicles typically include one or more electric motors powered by one or more batteries. Electric vehicle batteries come in a variety of types, including lead acid, nickel metal hydride, sodium, and lithium ion. Each such battery may be offered with a different storage capacity, typically measured in kilowatt hours (kWh).

[0003] As the use of electric vehicles becomes more prevalent and the availability of such vehicles increases, attempts have been made to utilize such electric vehicles for bidirectional charging, including, for example, vehicle-to-grid (V2G) activities, in revenue generating and / or cost saving activities. Traditional vehicle-to-grid activities include discharging power from an electric vehicle battery to a power grid, or demand response services such as throttling the battery's charging rate in response to changes in charging costs. Traditional vehicle-to-grid systems generally do not consider factors related to the battery's state of health, such as the temperature of the electric vehicle battery, while performing such activities. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present disclosure relates to systems, apparatus, methods, and computer program products for using temperature data to protect battery health during bidirectional charging, such as vehicle-to-grid, vehicle-to-building, and related activities, including but not limited to bidirectional charging associated with revenue generating and / or cost saving activities. Disclosed embodiments include apparatus, systems, and / or methods that use temperature data to protect battery health during bidirectional charging, including bidirectional charging with revenue generating activities. The apparatus, system, and / or method includes receiving temperature data with a processor, the temperature data including at least a temperature of the electric vehicle battery or information necessary to determine a temperature of the electric vehicle battery; determining an expected energy demand of the building relative to an ambient air temperature; determining an amount of discharge of the electric vehicle battery necessary to offset the expected energy demand of the building by a predetermined amount; determining whether discharging the electric vehicle battery by the predetermined amount would be detrimental to the health of the electric vehicle battery based on the temperature data; and discharging the electric vehicle battery to offset the expected energy demand of the building if it is determined that discharging the electric vehicle battery by the predetermined amount would not be detrimental to the health of the electric vehicle battery. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0005] [Figure 1] 1 is an electric vehicle battery according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 2 is a flow chart according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] 2 is a flow chart according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 1 is a system for vehicle-to-grid operation according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] 1 is a system for vehicle-to-grid operation according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6]2 is a flow chart according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 1 is a flow chart according to one embodiment of the present invention.In the above figures, like reference numerals refer to like parts, components, structures and / or processes. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0006] As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, aspects of the present disclosure are illustrated and described herein in any of a number of patentable classes and content, including any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof. Accordingly, aspects of the present disclosure may be implemented entirely as hardware, entirely as software (including firmware, resident software, microcode, etc.), or by combining software and hardware implementations, all of which may be referred to generally herein as "circuits," "modules," "components," or "systems." Additionally, aspects of the present disclosure may take the form of a computer program product embodied in one or more computer-readable medium(s) having computer-readable program code embodied therein.

[0007] Any combination of one or more computer readable media may be utilized. The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples (non-exhaustive list) of computer readable storage media include portable computer diskettes, hard disks, random access memories (RAMs), read only memories (ROMs), erasable programmable read only memories (EPROMs or flash memories), suitable optical fibers with repeaters, portable compact disk read only memories (CD-ROMs), optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, or suitable combinations thereof. In the context of this document, a computer readable storage medium may be any tangible medium that can contain or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

[0008] A computer-readable signal medium may include a propagated data signal including computer-readable program code embodied therein, for example, in baseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a propagated signal may take any of a variety of forms, including, but not limited to, electromagnetic, optical, or any suitable combination thereof. A computer-readable signal medium is not a computer-readable storage medium, but may be any computer-readable medium capable of communicating, propagating, or transferring a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The program code embodied on a computer-readable signal medium may be transmitted using any suitable medium, including, but not limited to, wireless, wired, fiber optic cable, radio frequency (RF), or the like, or any suitable combination thereof.

[0009] Computer program code for carrying out operations of aspects of the present disclosure can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages, such as any of the programming languages ​​listed at https: / / githut.info / (e.g., JAVASCRIPT®, JAVA®, PYTHON, CSS, PHP, RUBY, C++, C, SHELL, C#, OBJECTIVE C, etc.), or other programming languages. The program code can be executed by a processor or programmed into a programmable logic device. The program code can be executed as a standalone software package. The program code can be executed completely on an embedded computing device, or partially on an embedded computing device (e.g., part on a server, part on a personal computer, and part on an embedded device). The program code can be executed on a client, on a server, part on a client, part on a server, or completely on a server or other remote computing device. The program code can also be executed on a combination of any of the foregoing, including a cluster of personal computers or servers. The server or remote computing device may be connected to the client (e.g., a user's computer) via any type of network, including a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), or a cellular network. The connection may be to an external computer or server in a cloud computing environment (e.g., over the Internet using an Internet Service Provider) or may be provided as a service, such as Software as a Service (SaaS).

[0010] Electric vehicles in which the present disclosure may be implemented may be any vehicle equipped with a battery that may be utilized as an energy storage asset, including electric trucks, electric buses, electric cars, electric forklifts, electric motorcycles, electric scooters, electric wheelchairs, electric bicycles, etc. Such batteries are typically found in exemplary vehicles of these types, but may also be found in other mobile energy storage assets. The present disclosure is directed to maintaining the health of the battery during bidirectional charging activities, including revenue generating and / or cost saving activities, whereby the battery remains in an optimal state to power the electric vehicle when not being used for such bidirectional charging activities, including revenue generating and / or cost saving activities.

[0011] Aspects of the present disclosure are described herein with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing device to create a machine, whereby the instructions, executed via the processor of the computer or other programmable instruction execution device, can form a mechanism for implementing the functions / acts specified in one or more blocks of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams.

[0012] These computer program instructions may also be stored on a computer readable medium and, when executed, may direct a computer, other programmable data processing device, or other apparatus to function in a particular manner, and the instructions, when stored on a computer readable medium, when executed, produce an article of manufacture including instructions that cause a computer to perform the functions / operations specified in one or more blocks of the flowcharts and / or block diagrams. The computer program instructions may also be loaded into a computer, other programmable instruction execution device, or other apparatus and cause the computer, other programmable apparatus, or other apparatus to perform a series of operational steps to generate a computer-implemented process, whereby the instructions executing on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide a process for implementing the functions / operations specified in one or more blocks of the flowcharts and / or block diagrams.

[0013] For a more complete understanding of the nature and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description and accompanying drawings. Other aspects, objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following drawings and detailed description. The scope of the present invention, however, will become more fully apparent from the appended claims.

[0014] The disclosed embodiments provide various advantages over the prior art by using temperature data, including electric vehicle battery temperature, ambient air temperature, and / or a building's projected energy demand relative to ambient air temperature. The disclosed embodiments use this data to ensure battery health whenever electricity is discharged from the electric vehicle battery, particularly during revenue generating and / or cost saving activities.

[0015] For example, a vehicle-to-building operator can analyze historical electrical load or historical temperature data for a particular building site. Using that historical data, the operator can identify past building load peak events and determine when peak events are likely to occur at the building in the future (i.e., predict or anticipate the building's future energy demand). The operator can then ensure that at least one electric vehicle is available at the building site during the predicted or expected peak events. Electricity from the at least one electric vehicle battery can then be discharged into the building during the predicted or expected peak load event to offset the building load. This can be implemented as a cost-saving activity by ensuring that peak demand charges are not assessed during peak load events at the building site.

[0016] During this bidirectional charging, the disclosed embodiments may prevent the at least one electric vehicle battery from being discharged below a threshold level to protect the long-term health (i.e., prevent degradation) of the at least one electric vehicle battery. Temperature may be a factor in making this determination, particularly when determining whether to discharge an electric vehicle battery to offset a peak load event. However, the disclosed embodiments may also allow for discharging an electric vehicle battery to offset a peak load event despite the potential degradation of the battery. This may occur, for example, if it is determined that the money gained by discharging the electric vehicle battery (i.e., saved by preventing assessment of peak demand electricity charges) outweighs the potential costs of battery degradation. The disclosed embodiments may also leave this decision up to the system operator, in which case the disclosed embodiments may be configured to present this information to the system operator so that one can make an informed decision in this regard.

[0017] The disclosed embodiments are suitable for vehicle-to-grid applications, vehicle-to-building applications, vehicle-to-home applications, vehicle-to-vehicle applications, and vehicle-to-building applications. The present invention may be implemented in any "X" application (i.e., vehicle-to-X application or "V2X"), such as a vehicle-to-vehicle application, or a vehicle-to-vehicle application. The difference between each such "X" application is primarily the system into which the electric vehicle is integrated. For example, the disclosed embodiments may be used to integrate an electric vehicle with the electric grid (i.e., vehicle-to-grid), or may be used to integrate an electric vehicle with a building's electrical load (i.e., vehicle-to-building) in a behind-the-meter system. A behind-the-meter system is a system that consists of an electrical system that is metered by a utility, such as the electrical system of a commercial building or individual home. The grid may be a larger system that includes everything between the plug and the utility. Thus, it should be understood that vehicle-to-building applications, vehicle-to-home applications, vehicle-to-vehicle applications, etc. may be part of or even referred to as vehicle-to-grid applications.

[0018] The disclosed V2X system enables one or more batteries of one or more electric vehicles to provide energy storage services when the vehicle's batteries are not in use, such as when the vehicle is stationary and / or powered down. In a V2X system, the energy stored in the electric vehicle batteries can provide a valuable service to virtually anyone who needs additional power (e.g., grid operators, utilities, building owners, homeowners, etc.). The electricity from the electric vehicle batteries can be used to reduce electricity costs and enhance operational resiliency, for example, by reducing the load on other power sources (e.g., grids, solar panels, stationary batteries, etc.). In addition to bidirectional charging, the V2X system can engage the electric vehicle batteries in multiple V2X activities or market applications to generate revenue or conserve resources.

[0019] The disclosed V2X systems, such as the exemplary system 400 shown in FIG. 4 or the exemplary system 500 shown in FIG. 5, use software and bidirectional chargers to enable interactions between electric vehicles, chargers, and any other resources that can be used in conjunction with electric vehicle batteries to generate revenue for them (e.g., buildings, electric grids, utility providers). The V2X system can use weather data, such as temperature and humidity, to make strategic decisions and control these interactions. This weather data can be historical, forecast, real-time, or any combination thereof. The V2X system can also use building load data (e.g., electric vehicle batteries, buildings, etc.), which can be historical, forecast, and / or real-time, to make such decisions. Examples include using such data to maintain battery health and to predict future peak events so that electric vehicles can be used for revenue generating or conservation activities.

[0020] The V2X system is configured to optimize the health and life of the electric vehicle battery. Thus, the V2X system is configured to prevent the electric vehicle battery from being depleted by non-logistics duty cycle activities. One non-limiting factor in maintaining the battery health is protecting the battery from overheating. Ambient air temperature is one contributing factor to battery temperature, which can be mitigated in most cases by the cooling system of the electric vehicle. Vehicle use, and therefore battery use, is another contributing factor, as it can increase the battery temperature and / or affect the charge remaining in the battery. Other factors related to V2X operations that affect battery temperature, and therefore battery health, include, but are not limited to, throughput (i.e., the amount of electricity passing through the battery during charging or discharging), building load, timing of past and expected vehicle logistics utilization, and availability of other energy storage assets.

[0021] V2X operators do not always own the electric vehicles being used. Although V2X operators may not own the electric vehicle batteries or cooling systems, V2X operators need to predict when an electric vehicle's battery management system (BMS) may experience problems or failures so that the V2X operator does not lose access to using the electric vehicle battery charge for their operation. It may also be important for vehicle owners that V2X operators take appropriate steps to monitor battery temperature, ambient air temperature, and / or other temperature data points to ensure battery life and to ensure the vehicle owner's willingness to allow V2X activity. For example, this may be necessary to prevent vehicle owners from voiding any warranties that the vehicle manufacturer may have placed on the vehicle and / or its batteries.

[0022] Engaging in V2X operation requires an electric vehicle configured for bidirectional charging (e.g., a NISSAN® brand LEAF® electric vehicle), a bidirectional power conversion device at the charging site (e.g., a FERMATA ENERGY brand bidirectional directional charger), and a software system that enables interoperability between the electric vehicle, the charger, the power grid, and other energy assets (solar, wind, stationary batteries, etc.) to manage and optimize the vehicle-to-grid technology. Battery-powered vehicles are capable of V2X operation when configured for bidirectional power conversion. The key component of the charger is the bidirectional power conversion structure, or power stage, which consists of an interconnection device and power conversion equipment configured to charge the vehicle battery from the grid or discharge the stored energy of the vehicle battery to the grid or a building. This type of bidirectional charging can be provided by having a charger on board the electric vehicle itself or by placing the charger outside the vehicle as an off-board option compatible with existing electric vehicles. This software has several functions, including receiving information from the vehicle (e.g., state of charge, battery voltage, maximum charge and discharge current levels, vehicle status, etc.), sending vehicle charge / discharge instructions (power level, start / stop commands, charger status, etc.), and receiving input of various data elements (e.g., current building load kW demand, building load kW demand not to exceed target, weather data (e.g., temperature and humidity), grid market factors, etc.).

[0023] Battery Health Many factors can contribute to maintaining, optimizing, or impairing the health of an electric vehicle battery. One example is the cycle life of a battery, where cycling energy through a battery results in varying degrees of capacity loss depending on a variety of factors, including but not limited to the charge / discharge rate (c-rate) relative to the maximum energy capacity, the depth of discharge (DoD) at which the battery is cycled (e.g., 50% DoD means the battery is charged or discharged to half its capacity), the total energy throughput cycled in and out of the battery, and the temperature at which the cycling occurs. Factors such as DoD, throughput, and temperature can contribute to degrading the battery's health.

[0024] The effect of temperature on the battery's state of health may depend on the electrochemical makeup of the battery (e.g., lead acid, nickel cadmium (NiCd), nickel metal hydride (NiMH), lithium ion (Li-Ion), etc.). Such batteries may achieve maximum useful life when charged and discharged at certain temperatures. For example, lead acid batteries have an allowable charging temperature range of -4°F to 122°F and an allowable discharge temperature range of -4°F to 122°F. NiCd and NiMH batteries have an allowable charging temperature range of 32°F to 113°F and an allowable discharge temperature range of -4°F to 149°F. And Li-Ion batteries have an allowable charging temperature range of 32°F to 122°F and an allowable discharge temperature range of -4°F to 140°F. Such batteries may provide better charging performance at lower temperatures and may even allow fast charging towards the lower end of these discharge temperature ranges. Thus, the disclosed V2X system takes these temperature effects into account when determining whether and when to charge or discharge an electric vehicle battery.

[0025] Another factor considered by the disclosed V2X system is battery calendar life loss, which occurs whether the battery is active or not, and is primarily affected by the ambient air temperature and the average state of charge experienced throughout the battery's life. For example, with respect to the battery's state of charge, it is optimal to keep the battery's state of health at 30-70% state of charge as much as possible. Ambient air temperature also impacts the battery's state of health, but can be mitigated. By tracking the ambient air temperature relative to the battery's state of health, the V2X system determines whether mitigation actions, such as reducing the kW power command, are necessary.

[0026] Other factors may also affect the battery health, such as whether the electric vehicle was just driven, how long it was driven (time and / or mileage), whether the vehicle was just charged or discharged, or how aggressively or gently it was driven, etc. The V2X system can use these types of information to make decisions about scheduling V2X operations and allocating vehicles to revenue generating and / or cost reducing activities, since different battery usages have different impacts on the battery.

[0027] There may be a temperature sensor, such as a thermistor, attached to the electric vehicle battery that detects the temperature of the battery. Tracking or knowledge of battery temperature and other vehicle activities as described above may also be independent of the charger (e.g., performed by the electric vehicle), the charger, or some combination thereof (e.g., measured and communicated and logged by the vehicle and tracked by the charger). As shown in FIG. 1, temperature metrics may be tracked at various scales of the battery 100, such as at the cell level 102, module level 104, and / or pack level 106. The electric vehicle manufacturer may generate such battery temperature data and preferably configure the vehicle to be able to share that data with the V2X system. Alternatively, the V2X system may be configured to measure this data using sensors that may be added to or placed near the electric vehicle. The V2X system may then use the temperature data to identify, control, and / or facilitate V2X revenue generating and / or cost saving activities in a manner that optimizes the health, life, and / or useful capacity of the electric vehicle battery, as described above.

[0028] In the example method 200 of FIG. 2, in step 202, the V2X system receives battery temperature data for one or more electric vehicle batteries. This temperature data may be obtained directly from the electric vehicle. Alternatively, the data may be obtained indirectly from the electric vehicle manufacturer, for example, the electric vehicle manufacturer configures the electric vehicle to keep the data proprietary and / or encrypted, allowing the electric vehicle manufacturer to control the distribution of the data. In this case, the electric vehicle manufacturer may receive this data wirelessly or via a network connection established via the charger. The electric vehicle manufacturer would then log and store the data and share it with the V2X system in step 202.

[0029] The V2X system may then analyze the data to determine the current temperature, temperature trends, weather forecast, or any other suitable or relevant metric, at step 204. The V2X system may then determine appropriate usage of the battery while maintaining battery health, at step 206. For example, based on battery temperature data received at step 202 reflecting a high temperature, the V2X system may determine not to discharge a particular electric vehicle at 25 kW to maintain battery health.

[0030] In the event that the V2X system does not have access to real-time temperature data from sensors attached to or in close proximity to the electric vehicle battery, the V2X system may predict or estimate battery temperature using other inputs, including, but not limited to, third-party weather forecast data or on-site measured temperature data. The V2X operator may then control charging, discharging, or other use of the electric vehicle battery to protect the battery's health, life, and / or useful capacity based on the predicted or estimated battery temperature.

[0031] In an exemplary method 300 for predicting or estimating the temperature of an electric vehicle battery shown in FIG. 3, in step 302, the V2X system receives one or more input data regarding at least one of the factors affecting the battery temperature, as discussed above. For example, the V2X system may receive information or data indicating that the electric vehicle has just been charged to a substantial amount (e.g., from 30% to 100%). The V2X system may receive information or data that the ambient temperature is currently high (e.g., 104° F.). The V2X system may receive information or data regarding the ambient temperature of the area in which the vehicle is located, such as a building site, through data from a third party service, such as a weather service, or data from a temperature sensor or other suitable device for measuring the ambient temperature. Such an ambient temperature sensor may be installed, for example, at a charger, building, or other suitable location near the electric vehicle. The V2X system may also receive information regarding other factors affecting the battery temperature from the electric vehicle's BMS, from monitoring and tracking the electric vehicle's activity, sensors, or other suitable technology operated by the V2X system, or from a third party source, which is communicated to the operations management software.

[0032] The V2X system may analyze the information received in step 304 and estimate or predict the battery temperature or temperature range based on the analysis in step 306. The V2X system may also use other suitable inputs (e.g., humidity), alone or in combination with each other, to estimate or predict the battery temperature or temperature range in step 306. Optionally, steps 304 and 306 may be skipped if the electric vehicle's BMS provides the battery temperature in step 302.

[0033] The V2X system can record and track this temperature data for use in predicting battery temperature. For example, in step 306, the battery temperature can be determined at a particular date and time, and the weather (e.g., temperature, humidity, etc.) at the same location as the battery at that same date and time can also be recorded. Recent usage of the vehicle can also be recorded at that date and time. The V2X system can then use this recorded data as historical data to make vehicle-specific (i.e., battery-specific) predictions of battery temperature, such as predicting that a particular vehicle will have a particular temperature at a date and time when a high battery temperature is predicted to be at an observed temperature.

[0034] From the above inputs (or other suitable inputs), the V2X system may determine that the temperature of the battery is likely too hot to charge and / or discharge. For example, if the temperature of a NiMH battery is determined to be greater than 113° F., the NiMH battery may be determined to be too hot to charge, and if the temperature of a NiMH battery is determined to be greater than 149° F., the NiMH battery may be determined to be too hot to discharge. However, it should be understood that these temperatures may vary by battery type, these temperatures may be selected by the vehicle and / or battery manufacturer, and these temperatures may be set lower than a set maximum value to enhance safety.

[0035] In step 308, the V2X system determines whether and how to use the electric vehicle battery while protecting the battery and maintaining its health based on the estimated or determined battery temperature from step 306 (or from data provided by the vehicle's BMS). Based on a determination that the vehicle's battery temperature is too hot to charge and / or discharge, the V2X system may prevent charging and / or discharging the battery. For example, the V2X system may determine not to discharge the electric vehicle battery or to discharge the battery at a slower rate based on the battery's temperature. If the V2X determines not to discharge the electric vehicle battery, the V2X sends a message to the vehicle user via the charger instructing the user to connect to another charger so that the current charger can remain open for vehicles with batteries that can be discharged. This is most likely to occur near a predicted peak load event, for example, so the V2X system allows vehicles connected to the system to discharge and offset the building load during the entirety of said peak load event.

[0036] If the V2X decides to discharge the electric vehicle battery at a slower rate, the system may need to discharge batteries from more vehicles to offset the load enough to prevent a peak load event. For example, rather than deciding not to discharge the battery at 25 kW based on battery temperature, the V2X system may decide that the electric vehicle will discharge its battery at less than 25 kW (e.g., 13.5 kW) if such a discharge is safe and there are no other vehicles that can discharge at 25 kW. In such a case, the V2X system may determine that two vehicles are needed instead of one to offset the load enough to prevent a peak load event.

[0037] The V2X system may also determine to limit charging and / or discharging activities to lower kW power levels based on the ambient air temperature. For example, an electric vehicle may be driven in the morning and plugged into a charger in the afternoon. The V2X system may determine that when the electric vehicle is plugged into a charger in the afternoon, the air temperature is very high and the vehicle battery may be relatively hot because the electric vehicle has just been driven. To maintain the health of the battery, charging and discharging is limited as much as possible and occurs only at low power levels only when necessary. If such limitations are not sufficient to support desired revenue generation and / or cost reduction activities, the V2X system may rely on another electric vehicle (e.g., a vehicle that has not been driven recently and / or has a lower battery temperature) for these activities, either alone or in combination with the vehicle that has just been driven.

[0038] Revenue Activities The disclosed V2X system can engage in bidirectional charging of electric vehicle batteries along with activities such as monetization activities to generate revenue or save costs. The V2X system includes an operations management component configured to analyze factors related to the electric vehicles and their batteries, such as the state of charge, the vehicle's expected short-term energy requirements, short-term monetization opportunities (demand power rate management, grid ancillary services, etc.), and other relevant factors to determine optimal monetization use of the batteries at that time. The operations management component can then communicate dispatch instructions to one or more electric vehicles and / or one or more chargers.

[0039] Fleet vehicles, such as a municipal electric vehicle fleet, may be particularly well suited for these types of opportunities, although any suitable electric vehicle may be used for the monetization opportunities. Fleet vehicles may be particularly well suited because they remain parked and unused most of the time, have predictable and controlled schedules, and are typically located near large grid infrastructure and sources of large loads.

[0040] Any suitable number of electric vehicles and chargers may be used for monetization opportunities. A collection of vehicles and chargers may provide an opportunity to maximize revenue generation and / or cost savings. These monetization activities may vary, particularly by user.

[0041] The V2X system may be integrated with or otherwise communicate with the systems of a Regional Transmission Organization (RTO), Independent System Operator (ISO), utility, or retail meter customer. Examples of energy services to an RTO or ISO include, but are not limited to, frequency regulation, demand charge management, spin / non-spin reserve, voltage support, black start, and capacity. Examples of energy services to a utility include, but are not limited to, energy arbitrage, resource adequacy, dispatch deferral, transmission congestion relief, and dispatch deferral. Additionally, examples of energy services to a utility's retail customers include, but are not limited to, time-of-use bill management, demand charge reduction, and backup power / resiliency (particularly for disaster recovery). The V2X system may be configured to provide and / or facilitate any one or more of these services.

[0042] Many variables affect the charge and discharge cycles of electric vehicle batteries, including the number of miles driven per vehicle per year, the size of the building or other load, the building or other load characteristics (e.g., flat vs. peak, duration of peak, predictability of peak, etc.), the vehicle's battery size (e.g., 60 kWh vs. 30 kWh), temperature and humidity profiles of the electric vehicle and charger locations, minimum battery state of charge, maximum throughput, the site's electricity tariff, grid peaks, grid peaks and congestion, and times of high kWh pricing. For example, the disclosed embodiments use the size of the building load, the load characteristics (e.g., flat vs. peak, duration of peak, predictability of peak, etc.), and the temperature and humidity profiles of the vehicle and charger locations to maximize revenue generation.

[0043] Additionally, many variables may shape a building's load profile and each building site may be unique, and therefore may be analyzed separately to determine the optimal revenue generating activities for that building site. A building site may include the building's structure, the parcel of land on which the building is located, the property associated with the building's address, or the zip code in which the building is located, depending on the variable being considered. For example, if the variable being considered is weather, the building site may include the building's zip code, and if the variable being considered is historical building load data, the building site may include the building's electrical system behind the meter. Examples of factors that affect the amount and rate at which a building uses energy include, but are not limited to, the size of the building, the age of the building, equipment (such as cooling, heating, lighting, other systems), usage and programs (e.g., office, hospital, 24 / 7 operation, server farms, etc.), climate, number of windows, automated building controls, and serviced by separate energy plants or cooling equipment.

[0044] To leverage monetization avenues, the V2X system is configured to access a variety of data, including real-time data from sensors, data from the electric vehicle manufacturer, stored data, or data from third-party sources (e.g., sources of historical or forecast data, such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)). To engage in vehicle-to-grid or vehicle-to-building activities, a bidirectional charger is provided that can inject power into the power grid or building's electrical system while the building is connected to the grid and using power from the grid (i.e., the charger is integrated with a "grid-tie inverter"). A typical rooftop solar installation uses this type of "grid-tie inverter" to partially power a home or building without disconnecting a particular load or house from the grid. To effectively optimize monetization opportunities, the V2X system includes software with several communication capabilities, such as requesting and receiving state-of-charge data from electric vehicles, sending charge / discharge instructions to the charger and / or electric vehicles, and coordinating multiple electric vehicles to provide their (battery) capacity as a single resource (aggregation). The software can also be configured to receive and analyze inputs of various data elements such as logistics duty cycle requirements and schedules, building load patterns, weather data (temperature and humidity), grid market factors, etc. to effectively optimize monetization opportunities.

[0045] In the exemplary embodiment of Figure 4, a V2X system 400 is shown for engaging in revenue generating and / or cost saving activities. System 400 may include an electric vehicle 402 connected to a bi-directional charger 404 via a quick change port 416 or other suitable connection mechanism. A disconnect 418 may exist between the charger 404 and a building 406. Building 406 has a building electrical panel 408 or other suitable connection mechanism for connecting to a grid 412 and a local Ethernet port 410 or other suitable connection mechanism for connecting to the Internet 414.

[0046] In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 5, a V2X system 500 is shown for engaging in revenue generating and / or cost saving activities. The system 500 may include a fleet of electric vehicles 502a-c. Each electric vehicle 502a-c may be connected to a bidirectional charger 504a-f. The bidirectional chargers 504a-f may be connected to a building 506 behind the building's utility meter 520. Each vehicle 502a-f is connected to the building 506 in a similar manner using the components shown in FIG. 4. Although the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 5 is shown with six electric vehicles, any suitable number of vehicles may be used depending on the needs of a particular building and / or the availability and number of schedulable electric vehicles.

[0047] In one exemplary embodiment, the V2X system 400 or 500 is configured to monetize electric vehicles in a frequency regulation market. In a frequency regulation market, grid operators can fine-tune the flow of power in the grid by quickly adding or releasing small amounts of power every few seconds. Frequency regulation is the instantaneous response of power to locally sensed changes in the system frequency. Regulation is necessary to ensure that the system-wide generation matches the system-level load from moment to moment to avoid system-level frequency spikes or dips that can cause grid instability. In this example, the electric grid can signal the vehicles 402, 502a-f every 2 seconds while the electric vehicles 402, 502a-f are parked and engaged in a frequency regulation market for 24 hours. Although the charging events are only 2 seconds at a time, each charging event represents some throughput that can be significant in total over the 24 hours. This aggregate throughput effect can cause heating of the batteries of the electric vehicles 402, 502a-f, and throughput under certain conditions can cause battery thermal issues. However, it should be understood that this is just one example and different use cases may have different impacts on the battery.

[0048] Another exemplary embodiment for monetization is demand power charge management. Demand power charges can account for one-third or more of a building's electric bill and are based on the building's highest power consumption rate (i.e., watts or kW load). Demand power charges are based on the highest observed power usage rate (i.e., load) the building experienced in a month. Utilities typically determine the monthly peak electric load by calculating the maximum average load over a 15-30 minute period and charge this by multiplying the average kW amount by the demand power charge price ($ / kW). This demand power charge can range from a few dollars to more than $30 per kilowatt depending on the location. Thus, peak load events can trigger significant costs to building operators on their electric bills.

[0049] By reducing the kW load during the 15-30 minute peak load periods, the demand power charge and corresponding monthly power bill can be significantly reduced. If the electric vehicles 402, 502a-f are discharged during the peak demand power charge periods to partially power the buildings 406, 506, the demand power charge can be effectively reduced. This is because the utility's electricity demand meter registers the corresponding reduction in the building's 406, 506 load as metered power that would normally be drawn from the grid 412, 520, and the metered power is replaced by power from the electric vehicles that is not metered; i.e., this is an example of a behind-the-meter monetization activity.

[0050] To effectively achieve financial savings through demand power charge management, the V2X system 400, 500 is configured to accurately predict building loads to ensure that one or more electric vehicles can discharge to the grid during anticipated peak load events. Accurate prediction includes consideration and evaluation of various factors, including but not limited to local demand power charges; hourly, daily, and weekly site load profiles; site load predictability; site logistics schedules; flexibility and predictability of site duty cycles; number of electric vehicles (e.g., size of a municipal electric vehicle fleet) to charger ratio. If the results of this prediction determine that demand power charge management is feasible, a command may be sent from the V2X system 400, 500 to perform a service.

[0051] These commands can be sent from a central location managing the electric vehicles 402, 502a-f and chargers 404, 504a-f, or can originate from local charger systems at specific sites. Additionally, this load forecast can be integrated into weekly and / or daily fleet schedules, taking into account demand power rate management time requirements and reservations. The V2X system 400, 500 utilizes the building's predicted energy demand to determine the amount of energy available, such as deciding whether to charge the vehicle or to drive the vehicle unplugged from the charger. In the example of a fleet of vehicles, the V2X system 400, 500 can give the fleet manager the option to decide whether the vehicle should be charged or allowed to drive unplugged, rather than making this decision automatically. This option can be provided, for example, if the fleet manager wants to control this decision.

[0052] The V2X system 400, 500 can determine whether to implement demand power charge management by comparing the relative amount of energy storage capacity with respect to the system's maximum kW and kWh, total kWh throughput, and when and how much the electric vehicles 402, 502a-f need to discharge power to generate a certain amount of demand power charge savings to reduce monthly and / or annual building load peaks. For example, if the building 406, 506's historical load profile suggests that similar magnitude and kW peaks occur every day, then the building 406, 506 needs to park the electric vehicles 402, 502a-f and make them available more frequently because they need to be used to discharge large amounts of kWh periodically. This may mean that the reduced availability of the vehicles 402, 502a-f on logistics activity costs and the additional cost of battery degradation due to battery throughput, together or separately, may be too much compared to the monetary value of the demand power charge management activity. In this case, the V2X system 400, 500 may decide not to perform a battery discharge or may allow the fleet manager to make that decision.

[0053] Another exemplary application of the disclosed V2X system 400, 500 is utility peak shaving, which includes both capacity and transmission shaving. This is based on system-wide peak load and involves managing utility transmission and capacity charges by discharging electric vehicles 402, 502a-f during concurrent system-wide peaks. For example, if the system-wide peak is 1,500 MW at 3:00 pm on July 1st, while a single utility's peak load at the same time is only 150 MW, the system owner would be charged per kW for the matching peak. Capacity charges are based on the generation system's peak load in a single year. Transmission charges are based on the transmission system's peak load per month. Discharges are typically 2-3 times per month for about 2 hours, with more discharges possible during summer months. This typically includes 5 or 6 discharges during the summer months, but could be monthly depending on the rates in a particular location.

[0054] In each of the aforementioned applications, the V2X system 400, 500 can use historical and predicted temperature data to predict the energy demands of the building 406, 506, including major peak events for the building's 406, 506 electrical load. Electric vehicles 402, 502a-f connected to charging stations 404, 504a-f in the building 406, 506 can discharge to the loads in the building 406, 506. The V2X system 400, 500 can then use historical or predicted temperature data to predict or anticipate when a major peaking event will occur and ensure that the electric vehicles 402, 502a-f are able to discharge in the building 406, 506 during that time.

[0055] The V2X system 400, 500 can also use the building's historical load data to identify load patterns and past peak events and predict or anticipate the building's 406, 506 energy demands based on that analysis. The V2X system 400, 500 ensures that the electric vehicles 402, 502a-f are available during peak energy demands of the building 406, 506 by dispatching the vehicles 402, 502a-f from the fleet or issuing commands or other instructions using the operations management component (to keep the vehicles 402, 502a-f charged or to indicate that the vehicles 402, 502a-f are allowed to check out). This also allows the V2X system 400, 500 to control the discharge of the electric vehicle batteries to optimize the battery's health and lifespan and the battery's effective capacity while offsetting peak loads on the building 406, 506. When discharging electric vehicles 402, 502a-f into a building 406, 506 during times related to expected energy demand / peak events, the V2X system 400, 500 can leave a threshold level of charge for each electric vehicle 402, 502a-f (e.g., not allowing the vehicle to discharge below 30%) to avoid battery degradation or otherwise adversely affecting the health of the battery.

[0056] The load of the building 406, 506 can be predicted based on historical load data, historical weather data, and / or other site data such as the building size, age of the building, equipment (e.g., cooling, heating, lighting, and other systems), usage and programs (office, hospital, 24 / 7 operation, server farm, etc.), number of windows, automated building controls, and services by separate energy plants or cooling equipment. Thus, based on the predicted energy needs of the building 406, 506, the V2X system 400, 500 can decide whether to keep one or more vehicles 402, 502a-f charging or allow them to be checked out. Alternatively, the V2X system 400, 500 can make recommendations to the fleet manager, including identifying risks associated with battery health associated with potential cost savings, so that the fleet manager can make the final decision. It should be appreciated that the fleet manager may make such decisions by providing input to the V2X system 400, 500, such as by entering commands on a keyboard or selecting commands with a cursor.

[0057] 6 illustrates a flow diagram of an exemplary method 600 for monetization through demand electricity rate management. In step 602, historical or forecasted weather data is analyzed by a V2X system, such as V2X systems 400, 500 described above, to identify patterns. The weather data may include temperature or humidity, or other suitable weather metrics that may contribute to peak electrical loads.

[0058] Historical or predicted building or site load data is analyzed by the V2X system to identify peak load events, step 604. Peak load data may include actual loads measured by meters, utility bills with identifiable peak load charges, or other suitable data that may be used to associate peak load events with particular dates.

[0059] In step 606, a determination or prediction is made as to when one or more peak load events are expected to occur based on the expected energy demand for a building, such as buildings 406, 506 described above. This determination can be made, for example, by correlating current or predicted ambient temperature and / or humidity data with historical peak load data. In this example, the historical temperature and / or humidity data is obtained from a date and time when a peak load event was identified in the historical peak load data. The peak load event can then be predicted to occur at a date and time when the same or similar temperature and / or humidity is occurring or is expected to occur. Instead of or in addition to temperature and / or humidity, other metrics can also be considered, such as the number of people and / or employees occupying the building, the occurrence of certain events, etc. For example, if a peak load event is predicted to occur on a holiday (e.g., 4th of July, etc.), because temperature and humidity are expected to be at a certain level, the V2X system can determine that a peak load event will not actually occur on that day because there will be no employees in the building and the load will be minimized.

[0060] In step 608, the V2X system determines the number of electric vehicles, such as electric vehicles 402, 502a-f described above, that are needed at the date and time of the expected peak load event to discharge enough electricity to offset the building load enough to prevent the expected peak load event. The V2X system then ensures that the determined number of electric vehicles are available in the building to discharge electricity at that particular date and time. The V2X system may do this via some mechanism, such as an automatic lock that prevents one or more vehicles from being disconnected from a charger, such as chargers 404, 504a-f described above. The V2X system may do this by interfacing with operations management software and preventing the software from allowing certain vehicles to be checked out for use. The V2X system may do this by sending a message to the fleet manager identifying certain electric vehicles or combinations of electric vehicles that should not be checked out for use. The V2X system may also do this by other suitable methods or mechanisms.

[0061] In step 610, electricity from the batteries of the electric vehicles connected to the building charger is discharged into the building's electrical system behind the meter to offset the predicted peak load at the meter. Any suitable number of electric vehicles may be present in the building to discharge to the grid during the expected peak load event. This number may be predicted by the V2X system and a message may be sent to the fleet manager and / or fleet vehicle users in advance of the expected peak load event to ensure that sufficient vehicles are present during the peak load event.

[0062] As a more specific example, historical temperature data for Las Vegas, Nevada, may indicate that a building with electric vehicle chargers or charging stations in Las Vegas may experience a peak electrical load on July 2nd between 1:00 PM and 1:30 PM due to the historically very hot temperatures at that time. Thus, the V2X system ensures that a certain number of electric vehicles are available to the building on July 2nd between 1:00 PM and 1:30 PM. The V2X system may also identify which vehicles should be available based on the battery health state. The V2X system may identify certain vehicles as available or unavailable for this purpose via instructions dispatched by the operations management component. In certain embodiments, the V2X system may be configured to disable certain vehicles for this purpose, while in other embodiments, the V2X system informs the fleet manager which vehicles should remain plugged into the charger so that the fleet manager can prevent certain vehicles from checking out during the peak load event. In this way, the electric vehicle batteries can be discharged into the building's electrical system behind the building meter during a predicted time of peak load, such as 1:00 PM to 1:30 PM on July 2nd, preventing the building from consuming excess power (and therefore extra charges) through the meter. This can be done using the components described above in Figures 4 and 5.

[0063] In another example, forecasted temperature data for Washington, DC may indicate that a building with an electric vehicle charger or charging station in Washington, DC may experience peak electrical load on January 24th as the forecast predicts 70°F, significantly higher than temperatures on any other day in January. The forecast data may also indicate that the hottest time of that day is estimated to be from 2:30pm to 3pm. Thus, the V2X system may ensure that an electric vehicle is available at the building to discharge electricity into the building's electrical system from 2:30pm to 3pm on January 24th. As discussed above, the vehicle may be made available for this purpose via instructions dispatched by the operations management component or fleet manager. The electric vehicle battery may be discharged into the building's electrical system behind the building's meter during the time of forecasted peak load, such as from 2:30pm to 3pm on January 24th, to prevent the building from consuming excess power (and therefore additional charges) through the meter. This may be done using the components described in Figures 4 and 5 above.

[0064] 7 illustrates a flow diagram of an exemplary method 700 for predicting or estimating electric vehicle battery temperature and monetization through demand power price management. Method 700 may begin with either steps 302-308 of method 300 or steps 602-606 of method 600, so long as either step 308 or step 606 occurs before step 702. As discussed above, steps 302-306 lead to appropriate battery usage being determined to maintain battery health in step 308, and steps 602-604 lead to determining expected peak load events in step 606.

[0065] In step 702, the V2X system determines the number of electric vehicles needed at the date and time of the expected peak load event to discharge enough power to offset the peak building load enough to prevent the expected peak load event. The V2X system may be V2X system 400 or 500, and the electric vehicles may be any of electric vehicles 402, 502a-f, as described above. The V2X system makes this determination using both the appropriate battery usage determined in step 308 and the expected peak load event determined in step 606. For example, in step 308, the V2X system may determine that certain electric vehicles can only be discharged below a certain level (e.g., less than 25 kW) based on their battery temperature. In step 606, the V2X system may also determine that a peak load event of a certain magnitude is about to occur. Next, in step 702, the V2X system may use the determinations from steps 308 and 606 to determine the number of vehicles needed to offset the peak building load enough to prevent the peak load event. In this case, one or more of these electric vehicles may need to be discharged at a lower level, and more electric vehicles may be needed to provide the required amount of discharge.

[0066] Also, in step 702, it may be determined that only electric vehicles having a particular battery temperature may be connected to a charger due to proximity to an expected peak load event. This charger may be any of the chargers 404, 504a-f described above. In this case, the user of the electric vehicle may prevent the electric vehicle from discharging or instruct the electric vehicle not to discharge, thereby leaving the charger available to electric vehicles with acceptable battery temperatures.

[0067] Similarly, the V2X system can predict both battery temperature and peak load events. By recording and tracking battery temperature data in step 306, high battery temperatures can be predicted in step 308 and this information can be used along with the predicted peak load events in step 606. In step 702, the V2X system can determine that during an expected peak load event, the battery temperature of a particular vehicle is expected to be high and that the particular vehicle cannot discharge at all at a particular level (e.g., 25 kW). The V2X system then determines the number of vehicles required to prevent the expected peak load event based on the predicted discharge level.

[0068] Also, in step 702, the V2X system ensures that, at the date and time of the expected peak load event, enough electric vehicles are available at the building to discharge enough power to offset the building load enough to prevent the expected peak load, as described above with respect to step 608.

[0069] In step 704, electricity from one or more electric vehicle batteries connected to the building charger is discharged into the building's electrical system behind the meter to offset the meter's predicted peak load. Any suitable number of electric vehicles may be present in the building, such as six electric vehicles 502a-f in building 506 shown in the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 5, to discharge to the grid during the expected peak load event. As discussed above, this number may be predicted by the V2X system and a message may be sent to the fleet manager and / or fleet vehicle users in advance of the expected peak load event to ensure that sufficient vehicles are present during the peak load event.

[0070] Conventional vehicle-to-grid systems do not provide the advantages of these disclosed embodiments. One such advantage is the ability to predict both battery temperature and peak load events. By knowing when battery temperatures are expected to be high, and by having a more accurate understanding of the load that can be safely handled by a particular battery, the disclosed V2X system can more accurately determine the number of vehicles required to prevent peak load events. Additionally, the V2X system can utilize electric vehicle batteries in a manner that maintains the health of the battery.

[0071] It is to be understood that the terms used herein are for the purpose of describing particular aspects only and are not intended to limit the disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It is further understood that as used herein, the terms "comprises," "having," "comprises," "comprises" specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0072] Corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of any means or step-plus-function elements in the following claims are intended to include any disclosed structures, materials, or acts for performing functions in combination with other claimed elements specifically recited in the claims. The description of the present disclosure has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. The aspects of the disclosure herein have been selected and described in order to best explain the principles and practical applications of the disclosure and to enable those skilled in the art to understand the disclosure with various modifications suitable to the particular use contemplated.

Claims

1. 1. A method of using temperature data to protect a battery's state of health during a bidirectional charging event, the method comprising: receiving temperature data at a processor, the temperature data including at least a temperature of one or more electric vehicle batteries or information necessary to determine the temperature of the one or more electric vehicle batteries; determining an expected energy demand for a building; determining an amount of discharge of the one or more electric vehicle batteries required to offset the expected energy demand of the building by a predetermined amount; determining whether discharging the one or more electric vehicle batteries the predetermined amount would be detrimental to the state of health of the one or more electric vehicle batteries based on the temperature data; and if it is determined that discharging the one or more electric vehicle batteries the predetermined amount will not harm the state of health of the one or more electric vehicle batteries, discharging the one or more electric vehicle batteries to offset the expected energy demands of the building. method.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the projected energy demand of the building is determined relative to an ambient air temperature.

3. The step of determining an expected energy demand for the building comprises: analyzing weather data for the building, the weather data including at least one of historical weather data and forecasted weather data; 2. The method of claim 1, comprising: determining at least one duration of (i) an electrical peak load event about to occur behind a meter where a charger is located; and (ii) an electrical peak load event on an opposite side of the meter where the charger is located.

4. The step of determining an expected energy demand for the building comprises: identifying a pattern of peak electrical loads for the building based on an analysis of peak load data for the building; and predicting when an electrical peak load event for the building is expected to occur based on the identified patterns.

5. Determining the amount of discharge of the one or more electric vehicle batteries required to offset the expected energy demand of the building by the predetermined amount comprises: determining that one or more batteries of one or more electric vehicles are capable of discharging sufficient power to prevent the predicted electrical peak load from occurring; and identifying the one or more electric vehicles whose one or more batteries are capable of discharging sufficient power to prevent the predicted electric peak load from occurring.

6. 6. The method of claim 5, further comprising: preventing the one or more identified electric vehicles from being used for purposes other than preventing the forecasted peak load by instructing a fleet manager when the forecasted peak load is expected to occur to at least one of: instructing the one or more identified electric vehicles to remain in the building; disabling the one or more identified electric vehicles for purposes other than preventing the forecasted peak load; and locking a locking mechanism configured to prevent the one or more identified electric vehicles from being disconnected from a charger.

7. 1. An apparatus that uses temperature data to protect a battery's health during a bidirectional charging event, the apparatus comprising: A processor; a memory communicatively coupled to the processor, the memory including instructions; The instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: receiving temperature data, the temperature data including at least a temperature of one or more electric vehicle batteries or information necessary to determine the temperature of the one or more electric vehicle batteries; Determining the expected energy demand of the building; determining an amount of discharge of the one or more electric vehicle batteries required to offset the expected energy demand of the building by a predetermined amount; determining whether discharging the one or more electric vehicle batteries by the predetermined amount would be detrimental to the state of health of the one or more electric vehicle batteries based on the temperature data; and discharging the one or more electric vehicle batteries to offset the expected energy demands of the building when it is determined that discharging the one or more electric vehicle batteries by the predetermined amount will not harm the state of health of the one or more electric vehicle batteries. device.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the expected energy demand of the building is determined relative to an ambient air temperature.

9. The instructions cause the processor to: analyzing weather data for the building, the weather data including at least one of historical weather data and forecasted weather data; and 8. The apparatus of claim 7, configured to cause the expected energy demand of the building to be determined by determining a duration of at least one of (i) an electrical peak load event about to occur behind a meter where a charger is located, and (ii) an electrical peak load event on an opposite side of the meter where the charger is located.

10. The instructions cause the processor to: identifying a pattern of electrical peak loads for the building based on an analysis of historical peak load data for the building; and 8. The apparatus of claim 7, configured to cause the expected energy demand for the building to be determined by predicting when an electrical peak load event for the building will occur based on the identified pattern.

11. The instructions cause the processor to: determining that one or more batteries of one or more electric vehicles are capable of discharging sufficient power to prevent the predicted electrical peak load from occurring; and 11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the one or more batteries are configured to cause a determination of the amount of discharge of the one or more electric vehicle batteries required to offset the expected energy demand of the building by the predetermined amount by identifying the one or more electric vehicles capable of discharging sufficient power to prevent the expected electric peak load from occurring.

12. 1. A grid-connected system that uses temperature data to protect a battery's health during a bidirectional charging event, the system comprising: The charger includes an operation management component, the operation management component including a processor in communication with one or more electric vehicles, the processor comprising: receiving temperature data, the temperature data including at least a temperature of one or more electric vehicle batteries of the one or more electric vehicles or information necessary to determine the temperature of the one or more electric vehicle batteries; Determining the expected energy demand of the building; determining an amount of discharge of the one or more electric vehicle batteries required to offset the expected energy demand of the building by a predetermined amount; determining whether discharging the one or more electric vehicle batteries by the predetermined amount would be detrimental to the state of health of the one or more electric vehicle batteries based on the temperature data; and discharging the one or more electric vehicle batteries to offset the expected energy demands of the building when it is determined that discharging the one or more electric vehicle batteries the predetermined amount will not harm the state of health of the one or more electric vehicle batteries. system.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the projected energy demand of the building is determined relative to an ambient air temperature.

14. The instructions cause the processor to: analyzing weather data for the building, the weather data including at least one of historical weather data and forecasted weather data; and 13. The system of claim 12, configured to determine an expected energy demand for the building by determining at least one of: (i) an electrical peak load event about to occur behind a meter where a charger is located, and (ii) a duration of the electrical peak load event beyond the meter, including but not limited to a utility or power grid.

15. The instructions cause the processor to: identifying a pattern of peak electrical loads for the building based on an analysis of historical peak electrical load data for the building; and 13. The system of claim 12, configured to determine an expected energy demand for the building by predicting when an electrical peak load event for the building will occur based on the identified patterns.

16. The instructions cause the processor to: determining that one or more batteries of one or more electric vehicles are capable of discharging sufficient power to prevent the predicted electrical peak load from occurring; and 16. The system of claim 15, configured to cause the one or more batteries to determine the amount of discharge of the one or more electric vehicle batteries required to offset the expected energy demand of the building by the predetermined amount by identifying the one or more electric vehicles that can discharge sufficient power to prevent the expected electric peak load from occurring.

17. 17. The system of claim 16, further comprising a locking mechanism that automatically prevents the identified one or more electric vehicles from being disconnected from the charger when the forecasted electrical peak load is expected to occur.

18. 16. The system of claim 15, wherein the charger communicates bidirectionally with the one or more electric vehicles.

19. 20. The system of claim 17, wherein the charger includes a bidirectional power conversion structure including at least one interconnection device configured to charge the one or more electric vehicle batteries from the power grid or discharge energy stored in the one or more electric vehicle batteries to the power grid or to the building.

20. The instructions cause the processor to: determining that a first electric vehicle battery of the one or more electric vehicle batteries should not be discharged; and by not connecting a first electric vehicle including the first electric vehicle battery to the charger to ensure that the charger remains open to one or more electric vehicle batteries that may be discharged; 16. The system of claim 15, configured to determine whether discharging the one or more electric vehicle batteries the predetermined amount would harm a state of health of the one or more electric vehicle batteries based on the temperature data.

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