Energy trading support system

Abstract

To provide a system for providing assistance in trading of electric power stored in electric vehicles.SOLUTION: A system disclosed herein is configured to: compute an available power supply amount from the state of charge of a self-drivable electric vehicle; search for a power supply destination vehicle satisfying a desired power sales condition including the power supply amount using a matching server; and cause the electric vehicle to self-drive to the power supply destination vehicle upon conclusion of a power trading contract.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a system for supporting trading of electricity stored in electric vehicles. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle equipped with solar panels. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-121395 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In order to achieve carbon neutrality, more and more electric vehicles are being equipped with solar panels. When the sun shines on the solar panels while the vehicle is parked, the drive battery automatically charges. However, if the vehicle is not used for a while, the battery becomes fully charged and cannot be charged even when exposed to sunlight. If it were possible to trade electricity between vehicles, it would be possible to lower the SOC of a fully charged battery and continue charging it using sunlight.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a system that supports trading of electricity stored in electric vehicles. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present disclosure provides a system for achieving the above objectives.

[0007] The system disclosed herein is configured to calculate the amount of power that can be supplied from the charging state of an autonomously driven electric vehicle, search for a power supply destination vehicle that meets the desired power sales conditions including the amount of power to be supplied using a matching server, and, once a power sales contract has been concluded, autonomously drive the electric vehicle to the power supply destination vehicle. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the system disclosed herein, when a user wants to sell the electricity stored in an electric vehicle, the user can easily find a buyer for the electricity. When supplying electricity to a power supply destination vehicle, the electric vehicle itself can be driven autonomously to move to the power supply destination vehicle. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a support system for energy trading according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a method for determining a trading partner by a matching server in the energy trading support system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] 1 shows the configuration of an energy trading support system 2 according to this embodiment. The energy trading support system 2 according to this embodiment is a system that supports energy trading between a desired energy seller 10 and a desired energy buyer 20.

[0012] The electricity seller 10 is an autonomously driven electric vehicle 11 or its owner. The electric vehicle 11 is an electric vehicle equipped with a battery 12 such as a BEV or PHEV, more specifically, an electric vehicle that can extract electricity stored in the battery 12. The electric vehicle 11 may be a PV-equipped vehicle equipped with a solar power generation panel and a charging circuit that charges the battery 12 with electricity generated by the solar power generation panel. Here, it is assumed that the electric vehicle 11 is a PV-equipped vehicle.

[0013] An electric vehicle 11 itself becomes a willing electricity seller 10 when an electricity trading program is programmed in the on-board computer 13 that controls the electric vehicle 11. Here, it is assumed that the electric vehicle 11 itself is the willing electricity seller 10. For an electric vehicle 11 to become a willing electricity seller 10, it must be an autonomous vehicle with an autonomous driving level of 4 or higher. This is because the assistance system 2 is based on the premise that, when an electricity purchase and sale contract is concluded, the electric vehicle 11 that is the willing electricity seller 10 will move autonomously to the electric vehicle 21 that has become the power supply destination vehicle. In addition, for an electric vehicle 11 to become a willing electricity seller 10, it must also be a condition that the on-board computer 13 has a communication function.

[0014] The wishing electricity buyer 20 is an electric vehicle 21 or its owner. The electric vehicle 21 is a vehicle to which power is supplied for the electric vehicle 11. The electric vehicle 21 is an electric vehicle equipped with a battery 22, such as a BEV or PHEV, and more specifically, an electric vehicle in which the battery 22 can be charged externally. Note that an electric vehicle 11 that meets the requirements to become a wishing electricity seller 10 can also become a wishing electricity buyer 20.

[0015] An electric vehicle 21 itself becomes a willing power buyer 20 when an energy trading program is programmed in an on-board computer 23 that controls the electric vehicle 21. Here, it is assumed that the electric vehicle 21 itself is a willing power seller 20. For an electric vehicle 21 to become a willing power seller 20, the on-board computer 23 must have a communication function. Unlike the electric vehicle 11 that serves as a willing power seller 10, even when the electric vehicle 21 itself becomes a willing power buyer 20, it is not essential that it has an autonomous driving level of level 4 or higher. The electric vehicle 21 may be an autonomous vehicle with an autonomous driving level of level 3 or lower, or may be a vehicle without an autonomous driving function.

[0016] Here, as shown in FIG. 1 , it is assumed that the assistance system 2 has a plurality of electric vehicles 11 that wish to sell electricity 10 and a plurality of electric vehicles 21 that wish to buy electricity 20. The conditions for selling electricity when an electric vehicle 11 sells electricity vary depending on the current state of the electric vehicle 11, including the SOC of the battery 12, and the planned future use of the electric vehicle 11. Therefore, the conditions for selling electricity vary for each electric vehicle 11. Furthermore, the conditions for purchasing electricity when an electric vehicle 21 buys electricity vary depending on the current state of the electric vehicle 21, including the SOC of the battery 22, and the planned future use of the electric vehicle 21. Therefore, the conditions for purchasing electricity also vary for each electric vehicle 21.

[0017] The support system 2 includes a matching server 4 for searching for a combination of electric vehicles 11 and 21 whose power selling conditions and power purchasing conditions match. The matching server 4 is provided, for example, on the cloud. Each of the electric vehicles 11 and 21 can access the matching server 4 using a communication function.

[0018] An electric vehicle 11 that wishes to sell electricity accesses the matching server 4 and inputs the electricity selling conditions to the matching server 4. There are three possible cases in which an electric vehicle 11 wishes to sell electricity, for example:

[0019] The first case is when the SOC of the battery 12 is equal to or higher than a predetermined level and the charging voltage by solar power generation is equal to or higher than a predetermined value. In this case, by selling power and providing a margin to the SOC of the battery 12, charging of the battery 12 by solar power generation can be continued.

[0020] In the second case, the battery 12 is charged at a lower overnight rate and is not expected to be used the next day. In this case, a profit can be made by selling the electricity at a higher daytime rate.

[0021] The third case is when the electric vehicle 11 is not scheduled to be used for a long period of time. In this case, the SOC of the battery 12 can be adjusted to a range suitable for long-term non-use, thereby suppressing deterioration of the battery 12.

[0022] The power selling conditions input from the electric vehicle 11 to the matching server 4 include the amount of power to be supplied and the minimum selling price. However, the minimum selling price may be a fixed price or may be a price determined by dynamic pricing. The amount of power to be supplied may be a fixed amount or may be changed according to the market price of the transaction. The electric vehicle 11 also inputs its current position on a map acquired by GPS to the matching server 4. Furthermore, the electric vehicle 11 inputs information on the average power consumption (average amount of power consumed per unit distance) to the matching server 4. The average power consumption is acquired from the log data of the on-board computer 13.

[0023] Meanwhile, an electric vehicle 21 wishing to purchase electricity also accesses the matching server 4 and inputs electricity purchasing conditions to the matching server 4. Examples of cases in which an electric vehicle 21 may wish to purchase electricity include a case in which the electric vehicle 21 is unable to travel due to lack of electricity, or a case in which it is difficult to reach the nearest charging facility with the current SOC of the battery 22. The electricity purchasing conditions input from the electric vehicle 21 to the matching server 4 include the amount of electricity desired to be purchased and the desired purchase price. In addition, the electric vehicle 21 inputs its current position on a map obtained by GPS to the matching server 4.

[0024] The matching server 4 compares the input power selling conditions and power purchasing conditions and determines the optimal combination of electric vehicles 11 and 21, i.e., the trading partner, from among multiple combinations. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a method by which the matching server 4 determines a trading partner.

[0025] The matching server 4 determines whether the amount of power supply presented by the willing power seller 10 is equal to or greater than the amount of power desired to be purchased presented by the willing power buyer 20, or whether the difference between the amount of power supply and the amount of power desired to be purchased is within a predetermined range. The matching server 4 also determines whether the desired purchase price presented by the willing power buyer 20 is equal to or greater than the minimum selling price presented by the willing power seller 10. If these determination results are positive, the matching server 4 determines that the power selling conditions and the power purchasing conditions match. In the example shown in FIG. 2 , three electric vehicles 21A, 21B, and 21C have presented power purchasing conditions that match the power selling conditions presented by the electric vehicle 11X. In this case, the matching server 4 selects, as a power supply destination vehicle, the electric vehicle presenting the most advantageous power selling conditions for the electric vehicle 11X from among the electric vehicles 21A, 21B, and 21C.

[0026] When selecting a power supply destination vehicle, the matching server 4 calculates the travel routes 30A, 30B, and 30C that the electric vehicle 11X will take to travel to each of the electric vehicles 21A, 21B, and 21C. The travel routes 30A, 30B, and 30C are calculated using road map data and the current positions of the electric vehicle 11X and each of the electric vehicles 21A, 21B, and 21C. Next, the matching server 4 calculates the required travel distance of the electric vehicle 11X for each of the travel routes 30A, 30B, and 30C. Then, based on the required travel distance for each of the travel routes 30A, 30B, and 30C and the average electricity consumption of the electric vehicle 11X, the matching server 4 calculates the amount of power that the electric vehicle 11X will consume when traveling to each of the electric vehicles 21A, 21B, and 21C.

[0027] The matching server 4 selects a vehicle to be supplied with power based on the purchase offer price submitted by each of the electric vehicles 21A, 21B, and 21C and the amount of power consumed when the electric vehicle 11X travels to each of the electric vehicles 21A, 21B, and 21C. More specifically, the expenses associated with the travel can be calculated by converting the amount of power consumed into an amount based on the market price of that day. Then, the actual profit from selling the power can be calculated by subtracting the expenses from the purchase offer price.

[0028] The matching server 4 selects, as the power supply destination vehicle, the electric vehicle that will produce the greatest actual profit from selling electricity from among the electric vehicles 21A, 21B, and 21C. For example, even if the purchase application price of electric vehicle 21A is the highest when comparing only the purchase application prices, when the amount of electricity consumed by electric vehicle 11X in traveling is taken into consideration, it may be determined that a transaction with other electric vehicles 21B and 21C is more advantageous for electric vehicle 11X. Here, it is assumed that matching server 4 has selected electric vehicle 21B as the power supply destination vehicle for electric vehicle 11X.

[0029] The matching server 4 establishes an electricity purchase and sale contract between the electric vehicle 11X and the electric vehicle 21B selected as the power supply destination vehicle. Upon establishment of the electricity purchase and sale contract, the matching server 4 transmits information for identifying the electric vehicle 21B (for example, the vehicle registration number displayed on the license plate) and location information of the electric vehicle 21B to the electric vehicle 11X. The electric vehicle 11X calculates a travel route based on the location information of the electric vehicle 21B and moves to the electric vehicle 21B by autonomous driving.

[0030] When electric vehicle 11X arrives at electric vehicle 21B, it supplies power to electric vehicle 21B. The power supply method may be either a direct power supply method in which electric vehicle 11X supplies power directly to electric vehicle 21B, or an indirect power supply method in which power is supplied via a charging facility. Examples of direct power supply methods include connector connection using a robot arm and wireless power supply. [Explanation of symbols]

[0031] 2. Support System 4 Matching Server 10. Those who wish to sell electricity 11, 11X electric vehicle 12 Battery 13 On-board computer 20 Those who wish to purchase electricity 21, 21A, 21B, 21C electric vehicle 22 Battery 23 On-board computer Routes 30A, 30B, and 30C

Claims

[Claim 1] A system comprising: a matching server capable of communicating with an autonomously driven electric vehicle that wishes to sell electricity and a plurality of electric vehicles that wish to purchase electricity; The matching server From the electric vehicle that wishes to sell electricity, the electricity selling conditions including the amount of electricity that can be supplied and the minimum selling price, the current position on a map acquired by GPS, and the average electricity cost are acquired; acquiring, from each of the plurality of electric vehicles wishing to purchase power, power purchase conditions including a desired amount of power to be purchased and a desired purchase price, and a current position on a map obtained by GPS; comparing the power selling conditions presented by the electric vehicle wishing to sell power with the power purchasing conditions presented by each of the plurality of electric vehicles wishing to buy power, and determining whether the respective conditions match; calculating the amount of power consumption required for each electric vehicle wishing to sell power to move by automatic driving to the electric vehicle wishing to sell power that matches the power selling conditions and the power purchasing conditions, based on the current position of each electric vehicle wishing to buy power and the current position and average power cost of the electric vehicle wishing to sell power; Calculating expenses associated with the movement of the electric vehicle wishing to sell electricity based on the amount of power consumed; comparing the actual profits from selling the electricity obtained by deducting the expenses from the desired purchase prices of each of the electric vehicles for which the purchaser wishes to purchase electricity, and selecting the electric vehicle for which the purchaser wishes to purchase electricity with the greatest actual profit; A power purchase and sale contract is concluded between the electric vehicle wishing to sell the power and the selected electric vehicle wishing to purchase the power; Based on the establishment of the power purchase and sale contract, location information and identification information of the selected electric vehicle wishing to purchase power are transmitted to the electric vehicle wishing to sell power; causing the electric vehicle wishing to sell electricity to calculate a travel route based on the location information of the selected electric vehicle wishing to buy electricity, and moving by automatic driving to the selected electric vehicle wishing to buy electricity along the travel route; and causing the electric vehicle wishing to sell power that has arrived at the location of the selected electric vehicle wishing to buy power to supply power to the selected electric vehicle wishing to buy power. A system for supporting electricity trading.

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