Electric vehicle charging system and electric vehicle charging method supporting plug-and-autocharge mechanism

Abstract

An electric vehicle charging system and an electric vehicle charging method supporting a plug-and-autocharge mechanism are provided. The method includes: configuring a vehicle manufacturer host to connect to an authentication server to update a vehicle list stored in the authentication server; connecting a charging pile connected to a charging host to a vehicle to be charged; configuring the charging host to obtain vehicle identification information of the vehicle to be charged, and send an authentication request to the authentication server; configuring the authentication server to confirm the vehicle identification information and determine whether the charging station host charges the vehicle through the charging pile, so as to generate a charging instruction signal accordingly and send it back to the charging host; and in response to the charging instruction signal indicating that the vehicle to be charged is allowed to be charged, configuring the charging host to charge the vehicle to be charged according to the charging instruction signal.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This invention relates to a system and method, and more particularly to a method for charging electric vehicles supported by a vehicle manufacturer using a plug-and-charge mechanism at charging stations operated by a cross-brand charging operator. [Previous Technology]

[0002] In the existing technology, electric vehicle charging services are mainly provided through contracts between the purchased electric vehicle manufacturers and specific electric vehicle charging operators, using the electric vehicle manufacturers' applications to activate the charging service. Furthermore, due to the promotion of environmental issues, major traditional car manufacturers have launched their own electric vehicles, leading to a surge in the number of electric vehicle manufacturers on the market. Many equipment manufacturers have also entered the electric vehicle charging operator business, further increasing the difficulty of market consolidation and contract signing. This often forces electric vehicle users to choose charging operators who have not signed contracts with the manufacturers of their purchased electric vehicles when looking for nearby charging services. Users also need to download corresponding applications on their mobile phones, register with the selected charging operators, and bind their payment tools separately. Managing multiple accounts and passwords is quite inconvenient.

[0003] Furthermore, when a user arrives at a charging station operated by a general electric vehicle charging operator to charge their vehicle, the user needs to log in to the application provided by the general electric vehicle charging operator using their mobile phone, and bind a payment tool through the charging operator's application to activate the charging function of the corresponding charging pile by scanning a two-dimensional barcode or selecting by number; or, the user needs to directly operate the control interface of the charging pile and verify the payment tool to activate the charging function of the charging pile; however, such operation procedures are very troublesome for users who frequently use charging provided by different charging operators, as the operation methods are different; and the vehicle owner needs to verify financial transaction information with different charging operators, which poses a high risk of cybersecurity.

[0004] Therefore, how to achieve a truly plug-and-charge mechanism through improvements to the charging verification mechanism, while overcoming the aforementioned cybersecurity deficiencies, has become one of the important issues that this project aims to address. [Summary of the Invention]

[0005] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an electric vehicle charging system and electric vehicle charging method that support the plug-and-charge mechanism to address the shortcomings of the prior art. In addition to reducing the management cost for users, the system integrates the services of multiple charging manufacturers through the car manufacturer system, reduces the need for individual independent applications, improves information security, and achieves true plug-and-charge convenience.

[0006] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, one of the technical solutions adopted by the present invention is to provide an electric vehicle charging system supporting a plug-and-charge mechanism, including an authentication server, multiple charging stations, and a vehicle manufacturer's host. The authentication server stores a vehicle list. Each of the multiple charging stations includes a charging station host and a charger. The charging station host is communicatively connected to the authentication server. The charger is connected to the charging station host. The vehicle manufacturer's host is communicatively connected to the authentication server and configured to update the vehicle list on the authentication server. When the charger is connected to a vehicle to be charged, the charging station host is configured to obtain vehicle identification information of the vehicle to be charged and send an authentication request to the authentication server. In response to receiving the authentication request, the authentication server is configured to execute an authentication procedure related to the vehicle identification information and the vehicle list to determine whether to charge the vehicle to be charged via the charger, and accordingly generates a charging indication signal and sends it back to the charging station host. In response to the charging indication signal indicating that charging of the vehicle to be charged is permitted, the charging station host charges the vehicle to be charged according to the charging indication signal.

[0007] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, another technical solution adopted by the present invention is to provide an electric vehicle charging method that supports a plug-and-charge mechanism, comprising: configuring a vehicle manufacturer's host to communicate with an authentication server to update a vehicle list stored in the authentication server; connecting a charger connected to a charging station host to a vehicle to be charged; configuring the charging station host to obtain vehicle identification information of the vehicle to be charged and send an authentication request to the authentication server; in response to receiving the authentication request, configuring the authentication server to execute an authentication procedure related to the vehicle identification information and the vehicle list to determine whether to charge the vehicle to be charged through the charger, and generating a charging indication signal accordingly and sending it back to the charging station host; and in response to the charging indication signal indicating that charging of the vehicle to be charged is allowed, configuring the charging station host to charge the vehicle to be charged according to the charging indication signal.

[0008] One of the beneficial effects of the present invention is that the electric vehicle charging system and electric vehicle charging method provided by the present invention, which support the plug-and-charge mechanism, allows users to start charging simply by plugging the charger into the vehicle's charging port without having to download the applications of various authorized charging operators, thereby improving convenience and reducing the user's management costs.

[0009] Furthermore, the data transmission between all charging station hosts and authentication servers does not include personal data related to any particular vehicle manufacturer, nor does the data transmission between the vehicle owner's user device and the charging station host. This one-stop management significantly reduces the number of times personal data is provided and transmitted, ensuring the information security of the vehicle owner's identity data while saving management costs.

[0010] To further understand the features and technical content of the present invention, please refer to the following detailed description and drawings of the present invention. However, the drawings provided are for reference and illustration only and are not intended to limit the present invention.

Implementation Method

[0011] The following specific embodiments illustrate the implementation of the "electric vehicle charging system and electric vehicle charging method supporting plug-and-charge mechanism" disclosed in this invention. Those skilled in the art can understand the advantages and effects of this invention from the content disclosed in this specification. This invention can be implemented or applied through other different specific embodiments, and various details in this specification can also be modified and changed based on different viewpoints and applications without departing from the concept of this invention. Furthermore, the accompanying drawings of this invention are for simple illustrative purposes only and are not depictions of actual dimensions, as stated in advance. The following embodiments will further describe the relevant technical content of this invention in detail, but the disclosed content is not intended to limit the scope of protection of this invention. Additionally, the term "or" as used herein may include, depending on the actual situation, any combination of any one or more of the associated listed items.

[0012] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the system architecture of an electric vehicle charging system supporting a plug-and-charge mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to Figure 1, an embodiment of the present invention provides an electric vehicle charging system 1 supporting a plug-and-charge mechanism, including an authentication server 10, multiple charging stations 12, and a vehicle manufacturer's host 14.

[0013] Multiple charging stations 12 may be constructed, maintained, operated, and managed by multiple different electric vehicle charging operators (CPOs). Each charging station 12 may include a charging station host 120 and a charger 122. The charging station host 120 is communicatively connected to the authentication server 10. The charger 122 is connected to the charging station host 120. In some embodiments, the charging station 12 may be implemented in the form of a charging pile, and the charging station host 120 may be connected to the Internet 16 via wired or wireless communication technologies, such as Ethernet, fiber optic networks, cellular networks, and / or Wi-Fi technology. The charger (pile) 122 of each charging station 12 may be configured to support DC charging (e.g., CCS1, CCS2).

[0014] The authentication server 10 stores a vehicle list CL, which can serve as a data exchange medium between the vehicle manufacturer and the CPO. In embodiments of the present invention, the authentication server 10 is mainly responsible for authenticating the EVs to be charged, confirming and authorizing the charging station host 120, and confirming the identity status of the EVs to be charged, thereby providing a charging service with a plug-and-charge mechanism. The authentication server 10 can provide various application programming interfaces (APIs) so that the charging station host 120 and the vehicle manufacturer host 14 can call or retrieve the functions or information of the authentication server 10 through various APIs.

[0015] The vehicle manufacturer's host 14 is communicatively connected to the authentication server 10 and is configured to update the vehicle list CL of the authentication server 10. The vehicle list CL defines the correspondence between multiple vehicle manufacturers' vehicles and multiple unique vehicle identifiers, and the vehicle manufacturer's host 14 is configured to periodically (e.g., daily) update the vehicle list CL based on the unique vehicle identifier, vehicle manufacturing data D1, and vehicle maintenance data D2. The unique identifier can be, for example, the unique Electric Vehicle Communication Controller Identifier (EVCCID) equipped on each electric vehicle, which is recorded and updated in the vehicle list CL by the vehicle manufacturer's host 14 when the vehicle leaves the factory. The vehicle manufacturing data D1 can be the data registered in the vehicle manufacturer's host 14 when the vehicle owner purchases the vehicle, including the vehicle's EVCCID and manufacturing time. The vehicle maintenance data D2 can be recorded and updated in the vehicle list CL by the vehicle manufacturer's host 14 when the vehicle is brought in for maintenance, if the EVCCID needs to be replaced for any reason, or if the EVCCID needs to be deleted when the vehicle is scrapped, and the update time is also recorded.

[0016] It should be noted that each of the authentication server 10, the charging station host 120, and the vehicle manufacturer host 14 includes one or more processors, memory, wired / wireless communication interfaces, and input / output interfaces, and is electrically connected to each other through one or more buses. The authentication server 10, the charging station host 120, and the vehicle manufacturer host 14 can be connected to the network 16 via wired / wireless communication interfaces to exchange information with each other. The aforementioned memory can store the data mentioned herein and multiple executable instructions to implement the functions and programs mentioned herein.

[0017] Figure 2 is a flowchart of an electric vehicle charging method supporting a plug-and-charge mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 3 is a signal timing diagram of an electric vehicle charging method supporting a plug-and-charge mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to Figures 2 and 3, an embodiment of the present invention provides an electric vehicle charging method supporting a plug-and-charge mechanism, which is applicable to the aforementioned electric vehicle charging system 1, but the present invention is not limited thereto; after updating the vehicle list CL stored in the authentication server 10 through the vehicle manufacturer host 14, the electric vehicle charging method includes performing the following steps:

[0018] S10: Connect the charger to the vehicle to be charged.

[0019] S11: Configure the charging station host to obtain the vehicle identification information of the vehicle to be charged and send an authentication request to the authentication server. Taking the CCS specification as an example, when the charger 122 is inserted into the charging port of the EV to be charged, the EV charging communication controller (EVCC) of the EV to be charged can convert the Controller Area Network (CAN) signal in the charger 122 into a Power Line Communication (PLC) signal in the CCS charging mode, and can control the charging process and data exchange according to communication protocol standards such as ISO15118 (TLS, PnC, AC), DIN70121, SAE, CHAdeMO, etc. During the above data exchange process, the EV to be charged will provide its own EVCCID and transmit it to the charging station host 120 through the charger 122; at this time, the charging station host 120 further sends an authentication request to the authentication server 10.

[0020] In some embodiments, the charging station host 120 can obtain part of the daily updated vehicle list CL information through the API provided by the authentication server 10, and directly determine whether the part of the obtained vehicle identification information matches the data in the vehicle list CL (for example, whether the vehicle list CL contains part of the EVCCID contained in the vehicle identification information). In this way, there is no need to wait for the authentication server 10 to send back an instruction, and it can determine whether to request the authentication server 10 to perform the authentication procedure in a faster and more direct way.

[0021] In response to the authentication server 10 receiving an authentication request, the method proceeds to step S12: Configure the authentication server to execute an authentication procedure related to the vehicle identification information and the vehicle list to determine whether the vehicle to be charged is being charged via a charger, and generate a charging instruction signal accordingly and send it back to the charging station host.

[0022] Figure 4 is a flowchart of the authentication procedure in an electric vehicle charging method according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 4, in the authentication procedure, the authentication server 10 is configured to perform the following steps:

[0023] Step S120: Obtain vehicle identification information from the authentication request.

[0024] Step S121: Compare the vehicle identification information with the vehicle list to determine whether the vehicle identification information matches any vehicle unique identification code.

[0025] If so, proceed to step S122: generate a charging instruction signal indicating that charging of the vehicle to be charged is permitted and send it back to the charging station host.

[0026] If not, proceed to step S123: generate a charging instruction signal indicating that charging of the vehicle to be charged is not allowed and send it back to the charging station host.

[0027] In some embodiments, the vehicle inventory CL also defines a correspondence between each vehicle's unique identifier and its identity status. The identity status may include one or more of the following: payment method binding status, outstanding balance status, and points accumulation status. Furthermore, the identity status can be managed, for example, by the vehicle owner corresponding to any vehicle's unique identifier in the vehicle inventory CL through a management program (e.g., an electric vehicle management application) executed by the user device 18. During the execution of the management program, the vehicle owner can communicate with the authentication server 10 through the user device 18 to establish a correspondence between the vehicle's unique identifier and its identity status, enabling the authentication server 10 to find the correct identity status and determine whether charging is possible during the authentication process. However, unlike existing charging methods, the process of establishing the correspondence between the vehicle's unique identification code and its identity status does not require separate registration, login, payment method binding, or other operations in the CPO's private application on the charging station host, nor does it require providing the vehicle owner's identity information to the charging station host 120. Therefore, all data transmissions between the charging station host 120 and the authentication server 10 do not include personal data related to any particular vehicle manufacturer, nor do data transmissions between the vehicle owner's user device 18 and the charging station host 120 include personal data. This one-stop management significantly reduces the number of times personal data is provided and transmitted, ensuring the information security of the vehicle owner's identity information while saving management costs.

[0028] Furthermore, the vehicle owner can communicate with the payment service server 17 via the user device 18 to manage, modify, and update the payment method binding status, outstanding balance status, and points accumulation status. Similarly, the payment service server 17 and the user device 18 may each include one or more processors, memory, wired / wireless communication interfaces, and input / output interfaces. These components can be electrically connected to each other via one or more buses, and the payment service server 17 and the user device 18 can be connected to the network 16 via the wired / wireless communication interface to exchange information with each other. The aforementioned memory may store the data mentioned herein and multiple executable instructions to implement the functions and programs mentioned herein.

[0029] Therefore, in response to the determination in step S121 that the vehicle identification information matches any vehicle unique identification code, the authentication process proceeds to step S124: determining whether the identity status of the vehicle identification code corresponding to the identification information is in a rechargeable state.

[0030] If so, proceed to step S122: generate a charging instruction signal that indicates permission to charge the vehicle to be charged and send it back to the charging station host;

[0031] If not, proceed to step S123: generate a charging instruction signal indicating that charging of the vehicle to be charged is not allowed and send it back to the charging station host.

[0032] Please refer to Figure 2 again. When the charging station host receives the charging instruction signal, the electric vehicle charging method enters step S13: determine whether the charging instruction signal indicates that the vehicle to be charged is allowed to be charged.

[0033] In response to the charging indication signal indicating that charging of the vehicle to be charged (EV) is permitted, the method proceeds to step S14: the charging station host is configured to charge the vehicle to be charged according to the charging indication signal.

[0034] In response to the charging indication signal indicating that charging of the vehicle to be charged (EV) is permitted, the method proceeds to step S14: the charging station host is configured to disallow charging of the vehicle to be charged based on the charging indication signal.

[0035] Step S15: In response to the charging instruction signal, after charging the vehicle to be charged for a predetermined time, stop charging, configure the charging station host to record the power consumption within the predetermined time, generate corresponding power consumption information and send it back to the authentication server.

[0036] Step S16: Configure the authentication server to transmit electricity consumption information to the user's device.

[0037] In steps S15 and S16, the charging details upon completion of charging can be pushed to the management program (e.g., an electric vehicle management application) of the user device 18 to inform the vehicle owner about the total electricity used and the required payment for that charging session. This information can also be displayed, for example, through the user interface provided by the electric vehicle management application. In some embodiments, while establishing the correspondence between the vehicle's unique identification code and the vehicle owner at the vehicle manufacturer's host 14, the vehicle owner can communicate with their electric vehicle via the network 16 or a short-range communication device through the user device 18, and remotely control the devices on the vehicle through the control options provided in the user interface. Furthermore, the user interface provided by the electric vehicle management application can also provide location information and usage status of multiple charging stations 12, allowing users to conveniently plan their charging trips.

[0038] Figure 5 is a flowchart of a confirmation and authorization procedure supporting a plug-and-charge mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 6 is a signal timing diagram of the confirmation and authorization procedure according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to Figures 5 and 6, the electric vehicle charging method further includes a confirmation and authorization procedure for confirming whether the charging station host 120 of the CPO can request to perform authentication. In the confirmation and authorization procedure, in response to the charging station host 120 being communicatively connected to the authentication server 10, step S20 is executed: configuring the authentication server to perform the confirmation and authorization procedure on the charging station host. This allows it to determine whether the charging station host 120 is allowed to transmit an authentication request to perform the authentication procedure.

[0039] In the authorization confirmation process, the configuration authentication server executes step S21: requesting the charging station host to provide authorization information including the manufacturer's unique identification code and manufacturer's key.

[0040] In response to obtaining the authorization information to be confirmed from the charging station host 120 after step S21, the authorization confirmation procedure proceeds to step S22: determining whether the authorization information to be confirmed matches the information in the authorization database.

[0041] In this embodiment, the authentication server 10 further includes an authorization database (DB), which stores multiple vendor unique identifiers and multiple vendor keys, and defines the correspondence between these vendor unique identifiers and these vendor keys. In step S22, the system searches the authorization database for a vendor unique identifier provided by the charging station host 120. If it exists, an asymmetric encryption / decryption algorithm is executed on the vendor key provided by the charging station host 120. After obtaining the decryption result, it is determined whether the decryption result matches the vendor key corresponding to the vendor unique identifier in the authorization database. This allows the system to determine whether the authorization data to be confirmed matches the data in the authorization database. However, the above method for determining whether the authorization data matches is merely an example, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0042] In response to the determination in step S22 that the manufacturer's unique identification code and manufacturer's key match the data in the authorized database, the process proceeds to step S23: allowing the charging station host to transmit an authentication request to execute the authentication procedure.

[0043] In response to the determination in step S22 that the manufacturer's unique identification code and manufacturer's key do not match the data in the authorized database, proceed to step S24: do not allow the charging station host to transmit authentication requests.

[0044] By executing the above-mentioned confirmation and authorization procedure, it can be ensured that only authorized CPOs can request authentication of the obtained EVCCID from the authentication server 10 through the charging station host 120, thereby further improving the information security level between the charging station host 120 and the authentication server 10, and preventing malicious individuals from improperly accessing sensitive information in the authentication server 10.

[0045] [Beneficial Effects of the Embodiments]

[0046] One of the beneficial effects of the present invention is that the electric vehicle charging system and electric vehicle charging method that support the plug-and-charge mechanism provided by the present invention do not require users to download the application of each authorized charging operator. Users can start charging by simply inserting the charger into the vehicle charging port, which can improve convenience and reduce the user's management costs.

[0047] Furthermore, the data transmission between all charging station hosts and authentication servers does not include personal data related to any particular vehicle manufacturer, nor does the data transmission between the vehicle owner's user device and the charging station host. This one-stop management significantly reduces the number of times personal data is provided and transmitted, ensuring the information security of the vehicle owner's identity data while saving management costs.

[0048] The content disclosed above is only a preferred and feasible embodiment of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the scope of the patent application of the present invention. Therefore, all equivalent technical changes made using the contents of the present invention specification and drawings are included in the scope of the patent application of the present invention. [Simplified Explanation of the Diagram]

[0049] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the system architecture of an electric vehicle charging system supporting a plug-and-charge mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0050] Figure 2 is a flowchart of an electric vehicle charging method supporting a plug-and-charge mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0051] Figure 3 is a signal timing diagram of an electric vehicle charging method supporting a plug-and-charge mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0052] Figure 4 is a flowchart of the authentication procedure in an electric vehicle charging method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0053] Figure 5 is a flowchart of the confirmation and authorization procedure for supporting the plug-and-charge mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0054] Figure 6 is a signal timing diagram of the authorization confirmation procedure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Claims

1. An electric vehicle charging system supporting a plug-and-charge mechanism, comprising: An authentication server stores a vehicle list that defines a correspondence between vehicles from multiple manufacturers and multiple electric vehicle charging communication controller identification codes. The vehicle list further defines a correspondence between each electric vehicle charging communication controller identification code and an identity status. This identity status can be managed by a user device executing a management program and communicating with the authentication server. The identity status includes at least one of the following: payment method binding status, outstanding payment status, and accumulated points status. Multiple charging stations are built by multiple different electric vehicle charging operators. Each electric vehicle charging operator's charging station includes: A charging station host is communicatively connected to the authentication server; a charger is connected to the charging station host; and a vehicle manufacturer host is communicatively connected to the authentication server. The vehicle manufacturer host is configured to periodically update the correspondence of the vehicle list on the authentication server with vehicle manufacturing data and vehicle maintenance data. In response to the charging station host being communicatively connected to the authentication server, the authentication server executes an authorization confirmation procedure on the charging station host to determine whether to allow the charging station host to transmit the authentication request to execute the authentication procedure. When the authentication server determines through the authorization confirmation procedure that it allows the charging station host to transmit an authentication request and the charger is connected to a vehicle to be charged, the charging station host is configured to obtain vehicle identification information of the vehicle to be charged and transmit an authentication request to the authentication server. In response to receiving the authentication request, the authentication server is configured to execute an authentication procedure related to the vehicle identification information and the vehicle list. In this procedure, the authentication server obtains the vehicle identification information from the authentication request and compares it with the vehicle list. If the authentication server determines that the vehicle identification information matches one of the plurality of electric vehicle charging communication controller identification codes and uses the other correspondence to determine that the vehicle identification code's status is rechargeable, it generates a charging instruction signal indicating that charging of the vehicle is permitted and sends it back to the charging station host. If the authentication server determines that the vehicle identification information does not match any of the plurality of electric vehicle charging communication controller identification codes or uses the other correspondence to determine that the vehicle identification code's status is non-rechargeable, it generates a charging instruction signal indicating that charging of the vehicle is not permitted and sends it back to the charging station host. In response to the charging instruction signal indicating that charging of the vehicle is permitted, the charging station host charges the vehicle according to the charging instruction signal.

2. The electric vehicle charging system supporting a plug-and-charge mechanism as described in claim 1, wherein, In response to stopping charging of the vehicle to be charged after a predetermined time according to the charging instruction signal, the charging station host is configured to record the power consumption within the predetermined time, generate power consumption information accordingly, and send it back to the authentication server. The authentication server is configured to transmit the power consumption information to the user device.

3. The electric vehicle charging system supporting a plug-and-charge mechanism as described in claim 1, wherein, In the authorization confirmation process, the authentication server requests authorization information from the charging station host, including a unique vendor identifier and a vendor key. In response to obtaining authorization information to be confirmed from the charging station host, the authentication server determines whether the authorization information to be confirmed matches the information in an authorization database to decide whether to allow the charging station host to transmit the authentication request to execute the authentication process.

4. The electric vehicle charging system supporting a plug-and-charge mechanism as described in claim 1, wherein, The authentication data required by the authentication server to perform the authentication process for any vehicle of that manufacturer does not include personal data related to any vehicle of that manufacturer.

5. A method for charging an electric vehicle that supports a plug-and-charge mechanism, comprising: An authentication server is provided, which stores a vehicle list. This vehicle list defines a correspondence between multiple vehicle manufacturers' vehicles and multiple electric vehicle charging communication controller identification codes (EVCICs). The vehicle list further defines another correspondence between each EVCICIC and an identity status. This identity status can be managed through a user device executing a management program, and the identity status includes at least one of the following: payment method binding status, outstanding payment status, and points accumulation status. A vehicle manufacturer's host is configured to periodically update the correspondence in the vehicle list on the authentication server using vehicle manufacturing data and vehicle maintenance data. In response to a charging station host communicating with the authentication server, the authentication server performs an authorization confirmation procedure on the charging station host to determine whether to allow the charging station host to transmit an authentication request. When the authorization confirmation process determines that the charging station host is allowed to transmit the authentication request, a charger from one of the charging stations built by multiple different electric vehicle charging operators is connected to a vehicle to be charged, triggering the charging station host to obtain vehicle identification information of the vehicle to be charged, and then transmit the authentication request to the authentication server; in response to receiving the authentication request, the authentication server executes an authentication procedure, which includes: comparing the vehicle identification information with the vehicle list; when it is determined that the vehicle identification information matches one of the multiple electric vehicle charging communication controller identification codes, and the identity status of the vehicle identification code is determined to be a rechargeable state using the other correspondence, a charging instruction signal is generated indicating that charging of the vehicle to be charged is allowed; When it is determined that the vehicle identification information does not match the identification codes of the multiple electric vehicle charging communication controllers, or when the identification status of the vehicle identification code is determined to be a non-charging state using the other correspondence, a charging instruction signal is generated indicating that charging of the vehicle to be charged is not allowed; and the generated charging instruction signal is sent back to the charging station host; and in response to the charging instruction signal indicating that charging of the vehicle to be charged is allowed, the charging station host is configured to charge the vehicle to be charged according to the charging instruction signal.

6. The electric vehicle charging method supporting the plug-and-charge mechanism as described in claim 5 further includes: In response to stopping charging of the vehicle to be charged after a predetermined time according to the charging instruction signal, the charging station host is configured to record the power consumption during the predetermined time, generate power consumption information accordingly and send it back to the authentication server; and the authentication server is configured to transmit the power consumption information to the user device.

7. The electric vehicle charging method supporting the plug-and-charge mechanism as described in claim 5 further includes: In the authorization confirmation process, the authentication server is configured to provide the charging station host with authorization information including a unique vendor identifier and a vendor key. In response to obtaining authorization information to be confirmed from the charging station host, the authentication server determines whether the authorization information to be confirmed matches the information in an authorization database to decide whether to allow the charging station host to transmit the authentication request to execute the authentication process.

8. The electric vehicle charging method supporting the plug-and-charge mechanism as described in claim 5, wherein, The authentication data required by the authentication server to perform the authentication process for any vehicle of that manufacturer does not include personal data related to any vehicle of that manufacturer.

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