Information processing method, computer program, and information processing device

Abstract

An information processing device 50 acquires state data pertaining to a power storage element 43 which is mounted on an electric moving body to be leased or rented, and outputs a lease fee of the electric moving body or a rental fee thereof on the basis of a transaction price for secondary application of the power storage element 43 at a time point when the power storage element 43 reaches a state of health set for diverting the storage element 43 to a secondary application 40.

Description

Information processing method, computer program, and information processing device

[0001] One embodiment of the present invention relates to a technique for promoting application of an energy storage element used in an electrically powered mobile object such as an electric vehicle (EV) to other uses.

[0002] In recent years, services that provide EVs to users through leasing have become widespread. Patent Document 1 discloses an information processing system that, in order to promote the use of EVs through car leasing, bills customers of an electric utility company at a discounted electricity rate if the customer is also a car leasing customer.

[0003] Patent Document 2 discloses a leasing support device that calculates the leasing fee for an EV in a car lease based on the selling price of the EV after leasing.

[0004] JP 2023-24037 A JP 2022-67192 A

[0005] The use of lithium-ion batteries used in EVs for other purposes is being considered. One example is the conversion of used EV batteries into storage battery equipment in stationary energy storage systems (ESS).

[0006] In order to prevent battery shortages and unsafe events, lithium-ion batteries are only used in EVs until their state of health (SOH) reaches a capacity retention rate of approximately 70% of the initial (rated) capacity, assuming that the initial (rated) capacity is 100%, due to the progression of deterioration with use.

[0007] The inventors noticed that when used EV batteries are repurposed for use in ESS (repurposed use), the batteries can be used until their SOH reaches, for example, about 65% (end of life: EOL). This is because in ESS, a predetermined capacity (electrical capacity, current capacity) can be secured by increasing the number of parallel connections (number of banks) of batteries, even if the battery SOH is low, and the resulting space constraints can be avoided by securing installation space when applied to ESS.

[0008] The inventors further realized that when used EV batteries are applied to large-scale battery storage facilities such as ESS, the capacity and voltage of the batteries installed in a single EV are insufficient, and it is necessary to collect batteries from multiple EVs.

[0009] Used batteries collected randomly from multiple EVs are likely to have varying SOHs depending on the usage history (driving history, environmental temperature history, etc.) of each EV. To apply used EV batteries to large-scale battery storage facilities, it is desirable that the SOHs of the batteries collected from those multiple EVs are approximately the same.

[0010] One embodiment of the present invention provides a technique for promoting application of an energy storage element used in an electric vehicle to other uses.

[0011] In one aspect of the information processing method of the present invention, an information processing device acquires status data of a storage element mounted on an electric vehicle that is being leased or rented (including shared), and outputs a lease fee or rental fee for the electric vehicle based on the trading price for secondary use of the storage element at the time when the storage element reaches a health state (a predetermined value or range) set for conversion to secondary use.

[0012] The "electric vehicle" referred to here may be an electric vehicle, a hybrid or plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, or other electric vehicle such as a motorcycle, an aircraft, a ship, etc. The "energy storage element" may be a lithium-ion battery or other secondary battery, or may be a capacitor.

[0013] The "state of health (SOH)" may be the capacity maintenance rate, the dischargeable electrical capacity, or other numerical values ​​such as the remaining life (number of years) that takes into account the capacity and internal resistance of the storage element. The "secondary use" is a use different from the use of the storage element when it was leased or rented (for example, an electric vehicle), and may be a storage battery facility in an ESS or backup power source that requires used batteries from multiple EVs. The "transaction price" may be the selling price, or a price that includes the selling price and various expenses such as transportation costs.

[0014] According to the above configuration, the application of the electricity storage element used in the electric vehicle to other uses is promoted.

[0015] According to one embodiment described below, the interests of stakeholders involved in the primary and secondary uses of energy storage elements are adjusted, promoting the collection of used energy storage elements with a nearly complete SOH. For example, primary use businesses, such as car leasing companies, can set fees for EV users on the premise that secondary use businesses will purchase the energy storage elements at a relatively high price when the energy storage elements reach a predetermined SOH. This allows EV users to use EVs at a reasonable price. Secondary use businesses can obtain new revenue opportunities by collecting used energy storage elements with a nearly complete SOH.

[0016] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overview of an information processing system. FIG. 2 is a graph illustrating an example of the relationship between battery usage period and SOH. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the transition of the value of used batteries as the SOH decreases, with (A) showing a first example and (B) showing a second example. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating the electrical configuration of an ESS (storage battery equipment). FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a storage element evaluation server (information processing device). FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of an SOH estimation unit. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a leasing or rental service area. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating vehicle IDs for identifying vehicles used in each area, and (B) is a diagram illustrating storage element IDs for identifying storage elements installed in each vehicle. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating another example of an information processing system.

[0017] 1 includes an energy storage element evaluation server 50 (an example of an information processing device) and a client device 30 (a personal computer, a tablet, a smartphone, or the like). The evaluation server 50 has a remote monitoring function and acquires status data of the driving lithium-ion batteries 43 of each of a plurality of electric vehicles (EVs) 1a to 1d in near real time, sequentially, or intermittently via a communication network N.

[0018] Multiple EVs 1a to 1d may be owned by the same business (e.g., a car leasing business) and leased or rented to EV users. The car leasing business owns a large number of leased EVs, such as commercial vehicles operated by EV users in various regions. By managing EVs 1a to 1d owned by the same car leasing business, it becomes relatively easy to collect used batteries with nearly uniform SOH.

[0019] The battery 43 shown in FIG. 1 is a power storage pack or a power storage module including a battery pack in which a plurality of battery cells are connected in series and / or in parallel, and a battery management unit (BMU) and / or a cell management unit (CMU).

[0020] The status data of the battery 43 acquired by the evaluation server 50 may include time series data of current (e.g., current flowing through multiple battery cells connected in series), time series data of voltage (e.g., voltage of each battery cell), and time series data of temperature (e.g., temperature at a representative point of each storage module).

[0021] The evaluation server 50 outputs information to the multiple EVs 1a to 1d and the client device 30 via the network N. The evaluation server 50 has a web server function and may output web page information in response to a request from a web browser running on the client device 30, but the method of outputting the information is not limited to this. The evaluation server 50 may output information in conjunction with an application program (e.g., a smartphone application) running on the client device 30. The client device 30 has a display unit such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display for displaying the received information.

[0022] The right side of Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of used batteries 43 collected from multiple EVs 1a to 1d being converted into a storage battery facility 40 for an ESS. The storage battery facility 40 may be configured by housing a control panel 45 and multiple battery panels 41 in a metal container. The storage battery facility 40 does not need to include a container, and the battery panels 41 may be installed indoors or outdoors. The storage battery facility 40 may also be equipped with a power converter such as a power conditioner (PCS).

[0023] Next, the relationship between the usage period of battery 43 and SOH will be described. In the graph of Figure 2, the horizontal axis represents the usage period of the battery installed in each EV, and the vertical axis represents the battery SOH. The solid line from the vertical axis to the white circle is an example of battery degradation, showing that the SOH of the battery, which was initially 100%, has decreased by 15% (SOH becomes 85%) after 10 years of use of the EV by the EV user. The SOH may decrease linearly or curved.

[0024] Figure 2 also shows, with vertical arrows, the residual value of the battery when the SOH of the battery reaches 80% (when the black circle is reached) if the battery continues to be used in an EV (a), and the residual value of the battery when converted into a storage battery facility for an ESS (b).

[0025] If the battery continues to be used in an EV, a battery with an SOH of 80% (black circle) can be used until the SOH reaches 70%. If converted into an ESS storage battery facility, a battery with an SOH of 80% (black circle) can be used until the SOH reaches approximately 65% ​​(EOL). A battery with an SOH of 80% can be used down to a lower SOH range if converted into a storage battery facility (b) than if it continues to be used for EVs (a), and there is an opportunity and possibility for a higher residual value.

[0026] With reference to Figure 3(A), the change in value of used EV batteries as their SOH decreases will be explained. The dashed line shows the price of a new battery. The solid line shows the change in value of a used EV battery when it is reused for EV use (EV reuse). As shown by this solid line, when the SOH reaches about 70%, the battery can no longer be used for EV use, and the residual value of the battery becomes almost zero.

[0027] Users of leased EVs pay a fee set by the car leasing company over the period of use. The car leasing company can set the lease fee taking into account the residual value of the EV battery at the end of the lease. In Figure 3(A), the area between the price of a new battery (dashed line) and the value of the battery when the EV is reused (solid line) is shown as the actual price borne by the EV user.

[0028] The dashed-dotted line in Figure 3(A) shows a first example of the change in the value of batteries when used EV batteries are repurposed for use in ESS battery storage facilities (repurposing). In the range of SOH 80% on the horizontal axis, the value of batteries when used EV batteries are repurposed for ESS battery storage facilities (dashed-dotted line) exceeds the value of batteries when used EV batteries are reused for EV purposes (solid line). The reason for this will be explained in detail.

[0029] When used EV batteries are reused for EV use (solid line), the used batteries installed in one EV are installed in one second-hand EV. Due to installation space constraints, it is not possible to install used batteries from, for example, two EVs in one second-hand EV.

[0030] On the other hand, when used EV batteries are reused in an ESS battery storage facility (in the case of the dashed-dotted line), used batteries with nearly the same SOH that were installed in multiple EVs are installed in a single battery storage facility. In this way, an ESS equipped with many used EV batteries can enable, for example, an energy trading company to earn new revenue through energy trading.

[0031] In anticipation of such new revenues, the ESS conversion value (dash-dotted line) of used EV batteries whose SOH has reached a predetermined value (e.g., 80%) exceeds the value of the batteries when reused for EV use (solid line) only at that time. However, if the SOH drops further beyond that predetermined value (80%), the ESS conversion value of used EV batteries drops sharply. This is because used batteries with a further drop in SOH will not match the SOH of the other used batteries from multiple EVs secured for repurposing, and will no longer be able to be combined with those other used batteries and installed in the same battery storage facility, or will require frequent replacement.

[0032] By monitoring using the evaluation server 50 shown in Figure 1, it is possible to identify and collect used batteries 43 with almost the same SOH from multiple EVs operated in various regions, for example.

[0033] Car leasing companies can expect that secondary use businesses, such as electricity trading companies and ESS manufacturers, will purchase used EV batteries 43 whose SOH has reached a predetermined value at a relatively high price. Based on this high purchase price, car leasing companies can set reasonable leasing fees for EV users.

[0034] Next, Fig. 4 shows an example of the electrical configuration of the storage battery equipment 40. Each battery panel 41 of the storage battery equipment 40 houses a plurality of storage modules 43. The plurality of storage modules 43 are electrically connected in series to form a plurality of groups (a plurality of banks).

[0035] Battery management units 42b and 42a are provided for each bank and for a group (hereinafter referred to as a domain) in which a plurality of banks are connected in parallel.

[0036] The power storage module 43 is configured by connecting a plurality of battery cells (lithium ion secondary batteries in this embodiment) in series and / or parallel. The battery cells may be rectangular cells (prismatic cells), cylindrical cells, or laminated cells (pouch cells).

[0037] The battery management unit 42b provided in each bank communicates with a monitoring board 44 (CMU) provided in each power storage module 43 in the bank via a communication line 42d. In this way, the battery management unit 42b acquires status data of the power storage module 43 and the battery cells (measurement data such as cell voltage and temperature).

[0038] Preferably, one bank of the storage battery equipment 45 is composed of used batteries collected from one EV. The multiple battery cells installed in one EV often have roughly the same usage history and roughly the same SOH. If the SOH of the battery cells in a bank is roughly the same, the bank can achieve the expected charge / discharge performance. In other words, it is possible to prevent a battery cell with an extremely low SOH from becoming a bottleneck and preventing the expected charge / discharge performance from being achieved.

[0039] When a bank is composed of used batteries collected from a single EV, some variation in SOH between the banks is acceptable because the battery management units 42a and 42b can appropriately control charging and discharging for each bank. Thus, to construct a single storage battery facility 40, it is possible to use not only used batteries with a specific SOH value (e.g., 80%), but also used batteries 43 within a predetermined SOH range (e.g., 80% ± 5%).

[0040] In the storage battery equipment 40, the electrical circuits such as the monitoring board 44 of the storage module 43 and the battery management unit 42b may continue to be those used in the leased EV.

[0041] The battery management unit 42a provided in the domain can communicate with the battery management unit 42b of each bank via a communication bus 42c, and collects status data of the power storage modules 43 and battery cells acquired by the battery management unit 42b.

[0042] A communication device 46 is connected to the battery management unit 42a of the domain. The communication device 46 transmits battery cell status data acquired via the battery management unit 42a and the battery management unit 42b of each bank to a remote monitoring system (remote monitoring server, not shown) of the storage battery equipment 40. The communication device 46 may be a network card-type communication device (network interface card). The battery management unit 42a and the communication device 46 may be housed in a control panel 45 (see FIG. 1).

[0043] While the batteries 43 are being used by EV users in the EVs 1a to 1d shown in Figure 1 before being applied (repurposed) to the storage battery equipment 40 of Figure 4, the storage element evaluation server 50 acquires status data of each battery 43.

[0044] 5 , the energy storage element evaluation server 50 includes a control unit 51 that controls the entire server, a communication unit 52, a storage unit 53, a recording medium reading unit 54, and a processing unit 60. The processing unit 60 includes an SOH estimation unit 61, a fee calculation unit 62, a fee output unit 63, and a combination recommendation unit 64.

[0045] The information processing device is not limited to being configured with a single server device (evaluation server 50), but may be configured with multiple server devices, or may be configured by applying distributed ledger management technology.

[0046] The control unit 51 can be configured with, for example, a CPU, and controls the entire server using built-in memories such as ROM and RAM. The control unit 51 executes information processing based on a server program stored in the storage unit 53.

[0047] The communication unit 52 transmits and receives data to and from the EVs 1a to 1d (see FIG. 1) and client devices via the communication network N. Under the control of the control unit 51, the communication unit 52 receives (acquires) data on the status (e.g., voltage, current, power, temperature, etc.) of the battery installed and used in the EV, and stores the received data in the storage unit 53.

[0048] The storage unit 53 may be a non-volatile memory such as a hard disk or a flash memory. The storage medium reading unit 54 can read the programs and data stored in the storage unit 53 or RAM via a medium MR (e.g., a CD-ROM or a telecommunications line).

[0049] Next, a description will be given of the processing unit 60. The SOH estimation unit 61 included in the processing unit 60 acquires, as input data, a load pattern (e.g., a charge / discharge power pattern) and a temperature pattern, which are the battery usage history, from the EVs 1a to 1d, as shown in FIG.

[0050] SOH at time t is SOHt and SOH at time t+1 is SOH t+1 Then, the degradation value is SOH t and S.O.H. t+1 The time t can be expressed as the difference between the time t and the time t+1. Here, time t can be a time in the past, present, or future, and time t+1 can be a time when a predetermined time has elapsed from time t toward the future. The time difference between time t and time t+1 is the target period for deterioration estimation (or lifespan prediction) by the SOH estimator 61, and can be set appropriately depending on how far into the future the deterioration (lifespan) is to be calculated. The time difference between time t and time t+1 can be a predetermined time, such as one month, six months, one year, or two years.

[0051] The SOH estimator 61 may function as a state of charge (SOC) estimator, and may estimate the battery degradation value at time t+1 based on the SOC transition estimated from the input load pattern and the battery temperature pattern. The degradation value Qdeg after the target period (e.g., from time t to time t+1) for battery degradation estimation (life prediction) has elapsed can be expressed as the sum of the non-energization degradation value Qcnd and the energization degradation value Qcur.

[0052] The non-energized degradation value Qcnd can be calculated, for example, by Qcnd = K1 x √(period), where the coefficient K1 is a function of the SOC and temperature. The energized degradation value Qcur can be calculated, for example, by Qcur = K2 x (variation in SOC), where the coefficient K2 is a function of the SOC and temperature. The state of health SOH at time t+1 t+1 ,SOH t+1 =SOH ｔ It can be estimated by −Qdeg.

[0053] In this way, the SOH estimation unit 61 (evaluation server 50) sequentially or intermittently estimates the SOH of the batteries 43 of the EVs 1a to 1d operated in various regions shown in Figure 1. The estimated values ​​are stored in the storage unit 53.

[0054] The evaluation server 50 may estimate the SOH of batteries 43 owned or operated by multiple businesses, in addition to EVs 1a to 1d owned by the same business. This makes it possible to grasp the status of more used EV batteries and secure more batteries that have reached a predetermined SOH, facilitating the construction of storage battery facilities 40 using these batteries.

[0055] The fee calculation unit 62 of the processing unit 60 shown in FIG. 5 calculates a reasonable lease fee for the EV user.

[0056] As shown by the solid line in Figure 3(A), assuming EV reuse, the value of the battery decreases almost in proportion to the decrease in the battery's SOH with use. When a leased EV has been in use for 12 to 13 years and its SOH has reached 80%, the purchase price of the used battery for EV reuse is, for example, 5 yen / watt-hour (Wh). Car leasing companies set the annual lease fee over the period of use based on this purchase price of 5 yen / Wh.

[0057] On the other hand, assuming that used batteries are converted to ESS, the purchase price of used batteries when the SOH reaches 80% in 12 to 13 years will be, for example, 10 yen / Wh.

[0058] Car leasing companies can set annual lease fees over the life of the vehicle based on this purchase price of 10 yen / Wh. Car leasing companies can reduce the actual cost borne by EV users by providing that the lease ends when the battery reaches a specified SOH.

[0059] In this way, the fee calculation unit 62 shown in Figure 5 calculates the lease fee for EV users, assuming that secondary use businesses such as electricity trading businesses and ESS manufacturers will purchase used batteries at a relatively high price (e.g., 10 yen / Wh).

[0060] The fee output unit 63 shown in FIG. 5 outputs the calculated lease fee in response to a request from a web browser or other application program running on the client device 30 (see FIG. 1) or as an event.

[0061] Car leasing companies own a large number of leased EVs operated by EV users in various regions, as shown in Figure 7. If region C1 is a warm region and region C10 is a cold region, the batteries installed in EVs in region C1 are more likely to deteriorate than those in region C10. If there are few EV charging facilities in region C5, it is predicted that the SOC fluctuations of the batteries installed in EVs will tend to be larger in region C5.

[0062] As shown in Fig. 8(A), leased EVs may be managed by associating each region with a vehicle ID that identifies the EVs operated there. As shown in Fig. 8(B), each vehicle ID may be stored in association with an energy storage element ID that identifies the energy storage element installed in that vehicle. This information may be stored in the storage unit 53 of the evaluation server 50 (see Fig. 5).

[0063] The evaluation server 50 may also sequentially or intermittently store the estimated SOH in association with the storage element ID. In this way, the evaluation server 50 can identify used batteries 43 with approximately the same SOH from multiple EVs operated in various regions.

[0064] Figure 3(B) shows a second example of the value transition of used EV batteries when they are converted into ESS battery storage equipment. As mentioned above, car leasing companies own a large number of leased EVs operated in various regions. Some leased EVs are equipped with batteries that have deteriorated beyond the 80% ±5% range (e.g., batteries with an SOH of 70%). As shown in Figure 3(B), even such deteriorated batteries have the opportunity and possibility of increasing their residual value.

[0065] Users' needs for the ESS storage battery equipment 40 are diverse. In some cases, a heavy load is required on the battery, such as charging and discharging at a deep depth several times a day, while in other cases a relatively light load is required on the battery, such as charging and discharging only once a day. In order to meet such diverse needs, it is conceivable to build the storage battery equipment 40 by combining used batteries of multiple SOH ranges. Furthermore, when converting the storage battery equipment 40 into an ESS storage battery equipment 40 that will operate for 20 years, for example, and assuming that all batteries will be replaced only once during the operation, it is conceivable to consider a combination of batteries with a remaining life of 10 years + 10 years, or a combination of batteries with a remaining life of 15 years + 5 years.

[0066] The combination recommendation unit 64 shown in Figure 5 recommends combinations of used batteries within multiple SOH ranges from among the used batteries stored in the storage unit 53. For light load needs, recommending a storage battery system that also uses degraded batteries (e.g., batteries with an SOH of 70%) can provide cost benefits to users of the storage battery system. In addition, the flexibility in setting fees for users of leased or rented EVs can be improved, providing further cost benefits to these EV users.

[0067] 9 , the information processing system may include a battery demand information provider 35 (e.g., another server device) that can communicate with the energy storage element evaluation server 50. The battery demand information provider 35 outputs the future timing and specifications of storage battery equipment that will be in demand. Based on the demand information output from the battery demand information provider 35, the combination recommendation unit 64 of the evaluation server 50 outputs the configuration of a storage battery equipment that combines used batteries within a plurality of SOH ranges, and an estimated price of the storage battery equipment.

[0068] The configuration and effects of the above-described embodiment are summarized below: (1) In the information processing method, the evaluation server 50 acquires status data of the battery 43 installed in the leased or rented EV 1a to 1d, and outputs the lease or rental fee for the EV based on the transaction price for the secondary use of the battery 43 at the time when the battery 43 reaches the SOH set for conversion to the secondary use.

[0069] The configuration of the above embodiment (1) promotes the application of batteries 43 used in EVs 1a to 1d to other uses (storage battery equipment 40 of ESS). Car leasing companies can set reasonable fees for EV users. EV users can use EVs at reasonable fees. Secondary use companies, such as electricity trading companies and ESS manufacturers, can collect used energy storage elements with nearly complete SOHs and repurpose them to build ESSs, thereby gaining new revenue opportunities.

[0070] (2) In the information processing method of (1) above, the trading price of the battery 43 for secondary use is set higher than the trading price for EV reuse at the time when the set SOH is reached (see FIG. 3(A)).

[0071] The configuration of the embodiment (2) above promotes the application of batteries 43 used in EVs 1a to 1d to storage battery facilities 40, stimulating the circular economy. Storage battery facilities 40, such as ESSs and backup power sources, are socially necessary infrastructure, but compete with EVs in terms of using scarce resources. The configuration of the embodiment (2) above adjusts the interests of stakeholders involved in the primary use of batteries 43 (EV users, car leasing companies) and stakeholders involved in the secondary use (ESS manufacturers, electricity trading companies), promoting the construction of storage battery facilities that repurpose used EV batteries.

[0072] (3) In the information processing method of (1) or (2) above, the evaluation server 50 acquires usage history data of the battery 43 as status data, estimates the non-power-on deterioration and power-on deterioration of the battery 43 installed in each EV, and determines whether the battery 43 has reached a set health state.

[0073] EVs may be parked for longer periods than they are driven, and may be used in both warm and cold climates. Estimating the SOH of batteries 43 in these various operating environments is desirable by clearly distinguishing and understanding each battery's non-energized deterioration (including aging deterioration) from its energized deterioration, and then comprehensively assessing the SOH. Estimating non-energized deterioration desirably takes into account the temperature history of the battery 43. Estimating energized deterioration desirably takes into account the SOC history of the battery 43 (such as SOC fluctuations and the central SOC) (see, for example, Japanese Patent No. 6428957). The configuration of the above embodiment (3) enables the SOH of the battery 43 to be appropriately estimated for the purpose of charging EV users.

[0074] (4) In the information processing method of (1) or (2) above, the evaluation server 50 sets a plurality of health states for the battery 43 and outputs a combination of the battery 43 having the plurality of health states for secondary use.

[0075] The configuration of the above embodiment (4) can provide cost benefits to users of battery storage equipment by recommending battery storage equipment that also uses degraded batteries when a light load is required for the battery storage equipment. This also increases the flexibility in setting fees for users of leased or rented EVs, providing further cost benefits to these EV users.

[0076] (5) A computer program that causes a computer to execute a process of acquiring status data of a storage element installed in an electric vehicle to be leased or rented, and outputting the lease fee or rental fee for the electric vehicle based on the transaction price for secondary use of the storage element at the time when the storage element reaches a health state set for conversion to secondary use.

[0077] The computer program according to the embodiment (5) above may be executed by the energy storage element evaluation server 50. Furthermore, the processes according to the methods (2) to (4) above may be implemented in this computer program.

[0078] (6) A computer program that causes a computer to execute a process of acquiring status data of a storage element installed in an electric vehicle to be leased or rented, outputting a lease fee or rental fee for the electric vehicle based on the trading price for secondary use of the storage element at the time when the storage element reaches a health state set for conversion to secondary use, communicating with an information processing device, receiving the lease fee or rental fee for the vehicle from the information processing device, and displaying the lease fee or rental fee for the vehicle on the display unit of a client device.

[0079] The computer program according to the embodiment (6) above may be executed on the client device 30 .

[0080] (7) An information processing device including: an acquisition unit that acquires status data of a storage element mounted on an electric vehicle to be leased or rented; an estimation unit that estimates the health state of the storage element based on the acquired status data; and a fee output unit that outputs a lease fee or rental fee for the electric vehicle based on the transaction price for secondary use of the storage element at the time when the storage element reaches a health state set for conversion to a secondary use.

[0081] According to the embodiment (7) above, the health states of the electrical elements of a large number of electric vehicles operating in various regions can be centrally estimated and constantly monitored using an information processing device. For example, if manufacturers of ESSs and backup power supplies are involved in the operation of this information processing device, secondary use demand information can also be taken into account, stimulating the circular economy.

[0082] 30 Client device 40 Storage battery equipment 43 Lithium ion battery (storage element) 50 Storage element evaluation server (information processing device) N Communication network

Claims

1. An information processing method in which an information processing device acquires status data of a storage element mounted on an electric vehicle to be leased or rented, and outputs a lease fee or rental fee for the electric vehicle based on the trading price for the secondary use of the storage element at the time when the storage element reaches a health state set for conversion to a secondary use.

2. The information processing method according to claim 1, wherein the trading price of the storage element for secondary use is set higher than the trading price for reuse of the electric vehicle at the time when the set health state is reached.

3. The information processing method according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the information processing device acquires usage history data of the storage elements as the status data, estimates the non-energized deterioration and energized deterioration of the storage elements mounted on each electric vehicle, and determines whether the storage elements have reached the set health state.

4. The information processing method according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the information processing device sets multiple health states of the storage elements for conversion to secondary uses, and outputs a combination of the storage elements having the multiple health states for the secondary uses.

5. A computer program that causes a computer to execute a process of acquiring status data of a storage element installed in an electric vehicle to be leased or rented, and outputting the lease fee or rental fee for the electric vehicle based on the transaction price for secondary use of the storage element at the time when the storage element reaches a health state set for conversion to secondary use.

6. A computer program that causes a computer to execute the following processes: acquire status data of a storage element mounted on an electric vehicle to be leased or rented; output a lease fee or rental fee for the electric vehicle based on the trading price for the secondary use of the storage element at the time when the storage element reaches a health state set for conversion to a secondary use; communicate with an information processing device; receive the lease fee or rental fee for the vehicle from the information processing device; and display the lease fee or rental fee for the vehicle on the display unit of a client device.

7. An information processing device comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires status data of a storage element mounted on an electric vehicle to be leased or rented; an estimation unit that estimates the health state of the storage element based on the acquired status data; and a fee output unit that outputs the lease fee or rental fee for the electric vehicle based on the transaction price for secondary use of the storage element at the time when the storage element reaches a health state set for conversion to secondary use.

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