Efficiency-based dynamic power module power delivery management for vehicle battery charging systems

Abstract

In various embodiments, efficiency-based dynamic power module power delivery management for vehicle battery charging systems is provided. A power module controller optimizes usage of power modules within a charging station to a peak efficiency level that incurs minimal losses during charging sessions. A charge management system may work in conjunction with the power module controller to optimize an overall efficiency over the charging session. The power module controller may determine a charging configuration for power modules based on charging efficiency data for a charging architecture associated with the vehicle. By configuring the power module(s) at a power level based on the charging architecture, the power module controller can tailor operating the power module(s) at a peak efficiency level that correlates to the specific vehicle. In doing so, the power module controller can deliver charging power while providing a charging station that runs cooler and with lower overhead costs.

Description

EFFICIENCY-BASED DYNAMIC POWER MODULE POWER DELIVERY MANAGEMENT FOR VEHICLE BATTERY CHARGING SYSTEMSBACKGROUND

[0001] Power modules represent the primary components in electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, serving as the backbone for energy conversion and charging management. In a direct current (DC) charging station, the power module typically includes an AC / DC power conversion stage (e.g., a switching power supply) that converts alternating current (AC) from the grid into direct current, and a DC / DC power stage that adjusts the voltage to suit the EV's battery requirements. The design and selection of power modules used at a charging station may depend on factors such as the charging station's power level, with single-phase topologies used for lower power level stations and three-phase topologies employed for higher power levels. High-power chartering stations often connect multiple power modules together using a modular approach to allow for scalability in meeting vehicle charging demands, and flexibility with respect to maintenance. When an electric vehicle connects to a charging station, a handshaking process between the vehicle and the charging station initiates the correct configuration of the charging station to match the specific requirements of the vehicle. The handshaking process involves a series of exchanges that allow the charging station and the vehicle to agree on parameters such as voltage, current, and charging mode.SUMMARY

[0002] This summary is intended to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description section of this disclosure. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in isolation to determine the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0003] In contrast to charging station technologies available today, one or more embodiments of the present disclosure provide for a power module controller (PMC) that optimizes usage of installed power modules within a charging station towards a peak efficiency that incurs a minimal generation of internal heat loss during charging sessions. Furthermore, in accordance with some embodiments, a charge management system (CMS) is disclosed that may work in conjunction with a power module controller to optimize charging speed to optimize an overall efficiency of energy throughput over a charging session. A power modulecontroller may determine a charging configuration for the one or more power modules of a charging station based on known charging efficiency data (e.g., efficiency curves) for the power module(s) and charging parameters established by a handshaking protocol between the charging station and the vehicle upon plug-in and before commencement of power delivery. For example, the vehicle may communicate charging parameters to the charging station indicating maximum and / or minimum electrical limits such as maximum / minimum voltages and / or currents that it can accept when charging. In some embodiments, the vehicle may communicate a specific power request to the charging station (e.g., a request to charge at an 80-killowatt (kW) power level). In some embodiments, the charging stations may similarly communicate to the charging system of the vehicle, charging parameters indicating maximum and / or minimum electrical limits such as maximum / minimum voltages and / or currents that it can deliver when charging. In some embodiments, the power module controller may communicate a specific maximum power the charging station can deliver to the vehicle (e.g., an ability charge at a 50-kW power level). In some embodiments, based on the charging parameters sent to the charging station, the power module controller may determine a charging architecture associated with the vehicle, and determine a corresponding power module peak efficiency window based on correlating the charging architecture to the known charging efficiency data. By reconfiguring the charging station to operate the power module(s) at a power level selected based on charging architecture associated with the vehicle, the power module controller can tailor the operation of the charging station by selecting to operate the power module(s) at a peak efficiency level that correlates to the specific vehicle. In doing so, the power module controller can deliver charges to the vehicles in a manner that produces a minimal amount of heat loss - thus providing a charging station that runs cooler and with lower overhead costs.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0004] The embodiments presented in this disclosure related to systems, methods, and technologies for efficiency-based dynamic power module power delivery management for vehicle battery charging are described in detail below with reference to the attached drawing figures, which illustrate non-limiting examples of the disclosed subject matter, wherein:

[0005] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example vehicle charging system, in accordance with at least some embodiments of this disclosure;

[0006] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example charging station during a charging session with an electric vehicle, in accordance with at least some embodiments of this disclosure;

[0007] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating charging efficiency data comprising a plurality of charging efficiency curves for a range of difference charging architectures, in accordance with at least some embodiments of this disclosure;

[0008] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating charging characteristics data comprising a plurality of charging curves, in accordance with at least some embodiments of this disclosure;

[0009] FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating an example method for efficiency-based dynamic power module power delivery management for vehicle battery charging, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0010] FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating an example method for a charge management system for use with efficiency -based dynamic power module power delivery management for vehicle battery charging, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0011] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example computing environment suitable for supporting the operations and functions described herein, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure; and

[0012] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example cloud-based computing environment, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0013] This detailed description is provided in order to meet statutory requirements. However, this description is not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure described herein. Rather, the claimed subject matter may be embodied in different ways, to include different steps, combinations of steps, different elements, and / or different combinations of elements, similar to those described herein, and in conjunction with other present or future technologies. Moreover, although the terms “step” and “block” may be used herein to identify different elements of methods employed, the terms should not be interpreted as implying any particular order among or between different elements except when the order is explicitly described.

[0014] In general, this disclosure is directed to efficiency-based dynamic power module power delivery management for vehicle battery charging. More particularly, one or more of the embodiments described herein provide for charging station systems for charging electricvehicles that self-adjust based at least in part on characteristics of the vehicle being charged, to ensure that a charging session is conducted with a charging profile that most efficiently delivers electric energy for charging batteries of the particular electric vehicle connected to the charging station.

[0015] Charging stations today typically include one or more power modules, and are rated for delivering power for charging electric vehicles based on the cumulative power ratings of their set of one or more power modules. For example, a charging station that has four 30- kilowatt (kW) DC power modules has available capacity for delivering 120 kW of DC electric power to an electric vehicle to charge the vehicle’s batteries. If a vehicle connects to the charging station and requests 60 kW of power, the charging station may bring a first 30-kW power module online to deliver the first 30 kW of requested power, and a second 30-kW power module online to deliver the second 30 kW of requested power, and the charging station may maintain that configuration until the vehicle’s batteries are charged to a target charge level. Generally speaking, the higher the level of requested power delivered to a vehicle (while staying within the vehicle’ s electrical charging system ratings), the faster the vehicle’ s batteries will charge to reach the target charge level. However, a problem that occurs when charging batteries using this process is that the power electronics within a power module are not operating at peak efficiency when the power modules are delivering power at 100% of their capacity. That is, in each of the AC / DC power conversion stage and the DC / DC power conversion stage of a power module, a non-negligible quantity of the electric power input to the stage (e.g., 1-3%) is consumed by internal losses (e.g., heat losses), meaning that a power module is less than 100% efficient at converting the input power it receives into charging power for delivery to the vehicle. Moreover, the efficiency of a power module may vary as a function of the level of power being delivered versus its maximum-rated power delivery capacity. For example, a 30-kW power module, when delivering power to an electric vehicle that operates on an 800-volt DC architecture, may have a 3% efficiency loss when delivering power at 30 kW, but only a 0.5% loss when delivering power at 24 kW (80% of its 30-kW full capacity rating). The same 30-kW power module, when delivering power to an electric vehicle that operates on a 400-volt DC architecture, may have a 5% efficiency loss when delivering power at 30 kW, but only a 0.75% loss when delivering power at 21 kW (70% of its 30-kW full capacity rating).

[0016] Such internal losses represent electric energy consumed by the charging station (and paid for by the charging station operator) but not delivered to an electric vehicle (theoperator of which is paying for what energy they receive) so that operating the power module at or near its power level of peak efficiency minimizes overhead costs for operating the charging stations. Similarly, because the internal losses are substantially incurred in the form of thermal energy (e.g., heat), operating power modules at less than peak efficiency produces excess heat within the power module and / or charging station that causes components within the charging station to operate in higher ambient temperatures and therefore age more quickly, and / or results in increases to the complexity of a charging station with respect to incorporating thermal management components to dissipate the excess heat to the environment.

[0017] In contrast to charging station technologies available today, one or more embodiments of the present disclosure provide for a power module controller (PMC) that optimizes usage of installed power modules within a charging station towards a peak efficiency that incurs a minimal generation of internal heat loss during charging sessions. Furthermore, in accordance with some embodiments, a charge management system (CMS) is disclosed that may work in conjunction with a power module controller to optimize charging speed to optimize an overall efficiency of energy throughput over a charging session.

[0018] In some embodiments, a power module controller may determine a charging configuration for the one or more power modules of a charging station based on known charging efficiency data (e.g., efficiency curves) for the power module(s) and charging parameters established by a handshaking protocol between the charging station and the vehicle upon plug-in and before commencement of power delivery. For example, the vehicle may communicate charging parameters to the charging station indicating maximum and / or minimum electrical limits such as maximum / minimum voltages and / or currents that it can accept when charging. In some embodiments, the vehicle may communicate a specific power request to the charging station (e.g., a request to charge at an 80-kW power level). In some embodiments, the charging stations may similarly communicate to the charging system of the vehicle, with charging parameters indicating maximum and / or minimum electrical limits such as maximum / minimum voltages and / or currents that it can deliver when charging. In some embodiments, the power module controller may communicate a specific maximum power the charging station can deliver to the vehicle (e.g., an ability charge at a 50-kW power level).

[0019] In some embodiments, based on the charging parameters sent to the charging station, the power module controller may determine a charging architecture associated with the vehicle and determine a corresponding power module peak efficiency window based on correlating the charging architecture to the known charging efficiency data. For example,based on the charging parameters indicating an 800-volt maximum charging voltage, the power module controller may determine that the plugged-in vehicle has an 800-volt charging architecture and determine from its efficiency curves (which may be stored in memory, such as in a lookup table for example) that for charging at 800 volts, the power module(s) have a peak efficiency when operating in a window around 80% of their rated maximum capacity. As such, the power module controller may communicate and offer to the vehicle to charge the vehicle at a power level corresponding to operating its power modules at 80% of their rated maximum capacity. As an example, if the charging station comprises four 30-kW power modules, and the vehicle is requesting an 80-kW charge, the power module controller may communicate a capacity to charge at 72 kW, which represents operating three of the four 30- kW power modules at 80%, corresponding to their peak efficiency power levels. If the power module controller for that same charging station, based on the charging parameters, instead determines that the plugged-in vehicle instead has a 400-volt charging architecture, it may then determine from its efficiency curves that for charging at 400 volts, the power module(s) have a peak efficiency when operating in a window around 70% of their rated maximum capacity. As such, the power module controller may communicate an offer to the vehicle to charge the vehicle at a power level corresponding to operating its power modules at 70% of their rated maximum capacity. In that case, if the vehicle is requesting an 80-kW charge, the power module controller may communicate back a capacity to charge at 63 kW - which represents operating three of the four 30-kW power modules at 70%, corresponding to their peak efficiency power levels. In these examples, the vehicle may still be able to charge its battery to its target charge level, but it will take longer to reach that target charge at the offered charging power as compared to the charging power initially requested by the vehicle.

[0020] By reconfiguring the charging station to operate the power module(s) at a power level selected based on charging architecture associated with the vehicle, the power module controller can tailor the operation of the charging station by selecting to operate the power module(s) at a peak efficiency level that correlates to the specific vehicle. In doing so, the power module controller can deliver charges to the vehicles in a manner that produces a minimal amount of heat loss - thus providing a charging station that runs cooler and with lower overhead costs. In some embodiments, charging efficiency data that correlates charging parameters (and / or charging architectures) to an operating level may be saved to a memory of the power module controller and accessed based on the handshaking protocol performed when a vehicle plugs into the charging stations. In some embodiments, the power module controllermay download charging efficiency data from a database (e.g., from a cloud-based server) based on information provided by the vehicle during the handshaking protocol. For example, the vehicle may supply the power module controller with identification (ID) data, such as a vehicle ID and / or charging system ID that the power module controller may use to query the database for the charging efficiency data to use for that charging session.

[0021] In some embodiments, a power module controller may variably operate the one or more power modules to reach a power delivery level for charging the vehicle based on a power ramp. That is, the power module controller may initially switch in a first power module and ramp up its power level to the determined peak efficiency power level before engaging and ramping the next subsequent power module in a similar manner. For example, to provide a negotiated 72 kW of power from three of the four 30-kW power modules operating at 80%, corresponding to their peak efficiency power levels, the power module controller may first ramp a first 30-kW power module up to 24 kW (over a first predetermined time duration). Once the first 30-kW power module reaches 24 kW, the power module controller may switch in and ramp a second 30-kW power module up from 24 kW (over a second predetermined time duration). Similarly, once the second 30-kW power module reaches 24 kW, the power module controller may switch in and ramp a third 30-kW power module to 24 kW (over a third predetermined time duration) - thus bringing the electric charged delivered to the vehicle to the negotiated 72 kW.

[0022] In some embodiments, the power module controller may control the power modules of a charging station based on a plurality of different charging modes. For example, the vehicle operator upon plugging the vehicle into a charging station may select a high- efficiency mode (or the power module controller may default to the high-efficiency mode), where the power modules are operated over the charging session based on determined peak efficiency power levels as described herein, and the charging session will proceed over a duration of time that delivers the kilowatt-hours (kWH) that charge the vehicle batteries to the target charge level. Alternatively, the vehicle operator upon plugging the vehicle into the charging stations may select an express charge mode, where the power module controller may control the power modules to operate at (or near) their rated capacity in order to charge the vehicle batteries in a shorter period of time than is provided by the high-efficiency mode. In such cases, the vehicle operator may be charged a surcharge for selecting the express charge mode to compensate the charging station operator for its additional expenses incurred due to operating at a lower efficiency level.

[0023] In some embodiments, the power module controller may dynamically control the power level of power modules to vary over the course of a charging session to maintain operation of the power modules at an optimized efficiency level as the voltage across the battery increases as a function of the battery’s charge level. That is, the power module controller may select a set of charging efficiency data for a session based on the charging parameters established by the handshaking protocol, but in some embodiments may dynamically select a most efficient power and / or voltage level for delivering electric power to the vehicle further based at least in part on the current charge level (e.g., the current voltage level) of the vehicle’s batteries. For example, for an 800-volt architecture, a power module may nominally demonstrate peak efficiency at 80% of its full capacity. However, a substantially discharged vehicle battery that connects to a charging station may exhibit a voltage level different than the nominal voltage. As such, the percent operating level for peak efficiency of the power module for charging the battery may deviate from the 80% that is purely based on detecting the 800-volt architecture. For example, peak efficiency may instead occur at 82% at the initial discharged battery level, and trend back to 80% as the battery voltage increases in response to charging. The power module controller may adjust the operating level of the power module to keep it operating at peak efficiency as the battery voltage increases over the charging session. In some embodiments, the power module controller may adjust the operating power level of the power module by varying one or both of the voltage and current being supplied by the power module(s) to the vehicle. In some embodiments, the charging station may operate by switching between a constant-current mode and a constant-voltage mode. Constant current may be used at the beginning of a charging session to realize a more rapid charging of the battery, with the voltage allowed to vary as needed (but within the maximum voltage rating of the vehicles charging system) to keep the power module operating at an optimal efficiency. Once the battery is charged to a threshold level, the power module controller may switch to a constant-voltage level to complete the session, where the current is varied as needed to keep the power module operating at an optimal efficiency.

[0024] As mentioned above, in some embodiments the charging system may comprise a charging station that communicates with a charge management system (CMS) that operates in conjunction with a power module controller to optimize charging speed to optimize an overall efficiency of energy throughput over a charging session. In some embodiments, the CMS may be implemented using a cloud-based computing platform that is connected to a charging station and / or power module controller via a network. While the power modulecontroller may manage operation of a power module to optimize efficiency of delivering power to a vehicle as it is being delivered at a particular point in time, the CMS may operate the power module controller to optimize the efficiency associated with the overall charging session.

[0025] In some embodiments, the CMS may receive charging session data such as, but not limited to, one or more of the charging parameters determined by power module controller and / or configuration data indicating the configuration of the one or more power modules as adjusted by the power module controller. For example, the CMS may control the power module controller to adjust the rate of charging in order to optimize the duration of a charging session and / or the scheduling of when the charging session begins and ends. In some embodiments, the CMS may be in communication with a fleet management server (e.g., via a network) associated with the vehicle that has plugged into the charging station. Through the handshaking process, the CMS may learn (e.g., via a vehicle ID) that the vehicle is associated with the fleet management server and obtain an itinerary for the vehicle that includes information that indicates when the vehicle will need to depart from the charging station based on its schedule.

[0026] As an example, a vehicle may request the charging station to fully charge its battery, and the power module controller may adjust the power level of its one or more power modules to provide charging energy to the vehicle at an optimal efficiency, as discussed above. The CMS, in turn, may determine (e.g., based on the vehicle ID) charging characteristics data (e.g., charging curves) that describe the amount of time that it will take to deliver sufficient power (e.g., kWH) to charge the batteries of the vehicle to the target charging level (fully charged, in this example) at the power level selected by the power module controller. As an example, the CMS may determine from the fleet management server that the vehicle is scheduled to depart at 8:00 am and, based on the charging curve for the vehicle, compute that the charging station will take 3.5 hours to achieve the target charge (from the current battery charge level) if the power modules are operated at the percent power selected by the power module controller. Based on the computed 3.5-hour estimated charging time, the CMS may control the power module controller to begin charging the vehicle at 4:00 am so that the vehicle batteries are charged to the target charge by the 8:00 am departure time. In some embodiments, the CMS may obtain electricity pricing data (e.g., from memory, a data store, a pricing server, etc.) that include a pricing schedule indicating the price of electricity available to the charging station over one or more blocks of time during which the vehicle will be plugged into the charging station. Based on the pricing schedule, the CMS may control the power modulecontroller to operate the power modules to charge the vehicle during those blocks where the electricity supply to the charging station is least expensive. In some embodiments, the CMS may control the power module controller based on an optimization algorithm that prioritizes minimizing electricity costs of a charging session over operating the power module(s) at peak efficiency. For example, raising the operating power level of the power modules from 80% to 82% may increase heat losses and therefore increase the amount of input power needed by the charging station to deliver the power it uses to charge the vehicle batteries - but may also reduce the charging time from 3.5 hours to 3 hours. The CMS may compute that if charging time can be reduced from 3.5 hours to 3 hours, that the charging session may now fit into a grouping of pricing blocks where the savings incurred using less expensive electricity outweighs the cost of paying for electricity consumed by losses due to operating the power modules less efficiently. As such, the CMS may control the power modules to deviate from its initially selected profile of power levels for the charging session in order to obtain an overall less expensive charging session. Additionally or alternatively, the CMS may control the power module controller to switch in an additional power module (operating at its optimal power level) to increase the total instantaneous power delivered to reduce the charging time from 3.5 hours (e.g., down to 2.5 hours) to fit the charging session into a less expensive grouping of pricing blocks.

[0027] As another example, the electricity pricing data / pricing schedule may be based on a demand metering scheme where lower instantaneous power level demand is charged at a lower price per kWH as compared to a higher instantaneous power level demand that is charged at a relatively higher price per kWH. In that case the CMS may control the power modules to operate at a lower power level than the peak efficiency level and extend the charging session to a longer duration of time, but reap the benefit of a lower price per kWH in order to obtain an overall less expensive charging session. In such embodiments, the CMS may thus weigh the cost of electricity for a charging session against the costs of not operating the power modules at their optimal efficiency levels, and further consider the factor of shifting the charging session with respect to time in order to achieve an overall optimized charging session.

[0028] In some embodiments, the CMS may determine the target charge for charging the vehicle data based on itinerary data from the fleet management server. That is, the CMS may determine a target charge for the vehicle - based on the total mileage, cargo, and / or total vehicle weight, and other relevant parameters (e.g., expected temperature or weather condition, type of terrain, elevation changes, etc.) provided by the fleet management server - that willpermit the vehicle to reach a next charging station with at least a predetermined margin of remaining battery charge. The CMS may then, for example, communicate instructions to the power module controller to configure the power modules to the power level for optimal efficiency and compute the duration and scheduling of the charging session with consideration of the factors described above.

[0029] In some embodiments, the CMS may receive and evaluate charging data from a power module controller to compute an overall efficiency of a charging station (and / or its set of one or more power modules) based on comparing the amount of power being consumed by the charging station versus the amount of power being delivered to a vehicle over a charging session. Based on the comparison, in some embodiments the CMS may control the power module controller to adjust the operating power level of its power module(s) to find an operating level where the ratio of power being delivered to power being consumed converges on a maximum representing a peak / optimal operating efficiency.

[0030] Although the examples included herein primarily describe a single vehicle charging session with a charging station, these are not intended as limiting, as in other embodiments, a charging station may have multiple vehicles connected for the purpose of charging sessions. For example, in some embodiments, multiple vehicles may be connected to the charging station and the power module controller and / or CMS may stagger the charging sessions by scheduling the sessions into distinct windows or time slots. Alternatively, a plurality (two or more) vehicles with compatible voltage architectures and / or charging parameters may be charged using contemporaneous charging sessions where the power module controller computes efficiencies and adjusts power module operating power levels based on the sum of the charge demand placed on the power modules (e.g., based on the sum of current and / or power demands drawn by the charging systems of the individual vehicles). The power module controller and / or CMS may individually disconnect vehicles from the power module(s) as they complete their charging sessions, and readjust operation (e.g., the percent power loading) of the power module(s) based on charging loads of the remaining vehicle(s).

[0031] In various embodiments, one or more functions of the CMS and power module controller may be integrated together and / or distributed between distinct hardware components. In the examples described above, the power module controller may be implemented using computer-readable code executed by one or more controllers (e.g., a processor(s) and memory) programmed to perform the functions of the power module controller described herein. The CMS may be implemented using computer-readable code executed by one or more controllers(e.g., a processor(s) and memory) of a cloud computing platform programmed to perform the functions of the CMS described herein and coupled to the power module controller through a network. In some embodiments, the functions of the power module controller described herein may be distributed across different computing resources, such as across a plurality of network nodes (e.g., network servers). In some embodiments, one or more functions of the power module controller may be integrated into the CMS and / or one or more functions of the CMS may be integrated into the power module controller.

[0032] Referring now to FIG. 1, FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example vehicle charging system 100 in accordance with at least some embodiments of this disclosure. Although one or more of the embodiments described herein present vehicle charging system 100 in the context of automotive vehicles (e.g., cars and trucks), it should be understood that the term “vehicle” is intended to be construed broadly and may include, but is not limited to, automotive vehicles, motor cycles, locomotives, robots or other industrial machines, watercraft (e.g., jet skis, waverunners, boats, ships, submersibles, submarines, unmanned and / or remote piloted watercraft, etc.), aircraft (e.g., airplanes, helicopters, aerial drones, etc.), and / or other traveling machinery that is powered at least in part by battery systems that need periodic recharging.

[0033] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle charging system 100 comprises a charging station 110 that includes at least one power module controller 122 and one or more power modules 120. As discussed herein, the one or more power modules 120 may be controlled by the power module controller 122, and comprise circuitry to adjustably convert electric power 106 (e.g., as provided by an AC power grid 105) to electric charging power 114 for charging one or more electric vehicles 125 via a charging connection 112. In some embodiments, the charging connection 112 may comprise a charging cable (e.g., a hybrid power / data cable) and / or may comprise a wireless inductive charging interface and a wireless data link.

[0034] Charging station 110 may be rated for delivering charging power 114 for charging a battery 126 of an electric vehicle 125 based at least in part on the cumulative power ratings of the one or more power modules 120. For example, a charging station 110 that has four 30-kilowatt (kW) DC power modules has available capacity for delivering 120 kW of DC electric power to an electric vehicle 125 to charge the vehicle’s batteries 126. In some embodiments, each of the power modules 120 may include an AC / DC power conversion stage (e.g., a switching power supply) that converts AC power 106 from the AC power grid 105(which in various embodiments may be either single-phase or three-phase AC power) into an intermediate DC power, and a DC / DC power stage that received the intermediate DC power and adjusts voltage and / or current as controlled by the power module controller 122 to deliver the charging power 114 for charging battery 126. As used herein, the term battery may refer to a single-cell battery device, a multiple-cell battery device, and / or a battery bank comprising an electrically interconnected set of individual battery devices. As disclosed herein, the power module controller 122 may operate to optimize the usage of the power modules 120 to operate at a high-efficiency power level that incurs a minimal generation of internal heat loss during charging sessions. By reconfiguring the charging station 110 to operate the power module(s) 120 at a power level selected based on a charging architecture associated with an electric vehicle 125, the power module controller 122 tailors the operation of the charging station 110 to operate at a peak efficiency level that correlates to the specific vehicle 125. In some embodiments, one or more elements of the power module controller 122 can be implemented using one or more processors comprising processing circuitry to perform the operations of the power module controller 122 described herein. The power module controller 122 may comprise, at least in part, any type of computing device, such as one or more of computing device 700 described in connection to FIG. 7, or at least in part within a cloud computing environment 800 as further described with respect to FIG. 8, for example.

[0035] As also illustrated in FIG. 1, in some embodiments, the vehicle charging system 100 may further include a charge management system (CMS) 142 that works in conjunction with the power module controller 120 to optimize charging speeds to optimize an overall efficiency of energy throughput over a charging session during which an electric vehicle 125 is recharged. The charge management system 142 may be implemented using a cloud-based computing platform 140 that is connected to a charging station 110 and communicates with power module controller 120 via a network 130 (e.g., a public network such as the Internet, a proprietary network, or a combination thereof). In some embodiments one or more elements of the charge management system 142 can be implemented, using one or more processors comprising processing circuitry, to perform the operations of the charge management system 142 described herein. The charge management system 142 may comprise, at least in part, any type of computing device, such as one or more of computing device 700 described in connection to FIG. 7, or at least in part within a cloud computing environment 800 as further described with respect to FIG. 8, for example. While the power module controller 122 may manage operation of a power module to optimize efficiency of delivering charging power 114to a vehicle 125 as it is being delivered at a particular point in time, the charge management system 142 may operate the power module controller 122 to optimize the efficiency associated with the overall charging session. In some embodiments, the charge management system 142 may be in communication with a fleet management system 150 via a network 130. The fleet management system 150 may be associated with an operator and / or owner of an electric vehicle 125 that is utilizing the charging station 110.

[0036] As also illustrated in FIG. 1, in some embodiments, the vehicle charging system 100 may further include a data store 132 accessible to the power module controller 122 and / or the charge management system 142 via network 130 to obtain data used for adjusting operation of the power module(s) 120. For example, the data store 132 may be queried to obtain charging efficiency data (e.g., efficiency curves) and / or charging characteristics data (e.g., charging curves) as discussed herein for adjusting operation of the power module(s) 120.

[0037] Referring now to FIG. 2, FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the operation of charging station 110 during a charging session with electric vehicle 125 to charge a battery 126. In this example, the charging station 110 is shown as including four power modules 120. However this example is for illustrative purposes and it should be understood that embodiments may comprise any number of one or more of such power modules 120. The charging station 110 may include a network interface 210 (e.g., for communicating with network resources via network 130 such as, but not limited to, data store 132 and charge management system 142). The charging station 110 may include a memory 220 accessible to the power module controller 122 that stores data used for charging vehicle(s) 125 such as, but not limited to, charging efficiency data 222 (e.g., efficiency curves) and / or charging characteristics data 224 (e.g., charging curves). In some embodiments, charging efficiency data 222 and / or charging characteristics data 224 may be stored in memory using a lookup table, database, or other data structure. The charging station 110 may be coupled to a charging system 240 of the electric vehicle 125 that comprises charging circuitry for applying the electric charging power 114 to charge the battery 126. The charging system 240 may further include a charging system controller 242 that controls the charging circuitry and / or communicates with one or more components of the charging station 110 (e.g., power module controller 122) during a charging session to manage the charging process. In some embodiments, the charging station 110 may be coupled to a charging system 240 by a charging connection 112 that comprises a charging cable, such as a hybrid power / data cable that comprises one or more conductors that carry the electric charging power 114 and a data bus (e.g., a wired or fiber connection) to establish a datachannel 232 between the power module controller 122 and the charging system controller 242. In some embodiments, the charging connection 112 may be at least in part implemented using a wireless (e.g., inductive) electric vehicle charging pad to deliver the electric charging power 114 and / or a wireless communication link to establish the data channel 232.

[0038] In some embodiments, the power module controller 122 determines an operating power profile for operating the one or more power modules 120 based at least on the charging efficiency data 222. For example, the power module controller 122 may obtain one or more charging parameters associated with the charging system 240 based at least on a handshaking process performed with the charging system controller 242 (e.g., via the data channel 232). In some embodiments, the handshaking process comprises a protocol that may be initiated when the vehicle 125 connects to the charging station 110. For example, the charging system controller 242 may communicate charging parameters to the power module controller 122 indicating maximum and / or minimum electrical limits such as maximum / minimum voltages and / or currents that charging system 240 can accept when charging battery 126. The power module controller 122 may similarly communicate charging parameters to the charging system controller 242 indicating maximum and / or minimum electrical limits such as maximum / minimum voltages and / or currents that the charging station 110 can deliver to the charging system 240. In some embodiments, the charging system controller 242 may communicate to the power module controller 122 a requested charging power (e.g., a request to charge at an 80-kW power level) and / or the power module controller 122 may communicate a specific maximum power the charging station 110 can deliver to the vehicle (e.g., an ability charge at a 50-kW power level). The power module controller 122 may operate the one or more power modules 120 based on the selection of an operating power profile determined based at least in part on the communicated charging parameters.

[0039] In some embodiments, based on the charging parameters and / or other information received during the handshaking protocol, the power module controller 122 may determine a charging architecture associated with the charging system 240 and / or battery 126, and determine an operating power profile for operating the one or more power modules 120 based on correlating the charging architecture to the charging efficiency data 222 in order to drive the one or more power modules 120 towards operation within a peak efficiency window. For example, FIG. 3 illustrates charging efficiency data 300 comprising a plurality of charging efficiency curves 310 for a range of difference charging architectures from 300 volts DC to 1000 volts DC for a given 30-kW power module. Each respective curve may represent anoperating power profile for operating the one or more power modules 120 of the electric vehicle charging station 110. That is, an operating power profile represents charging efficiency data associated with an electrical architecture of the electric vehicle. The power module controller 122 may select the charging efficiency curve corresponding to the charging architecture of the charging system 240 (e.g., for an 800-volt architecture, as shown by curve 320) and identify from that curve a power level for operating the power module 120 at peak efficiency. For the example of an 800-volt architecture, the power module controller 122 refers to curve 320 and determines that the power module 120 obtains a nominal peak efficiency of approximately 96.1% when operated at 18.0 kW - which represents an operating power level of 60% of the power module’s 30-kW maximum-rated capacity. That is, when the power module is operated at 18.0 kW to charge a battery based on an 800-volt architecture, the charging power 114 delivered to the battery per unit of electric power 106 consumed by the charging station 110 is optimized. As such, the power module controller may communicate and offer to the charging system 240 to charge at power level corresponding to operation of the power module(s) 120 at 60% of their rated maximum capacity. For vehicles with other charging architectures, the power module controller 122 may similarly select the corresponding curve from the charging efficiency data 222 to determine the operating power profile for charging those vehicle.

[0040] In some embodiments, the power module controller 122 may download the charging efficiency data 222 from the data store 132 (e.g., in response to information provided by the vehicle during the handshaking protocol). In some embodiments, the charging system controller 242 may supply the power module controller 122 with identification (ID) data, such as a vehicle ID and / or charging system ID - which the power module controller 122 may use to query the data store 132 for the charging efficiency data 222 to use for a charging session.

[0041] By reconfiguring the one or more power modules 120 to operate at a power level selected based on charging architecture associated with the vehicle 125 and / or charging system 240, the power module controller 122 can tailor the operation of the charging station 110 to operate at a peak efficiency level that correlates to the specific vehicle 125. In doing so, the power module controller 122 can deliver charging power 114 in a manner that produces a minimal amount of heat and / or other efficiency -related losses within the charging station 110 - thus providing for charging stations that run cooler, more efficiently, and with lower overhead costs.

[0042] The amount of increase in the level of charge of the battery 126 (the battery’s charge state) over a charging session is a function of several factors that may include: 1) theinitial charge state of the battery at the beginning of the charging session, 2) the power level of charging power 114 over the charging session, and 3) the duration of time of the charging session. In some embodiments, to charge the battery 126 to a target charge level of the power module controller 122 may control the power levels of the one or more power modules 120, and / or the time duration (e.g., a length of time) of a charging session, based on charging characteristics data 224. In some embodiments, the power module controller 122 may download the charging characteristics data 224 from the data store 132 (e.g., in response to information provided by the vehicle during the handshaking protocol). In some embodiments, the charging system controller 242 may supply the power module controller 122 with identification (ID) data, such as a vehicle ID and / or charging system ID - which the power module controller 122 may use to query the data store 132 for the charging characteristics data 224 to use for a charging session.

[0043] For example, FIG. 4 illustrates charging characteristics data 400 comprising a plurality of charging curves 410 illustrating a relationship between battery state and the delivered charging power 114 over a charging session. The particular example of charging characteristics data 400 illustrated in FIG. 4 is for a 400-volt architecture, but in other embodiments, charging characteristics data 400 for other voltage architecture may be used (e.g., based on the voltage architecture of the charging system 240 and / or battery 126). In some embodiments, the power module controller 122 may dynamically control the power level of power modules 120 to vary over the course of a charging session to maintain operation of the power modules at an optimized efficiency level as the voltage across the battery 126 increases as a function of the battery’s charge level - as illustrated in FIG. 4. For example, in some embodiments, the power module controller 122 may select an operating power profile for operating the one or more power modules 120 based at least on the charging efficiency data 222 corresponding to the charging architecture of the charging system 240 (e.g., established by the handshaking protocol), but may dynamically select an operating power level further based at least in part on the current charge level of the battery 126. For example, referring to the charging efficiency data 300 in FIG. 3 and the charging characteristics data 400 presented in FIG. 4, a 35-kW power module charging battery 126 for a 400-volt architecture may nominally demonstrate peak efficiency of about 96.2% at 18 kW (about 60% of its full capacity). However, as shown in FIG. 4, the target battery voltage (shown at 412), actual battery voltage (shown at 414), target charging current (shown at 416), and actual charging current (shown at 418) may vary over the time duration of a charging session at the battery state of chargeincrease. As an example, the actual voltage level 414 may vary depending on the battery’s state of charge - with this example showing a battery voltage of about 380 for a battery with an 8% charge ramping to a battery voltage of about 440 at near 100% charge.

[0044] As a result, over a charging session, the peak efficiency power module power level for charging the battery 126 may deviate from the 60% that is purely based on the voltage architecture. The power module controller 122 may therefore adjust the operating level of the one or more power modules 120 to maximize efficiency as the battery voltage increases over the charging session. As shown in FIG. 4, the power module controller 122 may determine a target current (shown at 416) and a target voltage (412) for delivering the charging power 114 that is nominally maintained until the state of charge of the battery 126 reaches a threshold level (about 85% in FIG. 4) where the voltage level 414 of the battery essentially peaks (at a level below the target voltage 412). After reaching that state of charge threshold level, the power module controller 122 may reconfigure the one or more power modules 120 to deliver the charging power 114 over a series of stages (shown at 420) of increasingly lower target currents 418 to complete the charging of the battery 126 to a full state of charge.

[0045] In some embodiments, at the beginning of a charging session, the power module controller 122 may sequentially adjust (ramp up) the one or more power modules 120 to the desired target operating power levels. The power module controller may initially switch in a first power module 120 to deliver charging power 114, and ramp up the power level of the first power module to the determined target (e.g., peak efficiency) power level, before switching in a second power module 120 and ramping that second power module 120 to the determined peak efficiency power level. Subsequent power modules 120 may be similarly switched in and ramped up to the determined peak efficiency power level in order to ramp the charging power 114 up to the charging power level established with the charging system controller 242.

[0046] As previously mentioned, the power module controller 122 may provide a plurality of different changing modes that may be selected by a vehicle operator - such as a high-efficiency mode where the power modules are operated based on peak efficiency power levels as described herein. The charging session proceeds over a duration of time that delivers the kilowatt-hours (kWH) that charge the vehicle batteries to the target charge level. In some embodiments, the power module controller 122 may default to the high-efficiency mode. The power module controller 122 may, in some embodiments, provide an express charge mode. In the express charge mode, the power module controller 122 may control the power module(s) 120 to operate at a higher (though less efficient) power level than a peak efficiency power levelin order to charge the battery 126 over a charging session that has a shorter time duration than is provided by the high-efficiency mode.

[0047] Referring back to FIG. 1, in some embodiments the power module controller 122 may communicate with a charge management system (CMS) 142 (e.g., via a network 130) to optimize charging speed to optimize an overall efficiency of energy throughput through the power modules 120 over a charging session. While the power module controller 122 may dynamically control operation of the power module(s) 120 to optimize efficiency of delivering the charging power 114 at a particular point in time, the charge management system 142 may operate the power module controller 122 to optimize the efficiency associated with an overall charging session for a vehicle 125. In some embodiments, the power module controller 122 may provide the charge management system 142 with charging session data. In some embodiments, the CMS may receive charging session data such as, but not limited to, one or more of the charging parameters determined by power module controller and / or configuration data indicating the operational configuration of the one or more power modules as adjusted by the power module controller. The charging session data may include, for example, data that characterizes the charging power 114 (e.g., real-time parameters such as the actual and / or target voltages and / or currents being used to deliver charging power 114), and / or other information provided by the charging system controller 242.

[0048] In some embodiments, the charge management system 142 may control a power module controller 122 to control the scheduling of a charging session. The charge management system 142 may control the power module controller 122 to adjust the rate of charging a battery 126 in order to optimize the time duration of a charging session and / or the scheduling of when the charging session begins and ends. As an example, the charge management system 142 may receive an itinerary for a vehicle 125 from the fleet management system 150 that indicates when the vehicle is scheduled to depart from the charging station. The charging system controller 242 and / or the fleet management system 150 may indicate to the charge management system 142 a target state of charge level for the battery 126. The power module controller may adjust the power level of the one or more power modules 120 to provide the charging power 114 at an optimal efficiency (as discussed herein). The charge management system 142 may determine charging characteristics data (e.g., charging characteristics data 224) associated with the charging system 240, compute an amount of time that it will take to deliver sufficient power (e.g., kWH) to charge the battery 126, and schedule the charging session to being and end based on the computed time duration. The charge management system 142 may determine from theitinerary that the vehicle 125 is scheduled to depart at 8:00 am, and based on the charging characteristics data for the vehicle 125, compute that the charging station will take 3.5 hours to achieve the target charge from the current battery charge level - based on the percent power operating level selected by the power module controller 122. Based on the computed 3.5-hour estimated charging time, the charge management system 142 may therefore control the power module controller 122 to begin charging the vehicle at 4:00 am so that the vehicle battery 126 is charged to the target state of charge by the 8:00 am departure time.

[0049] In some embodiments, the charge management system 142 may schedule a charging session and / or compute a duration based at least in part on electricity pricing data - for example, available from the fleet management system 150, data store 132, and or other network service resource. The electricity pricing data may indicate the price of electricity available to the charging station over multiple blocks of time during which the vehicle 125 will be plugged into the charging station 110. Based on the pricing schedule, the charge management system 142 may control the power module controller 122 to initiate charging of the battery 126 during blocks where the electric power 106 (e.g., as provided by an AC power grid 105) available to the charging station 110 is least expensive. In some embodiments, the charge management system 142 may control the power module controller 122 based on an optimization algorithm that weights minimizing electricity costs of a charging session at a greater weight than operating the power module(s) 120 at peak efficiency and adjusts the power level of the one or more power modules 120 based on those weighted factors. For example, raising the operating power level of the power module(s) 120 from 80% to 82% may increase heat losses within the charging station 110 and therefore increase the amount of electric power 106 needed by the power module(s) 122 to deliver the charging power 114 - but may also reduce the overall charging time needed for the charging session, which may reduce the overall amount of heat generated and / or power lost due to inefficiencies. The charge management system 142 may compute a time duration based on the adjusted operating power levels, and determine that if charging time can be reduced, the charging session may now fit into a grouping of pricing blocks where the savings incurred using less expensive electric power 106 outweighs the cost of electricity consumed by losses due to operating the power module(s) 120 less efficiently. As such, the charge management system 142 may control the power module controller 122 to operate the power module(s) 120 at a power level that deviates from its nominal peak efficiency profile in order to obtain an overall less expensive charging session. Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, the charge management system 142 maycontrol the power module controller 122 to engage a number of power module(s) 120 (e.g., operating at their optimal power levels) to tailor the total instantaneous power delivered by the charging power 114 to a desired time duration (e.g., to fit the charging session into a less expensive grouping of pricing blocks).

[0050] In some embodiments, the electricity pricing associated with electric power 106 may be based on a demand metering scheme where lower instantaneous power level demands are charged at a lower price per kWH as compared to a higher instantaneous power level demand. In that case the charge management system 142 may control power module controller 122 to operate the power module(s) 120 at a lower power level than the peak efficiency level indicated by the charging efficiency data 222, and extend the charging session to a longer duration of time in order to obtain the benefit of the lower price per kWH and obtain an overall less expensive charging session. In such embodiments, the charge management system 142 may compute a target charging duration based on weighing the cost of electric power 106 against the costs of not operating the power module(s) 120 at their optimal efficiency levels, and further weighing the factor of shifting the charging session with respect to time in order to achieve an overall optimized charging session.

[0051] In some embodiments, the charge management system 142 may determine the target state of charge for charging a battery 126 based on the itinerary data for vehicle 125. The charge management system 142 may determine a target charge for the battery 126, for example, based on the total mileage, cargo and / or total vehicle weight, and other relevant parameters (e.g., expected temperature or weather condition, type of terrain, elevation changes, etc.) provided by the fleet management system 150 - that will permit the vehicle 125 to reach a next charging station 110 with at least a predetermined margin of remaining battery charge. The charge management system 142 may control the power module controller 122 to configure the power module(s) 120 to the power level for optimal efficiency, compute the time duration for the charging session, and schedule the charging session taking into consideration these factors.

[0052] In some embodiments, the charge management system 142 may receive and evaluate charging data from a power module controller 122 to compute an overall efficiency of a charging station 110 (and / or its set of one or more power modules) based on comparing the amount of electric power 106 being consumed by the charging station 110 versus the amount of charging power 114 being delivered to a battery 126 over one or more charging sessions, and compute one or more efficiency metrics (an efficiency score) for the chargingstation 110 for charging batteries associated with different voltage architectures. Based on the efficiency metrics, in some embodiments the charge management system 142 may control the power module controller 122 to adjust the operating power level of its power module(s) 120 to find an operating level where the ratio of power being delivered (charging power 114) to power being consumed (electric power 106) converges on an operating power level representing a peak / optimal operating efficiency for that charging station 110.

[0053] Referring now to FIG. 5, a flowchart illustrates a method 500 for efficiencybased dynamic power module power delivery management for vehicle battery charging, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be understood that the features and elements described herein with respect to the method 500 of FIG. 5 can be used in conjunction with, in combination with, or substituted for elements of any of the other embodiments discussed herein and vice versa. Further, it should be understood that the functions, structures, and other descriptions of elements for embodiments described in FIG. 5 can apply to like or similarly named or described elements across any of the figures and / or embodiments described herein and vice versa. In some embodiments, elements of method 500 are implemented utilizing elements of the vehicle charging system 100 and / or power module controller 122 disclosed herein, or another processing device implementing the present disclosure. The method 500 is not limited to this selection of elements shown in FIG. 5.

[0054] The method 500, at block 512, includes determining an operating power profile for operating one or more power modules of an electric vehicle charging station, the operating power profile determined based at least on charging efficiency data associated with an electrical architecture of the at least one electric vehicle. The operating power profile indicates an efficiency of the one or more power modules in converting a first electric power to a second electric power as a function of one or more characteristics of the second electric power. In some embodiments, the method may be performed using a system for charging electric vehicles that includes a first interface configured to receive a first electric power and a second interface to deliver the second electric power (as a charging power) to the at least one electric vehicle. The electrical architecture may be determined at least in part based on a handshake protocol performed via a communication link with the at least one electric vehicle. That is, the method may include establishing a communication link with a charging system of the at least one electric vehicle using the second interface, and determining the electrical architecture based on a handshake protocol performed via the communication link. In some embodiments, theduration of the charging session may be determined based at least on a charge level request via the communication link.

[0055] The system may comprise a charging station (such as illustrated in FIG. 2) that includes one or more power modules, wherein each of the one or more power modules comprise circuitry to adjustably convert the first electric power to the second electric power. The system may further include a power module controller implemented by one or more processors (comprising processing circuitry) coupled to a memory (e.g., as shown in FIGs. 7 and 8) to perform operations to carry out the method 500. As discussed herein with respect to FIGs. 1 and 2, a charging station 110 may be rated for delivering charging power 114 for charging a battery 126 of an electric vehicle 125 based at least in part on the cumulative power ratings of the one or more power modules 120. Each of the power modules 120 may include an AC / DC power conversion stage (e.g., a switching power supply) that converts AC power from the AC power grid (which in various embodiments may be either single-phase or three-phase AC power) into an intermediate DC power. The power modules 120 may further include a DC / DC power stage that received the intermediate DC power and adjusts voltage and / or current as controlled by the power module controller to deliver the charging power 114 for charging battery 126. The power module controller may determine an operating power profile for operating the one or more power modules based at least on the charging efficiency data. For example, FIG. 3 illustrates charging efficiency data 300 comprising a plurality of charging efficiency curves 310 for a range of difference charging architectures from 300 volts DC to 1000 volts DC for a given 30-kW power module. Each respective curve may represent an operating power profile for operating the one or more power modules of the electric vehicle charging station. The power module controller may select the charging efficiency curve corresponding to the charging architecture of the charging system 240 (e.g., for an 800-volt architecture as shown by curve 320) and identify from that curve a power level for operating the power module(s) at peak efficiency.

[0056] The method 500, at block 514, includes controlling a power level of the one or more power modules over a duration of a charging session based at least on the operating power profile to deliver the second electric power to the at least one electric vehicle. For example, a power module controller 122 may operate to optimize the usage of the power modules 120 to operate at a high-efficiency power level that incurs a minimal generation of internal heat loss during charging sessions. By reconfiguring the charging station to operate the power module(s) at a power level selected based on a charging architecture associated with an electric vehicle,the power module controller tailors the operation of the charging station to operate at a peak efficiency level that correlates to the specific vehicle. In some embodiments, the method may control the power level of the one or more power modules based on an optimal efficiency power level of the one or more power modules associated with the electrical architecture, the optimal efficiency power level determined at least using the operating power profile. In some embodiments, the method may control the power level of the one or more power modules based at least on one or both of a target current of the second electric power and a target voltage of the second electric power. In some embodiments, the method may control the power level of the one or more power modules based at least on a state of charge of one or more batteries of the at least one electric vehicle. The power level of the one or more power modules may be controlled to vary over the duration of the charging session to maintain operation of the one or more power modules at an optimized efficiency level as a voltage level of a battery of the at least one electric vehicle increases.

[0057] In some embodiments, the method may include controlling the timing of the duration of the charging session based at least on one or more control messages from a charge management system received via a network. The one or more power modules may be controlled based on the one or more control messages to control the timing of the duration of the charging session. In some embodiments, the charge management system may control the one or more processors based on an efficiency metric computed based on a function of at least the first electric power and the second electric power. For example, the charge management system may control a power module controller to adjust a timing of the charging session based on at least one of, but not limited to, electricity pricing data associated with the first electric power and itinerary data associated with a schedule of the at least one vehicle, as discussed herein.

[0058] The one or more power modules may be controlled to ramp up to a target power for the second electric power by sequentially adjusting the one or more power modules based at least on the operating power profile. That is, the power module controller may initially switch in a first power module and ramp up its power level to the determined peak efficiency power level before engaging and ramping up the next subsequent power module in a similar manner. In some embodiments, the one or more power modules may be based at least on a first mode and a second mode. For example, the first mode may comprise a high-efficiency mode wherein the one or more power modules are operated at a first power level based on a peak efficiency determined based on the operating power profile, and the second mode maycomprise an express charge mode, wherein the one or more power modules are operated at a second power level greater than the first power level.

[0059] Referring now to FIG. 6, a flowchart illustrates a method 600 for a charge management system for use with efficiency-based dynamic power module power delivery management for vehicle battery charging, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the method may be implemented by a charge management system 142, as discussed herein. It should be understood that the features and elements described herein with respect to the method 600 of FIG. 6 can be used in conjunction with, in combination with, or substituted for elements of any of the other embodiments discussed herein and vice versa. Further, it should be understood that the functions, structures, and other descriptions of elements or embodiments described in FIG. 6 can apply to like or similarly named or described elements across any of the figures and / or embodiments described herein and vice versa. In some embodiments, elements of method 600 are implemented utilizing elements of vehicle charging system 100 (such as a cloud computing platform 140) and / or in conjunction with a network-connected charging station 110 as disclosed herein, or other processing device implementing the present disclosure. The method 600 is not limited to this selection of elements shown in FIG. 6.

[0060] The method 600 at block 612 includes receiving charging session data indicating at least an operational configuration of the one or more power modules. For example, charging session data may be received via a network from a power module controller of a charging station such as is described herein. In some embodiments, the CMS may receive charging session data such as, but not limited to, one or more of the charging parameters determined by the power module controller and / or configuration data indicating the operational configuration of the one or more power modules as adjusted by the power module controller. The charging session data may include, for example, data that characterizes the charging power 114 (e.g., real-time parameters such as the actual and / or target voltages and / or currents being used to deliver charging power 114), and / or other information provided by the charging system controller 242.

[0061] The method 600 at block 614 includes controlling the power module controller to adjust at least a timing of the duration of the charging session based at least on the charging session data and an efficiency of the charging session. For example, the power module controller may be controlled to optimize charging speed to optimize an overall efficiency of energy throughput through the power modules 120 over a charging session. For example, asexplained with respect to FIG. 1, the charge management system 142 may control the power module controller 122 to adjust the rate of charging a battery 126 in order to optimize the time duration of a charging session and / or the scheduling of when the charging session begins and ends. The charging system controller 242 and / or a fleet management system 150 may indicate to the charge management system 142 a target state of charge level for the battery 126, and the power module controller may adjust the power level of the one or more power modules 120 to provide the charging power 114 at an optimal efficiency. In some embodiments, the charge management system 142 may schedule a charging session and / or compute a duration based at least in part on electricity pricing data - for example, available from the fleet management system 150, data store 132, and or other network service resource. The charge management system 142 may control the power module controller 122 based on an optimization algorithm that weights minimizing electricity costs of a charging session greaterthan operating the power module(s) 120 at peak efficiency and adjusts the power level of the one or more power modules 120 based on those weighted factors. In some embodiments, the charge management system 142 may determine the target state of charge for charging a battery 126 based on the itinerary data for vehicle 125. The charge management system 142 may determine a target charge for the battery 126, for example, based on the total mileage, cargo and / or total vehicle weight, and other relevant parameters (e.g., expected temperature or whether condition, type of terrain, elevation changes, etc.) provided by the fleet management system 150 - that will permit the vehicle 125 to reach a next charging station 110 with at least a predetermined margin of remaining battery charge. The charge management system 142 may control the power module controller 122 to configure the power module(s) 120 to the power level for optimal efficiency, compute the time duration for the charging session, and schedule the charging session taking into consideration these factors.

[0062] In some embodiments, the method 600 may include receiving and evaluating charging data from a power module controller 122 to compute an overall efficiency of a charging station 110 (and / or its set of one or more power modules) based on comparing the amount of electric power 106 being consumed by the charging station 110 versus the amount of charging power 114 being delivered to a battery 126 over one or more charging sessions, and compute one or more efficiency metrics (an efficiency score) for the charging station 110 for charging batteries associated with different voltage architectures. Based on the efficiency metrics, in some embodiments the charge management system 142 may control the power module controller 122 to adjust the operating power level of its power module(s) 120 to findan operating level where the ratio of power being delivered (charging power 114) to power being consumed (electric power 106) converges on an operating power level representing a peak / optimal operating efficiency for that charging station 110.

[0063] With regard to FIG. 7, one exemplary operating environment for implementing aspects of the technology described herein is shown and designated generally as computing device 700. For example, in some embodiments, one or more aspects of the charging station 110, power module controller 122, and / or charge management system 142 can be implemented using one or more computing devices such as computing device 700. Computing device 700 is just one example of a suitable computing environment and is not intended to suggest any limitation as to the scope of use or functionality of the technology described herein. Neither should the computing device 700 be interpreted as having any dependency or requirement relating to any one or combination of components illustrated.

[0064] The technology described herein can be described in the general context of computer code or machine-usable instructions, including computer-executable instructions such as program components, being executed by a computer or other machine, such as a personal data assistant or other handheld device. Generally, program components, including routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, and the like, refer to code that performs particular tasks or implements particular abstract data types. Aspects of the technology described herein can be practiced in a variety of system configurations, including vehicles, industrial machinery, robots, consumer electronics, general-purpose computers, and specialty computing devices. Aspects of the technology described herein can also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote-processing devices that are linked through a communications network. For example, the computing device 700 may comprise a computing device integrated within a vehicle, industrial machinery, a robot, and / or other mobile or stationary systems.

[0065] With continued reference to FIG. 7, computing device 700 includes a bus 710 that directly or indirectly couples the following devices: memory 712, one or more processors 714, one or more presentation components 716, input / output (VO) ports 718, I / O components 720, an illustrative power supply 722, and a radio(s) 724.

[0066] Bus 710 represents one or more buses (such as an address bus, data bus, or combination thereof). Although the various blocks of FIG. 7 are shown with lines for the sake of clarity, it should be understood that one or more of the functions of the components can be distributed between components. For example, a presentation component 716 such as a displaydevice can also be considered an I / O component 720. The diagram of FIG. 7 is merely illustrative of an exemplary computing device that can be used in connection with one or more aspects of the technology described herein. Distinction is not made between such categories as "workstation," "server," "laptop," "tablet," "smart phone" or "handheld device," as all are contemplated within the scope of FIG. 7 and refer to "computer" or "computing device."

[0067] In some embodiments, a power module controller 122 and / or charge management system 142, as described in any of the examples of this disclosure may be implemented at least in part using code executed by the one or more processors(s) 714. In some embodiments, the one or more processors(s) 714 may include processing circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more central processing units (CPUs) 730 and / or one or more graphics processing units (GPUs) 732. In some embodiments, one or more of the power module controller 122 and / or charge management system 142 may be implemented at least in part using a neural network inference engine executed on the one or more processors(s) 714.

[0068] Computing device 700 typically includes a variety of computer-readable media. Computer-readable media can be any available media that can be accessed by computing device 700 and includes both volatile and non-volatile media, removable and non-removable media. By way of example, and not limitation, computer-readable media may comprise computer storage media and communication media. Computer storage media includes both volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data.

[0069] Computer storage media includes non-transient RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVDs) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices. Computer storage media and computer-readable media do not comprise a propagated data signal or signals per se.

[0070] Communication media typically embodies computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism and includes any information delivery media. The term “modulated data signal” means a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal. By way of example, and not limitation, communication media includes wired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, radio frequency (RF), infrared and otherwireless media. Combinations of any of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0071] Memory 712 includes computer storage media in the form of volatile and / or non-volatile memory. Memory 712 may be removable, non-removable, or a combination thereof. Exemplary memory includes solid-state memory, hard drives, optical-disc drives, etc. Memory 712 may include any type of tangible medium that is capable of storing information, such as a database. A database may include any collection of records, data, and / or other information.

[0072] Computing device 700 includes one or more processors 714 that read data from various entities such as bus 710, memory 712, or VO components 720. One or more presentation components 716 present data indications to a person or other device. For example, presentation components 716 may include a human-machine interface (HMI) that may display alerts, warnings, or other information generated by the charging station 110. Exemplary one or more presentation components 716 include a display device, speaker, printing component, vibrating component, etc. I / O ports 718 allow computing device 700 to be logically coupled to other devices including I / O components 720, some of which may be built into computing device 700. Illustrative I / O components 720 include a microphonejoystick, game pad, satellite dish, scanner, printer, wireless device, display device, a controller (such as a keyboard, and a mouse), a natural user interface (NUI) (such as touch interaction, pen (or stylus) gesture, and gaze detection), and the like. In some embodiments, I / O components 720 may include a network interface card (NIC) to implement the network interface 210.

[0073] Radio(s) 724 represents a radio that facilitates communication with a wireless telecommunications network and / or a wireless channel to network 130. For example, radio(s) 724 may comprise a wireless network interface used to establish communications with the charge management system 142, data store 132, fleet management system 150, or other resource via network 130. Illustrative wireless telecommunications technologies include CDMA, GPRS, TDMA, GSM, and the like. Radio 724 might additionally or alternatively facilitate other types of wireless communications including Wi-Fi, WiMAX, LTE, and / or other VoIP communications. As can be appreciated, in various embodiments, radio(s) 724 can be configured to support multiple technologies, and / or multiple radios can be utilized to support multiple technologies.

[0074] The computing device 700, in some embodiments, is equipped with sensors such as, but not limited to, temperature sensors, pressure sensors, airflow sensors, air masssensors, process flow sensors, electrical current and / or voltage sensors, image sensors, cameras, depth cameras, such as stereoscopic camera systems, infrared camera systems, red- green-blue (RGB) camera systems, and combinations of these, which may be used for generating sensor data for input to the power module controller 122 discussed herein (e.g., to monitor one or more parameters of a charging session, as discussed herein). Additionally, the computing device 700, in some embodiments, is equipped with accelerometers or gyroscopes that enable detection of motion. The output of the accelerometers or gyroscopes can be provided to the display of the computing device 700 to render immersive augmented reality or virtual reality.

[0075] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a cloud-based computing environment 800 for implementing one or more aspects of the vehicle charging system 100 with respect to any of the embodiments discussed herein. For example, the cloud computing platform 140 hosting the charge management system 142 may comprise and / or be implemented by cloud-based computing environment 800. Cloud-based computing environment 800 comprises one or more controllers 810 that each comprises one or more processors and memory, each programmed to execute code to implement at least part of the charge management system 142 (as shown in FIG. 1). In one embodiment, the one or more controllers 810 comprise server components of a data center. The controllers 810 may be configured to establish a cloud-based computing platform executing aspects of the charge management system 142 and / or power module controller 122. For example, in some embodiments, one or more operations of the charge management system 142 and / or power module controller 122 are virtualized network services running on a cluster of worker nodes 820 established on the controllers 810. For example, the cluster of worker nodes 820 can include one or more pods 822 (such as Kubemetes (K8s) pods) orchestrated onto the worker nodes 820 to realize one or more containerized applications 824 to implement one or more functions of the charge management system 142 and / or power module controller 122. In some embodiments, the power module controller 122 can be coupled to the controllers 810 by network 130 (for example, a public network such as the Internet, a proprietary network, or a combination thereof). In some embodiments the cluster of worker nodes 820 includes one or more data store persistent volumes 830 that implement the data store 132.EXAMPLE CLAUSES

[0076] Clause 1 includes a system for charging electric vehicles, the system comprising: a first interface configured to receive a first electric power; a second interface to deliver a second electric power to at least one electric vehicle; one or more power modules, wherein each of the one or more power modules comprise circuitry to adjustably convert the first electric power to the second electric power; one or more processors coupled to a memory, the one or more processors configured to perform operations to: determine an operating power profile for operating the one or more power modules, the operating power profile representing charging efficiency data associated with an electrical architecture of the at least one electric vehicle, wherein the operating power profile indicates an efficiency of the one or more power modules in converting the first electric power to the second electric power as a function of one or more characteristics of the second electric power; and control a power level of the one or more power modules over a duration of a charging session based at least on the operating power profile to deliver the second electric power to the at least one electric vehicle.

[0077] Clause 2 includes the system of clause 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to control the power level of the one or more power modules based on an optimal efficiency power level of the one or more power modules associated with the electrical architecture, the optimal efficiency power level determined at least using the operating power profile.

[0078] Clause 3 includes the system of any of clauses 1 or 2, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to control the power level of the one or more power modules based at least on one or both of a target current of the second electric power and a target voltage of the second electric power.

[0079] Clause 4 includes the system of clause 3, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to control the power level of the one or more power modules based at least on a state of charge of one or more batteries of the at least one electric vehicle.

[0080] Clause 5 includes the system of any of clauses 1-4, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to perform operations further to: establish a communication link with a charging system of the at least one electric vehicle using the second interface; and determine the electrical architecture based on a handshake protocol performed via the communication link.

[0081] Clause 6 includes the system of clause 5, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to determine the duration of the charging session based at least on a charge level request via the communication link.

[0082] Clause 7 includes the system of any of clauses 1-6, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to control the one or more power modules to ramp up to a target power for the second electric power by sequentially adjusting the one or more power modules based at least on the operating power profile.

[0083] Clause 8 includes the system of any of clauses 1-7, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to operate the one or more power modules based at least on a first mode and a second mode; wherein the first mode comprises a high-efficiency mode wherein the one or more power modules are operated at a first power level based on a peak efficiency determined based on the operating power profile; and wherein the second mode comprises an express charge mode, wherein the one or more power modules are operated at a second power level greater than the first power level.

[0084] Clause 9 includes the system of any of clauses 1-8, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to dynamically control the power level of the one or more power modules to vary over the duration of the charging session to maintain operation of the one or more power modules at an optimized efficiency level as a voltage level of a battery of the at least one electric vehicle increases.

[0085] Clause 10 includes the system of any of clauses 1-9, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to query a data store to obtain the charging efficiency data associated with the electrical architecture of the at least one electric vehicle.

[0086] Clause 11 includes the system of any of clauses 1-10, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to control a timing of the duration of the charging session based at least on one or more control messages from a charge management system received via a network; and wherein the one or more processors control the one or more power modules based on the one or more control messages to control the timing of the duration of the charging session.

[0087] Clause 12 includes the system of any of clauses 1-11, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to control the one or more processors based on an efficiency metric computed based on a function of at least the first electric power and the second electric power.

[0088] Clause 13 includes the system of any of clauses 1-12, wherein the at least one electric vehicle comprises a plurality of electric vehicles, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to determine the operating power profile for operating the one or more power modules based on the second electric power comprising a sum of charging power to each of the plurality of electric vehicles.

[0089] Clause 14 includes a charge management system coupled by a network to the system for charging electric vehicles of any of clauses 1-13, the charge management system comprising a second processing circuitry configured to perform operations to: control a power module controller to adjust a timing of the charging session based on at least one of: electricity pricing data associated with the first electric power; and itinerary data associated with a schedule of the at least one vehicle.

[0090] Clause 15 includes a system for charging electric vehicles, the system comprising: a charging station comprising: one or more power modules, wherein each of the one or more power modules comprise circuitry to variably convert a first electric power to a second electric power; a power module controller, the power module controller comprising first processing circuitry configured to perform operations to: determine an operating power profile for operating the one or more power modules, the operating power profile representing charging efficiency data associated with an electrical architecture of at least one electric vehicle, wherein the operating power profile indicates an efficiency of the one or more power modules in converting the first electric power to the second electric power as a function of one or more characteristics of the second electric power; and control a power level of the one or more power modules over a duration of a charging session based at least on the operating power profile to deliver the second electric power to the at least one electric vehicle; and a charge management system coupled to the power module controller by a network, the charge management system comprising a second processing circuitry configured to perform operations comprising: receive charging session data from the power module controller indicating at least an operational configuration of the one or more power modules; and control the power module controller to adjust at least a timing of the duration of the charging session based at least on the charging session data and an efficiency of the charging session.

[0091] Clause 16 includes the system of clause 15, wherein the charge management system is further configured to adjust at least the timing of the duration of the charging session based on at least one of: electricity pricing data associated with the first electric power; and itinerary data associated with a schedule of the at least one electric vehicle.

[0092] Clause 17 includes the system of any of clause 15-16, wherein the charge management system is further configured to compute an efficiency metric based on a function of at least the first electric power and the second electric power; and control the power module controller to adjust the one or more power modules based at least on the efficiency metric.

[0093] Clause 18 includes the system of any of clause 15-17, wherein the charge management system is further configured to adjust the timing of the duration of the charging session based on adjusting at least one of: a begin time of the charging session, an end time of the charging session, and a length of time of the charging session.

[0094] Clause 19 includes the system of any of clauses 15-18, wherein the power module controller is further configured to control the power level of the one or more power modules based on an optimal efficiency power level of the one or more power modules associated with the electrical architecture, the optimal efficiency power level determined at least using the operating power profile.

[0095] Clause 20 includes the system of any of clause 15-19, wherein the power module controller is further configured to dynamically control the power level of the one or more power modules to vary over the duration of the charging session to maintain operation of the one or more power modules at an optimized efficiency level as a voltage level of a battery of the at least one electric vehicle increases.

[0096] Clause 21 includes a method for charging electric vehicles, the method comprising: determining an operating power profile for operating one or more power modules of an electric vehicle charging station, the operating power profile determined based at least on charging efficiency data associated with an electrical architecture of at least one electric vehicle, wherein the operating power profile indicates an efficiency of the one or more power modules in converting a first electric power to a second electric power as a function of one or more characteristics of the second electric power; and controlling a power level of the one or more power modules over a duration of a charging session based at least on the operating power profile to deliver the second electric power to the at least one electric vehicle.

[0097] Clause 22 includes the method of clause 21, the method further comprising: dynamically controlling the power level of the one or more power modules to vary over the duration of the charging session to maintain operation of the one or more power modules at an optimized efficiency level as a voltage level of a battery of the at least one electric vehicle increases.

[0098] Clause 23 includes the method of any of clauses 21-22, the method further comprising: receiving charging session data indicating at least an operational configuration of the one or more power modules; and controlling the power module controller to adjust at least a timing of the duration of the charging session based at least on the charging session data and an efficiency of the charging session.

[0099] Clause 24 includes the method of any of clauses 21-23, the method further comprising: adjusting a timing of the charging session based on at least one of: electricity pricing data associated with the first electric power; and itinerary data associated with a schedule of the at least one vehicle.

[0100] Clause 25 includes the method of clause 24, wherein adjusting the timing comprises adjusting at least one of: a begin time of the charging session, an end time of the charging session, and a length of time of the charging session.

[0101] Clause 26 includes the method of any of clauses 21-25, the method further comprising: computing an efficiency metric based on a function of at least the first electric power and the second electric power; and adjusting the power level of the one or more power modules based at least on the efficiency metric.

[0102] Clause 27 includes the systems and / or methods of any of clauses 1-26 in any combination.

[0103] In various alternative embodiments, system and / or device elements, method steps, or example implementations described throughout this disclosure can be implemented at least in part using one or more computer systems, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or similar devices comprising a processor coupled to a memory and executing code to realize that elements, processes, or examples, said code stored on a non-transient hardware data storage device. Therefore, other embodiments of the present disclosure can include elements comprising program instructions resident on computer-readable media that when implemented by such computer systems, enable them to implement the embodiments described herein. As used herein, the terms "computer-readable media" and "computer storage media" refer to tangible memory storage devices having nontransient physical forms and include both volatile and non-volatile, removable and nonremovable media. Such non-transient physical forms can include computer memory devices, such as but not limited to: magnetic disk or tape, or other magnetic storage devices, any optical data storage system, flash read-only memory (ROM), non-volatile ROM, programmable ROM (PROM), erasable-programmable ROM (E-PROM), electrically erasable-programmable ROM(EEPROM), random-access memory (RAM), CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVDs), or any other form of permanent, semi-permanent, or temporary memory storage system of a device having a physical, tangible form. By way of example, and not limitation, computer-readable media can comprise computer storage media and communication media. Computer storage media and computer-readable media do not comprise a propagated data signal. Program instructions include, but are not limited to, computer-executable instructions executed by computer system processors and hardware description languages such as Very High-Speed Integrated Circuit (VHSIC) Hardware Description Language (VHDL).

[0104] Many different arrangements of the various components depicted, as well as components not shown, are possible without departing from the scope of the claims below.Embodiments in this disclosure are described with the intent to be illustrative rather than restrictive. Alternative embodiments will become apparent to readers of this disclosure after and because of reading it. Alternative means of implementing the aforementioned can be completed without departing from the scope of the claims below. Certain features and subcombinations are of utility and can be employed without reference to other features and subcombinations and are contemplated within the scope of the claims.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. A system (110) for charging electric vehicles, the system comprising: a first interface configured to receive a first electric power (106); a second interface to deliver a second electric power (114) to at least one electric vehicle (125); one or more power modules (120), wherein each of the one or more power modules (120) comprise circuitry to adjustably convert the first electric power to the second electric power; one or more processors (122, 714) coupled to a memory (712), the one or more processors (714) configured to perform operations to: determine an operating power profile for operating the one or more power modules (120), the operating power profile representing charging efficiency data associated with an electrical architecture of the at least one electric vehicle (125), wherein the operating power profile indicates an efficiency of the one or more power modules (120) in converting the first electric power to the second electric power as a function of one or more characteristics of the second electric power; and control a power level of the one or more power modules (120) over a duration of a charging session based at least on the operating power profile to deliver the second electric power to the at least one electric vehicle (125).

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors (122, 714) are further configured to control the power level of the one or more power modules (120) based on an optimal efficiency power level of the one or more power modules associated with the electrical architecture, the optimal efficiency power level determined at least using the operating power profile.

3. The system of any of claims 1-2, wherein the one or more processors (122, 714) are further configured to control the power level of the one or more power modules (120) based at least on one or both of a target current of the second electric power and a target voltage of the second electric power.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the one or more processors (122, 714) are further configured to control the power level of the one or more power modules (120) based at least on a state of charge of one or more batteries of the at least one electric vehicle.

5. The system of any of claims 1-4, wherein the one or more processors (122, 714) are further configured to perform operations to: establish a communication link (232) with a charging system (240) of the at least one electric vehicle (126) using the second interface; and determine the electrical architecture based on a handshake protocol performed via the communication link (232).

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the one or more processors (122, 714) are further configured to determine the duration of the charging session based at least on a charge level request via the communication link (232).

7. The system of any of claims 1-6, wherein the one or more processors (122, 714) are further configured to control the one or more power modules (120) to ramp up to a target power for the second electric power by sequentially adjusting the one or more power modules (120) based at least on the operating power profile.

8. The system of any of claims 1-7, wherein the one or more processors (122, 714) are further configured to operate the one or more power modules (120) based at least on a first mode and a second mode;wherein the first mode comprises a high-efficiency mode wherein the one or more power modules (120) are operated at a first power level based on a peak efficiency determined based on the operating power profile; and wherein the second mode comprises an express charge mode, wherein the one or more power modules (120) are operated at a second power level greater than the first power level.

9. The system of any of claims 1-8, wherein the one or more processors (122, 714) are further configured to dynamically control the power level of the one or more power modules (120) to vary over the duration of the charging session to maintain operation of the one or more power modules (120) at an optimized efficiency level as a voltage level of a battery (126) of the at least one electric vehicle (125) increases.

10. The system of any of claims 1-9, wherein the one or more processors (122, 714) are further configured to query a data store (132) to obtain the charging efficiency data associated with the electrical architecture of the at least one electric vehicle (125).

11. The system of any of claims 1-10, wherein the one or more processors (122, 714) are further configured to control a timing of the duration of the charging session based at least on one or more control messages from a charge management system (142) received via a network (130); and wherein the one or more processors (122, 714) control the one or more power modules (120) based on the one or more control messages to control the timing of the duration of the charging session.

12. The system of any of claims 1-11, wherein the one or more processors (122, 714) are further configured to control the one or more modules (120) based on an efficiency metric computed based on a function of at least the first electric power and the second electric power.

13. The system of any of claims 1-12, wherein the at least one electric vehicle (125) comprises a plurality of electric vehicles (125), wherein the one or more processors (122, 714) are further configured to determine the operating power profile for operating the one or more power modules (120) based on the second electric power comprising a sum of charging power to each of the plurality of electric vehicles (125).

14. A charge management system (142) coupled by a network (130) to the system for charging electric vehicles (110) of any of claims 1-13, the charge management system (142) comprising a second processing circuitry (714, 810) configured to perform operations to: control a power module controller (120) to adjust a timing of the charging session based on at least one of: electricity pricing data associated with the first electric power; and itinerary data associated with a schedule of the at least one vehicle (125).

15. A system (100) for charging electric vehicles (125), the system comprising: a charging station (110) comprising: one or more power modules (120), wherein each of the one or more power modules (120) comprise circuitry to variably convert a first electric power to a second electric power; a power module controller (122), the power module controller (122) comprising first processing circuitry (714) configured to perform operations to: determine an operating power profile for operating the one or more power modules (120), the operating power profile representing charging efficiency data associated with an electrical architecture of at least one electric vehicle (120), wherein the operating power profile indicates an efficiency of the one or more power modules (120) inconverting the first electric power to the second electric power as a function of one or more characteristics of the second electric power; and control a power level of the one or more power modules (120) over a duration of a charging session based at least on the operating power profile to deliver the second electric power to the at least one electric vehicle (125); and a charge management system (142) coupled to the power module controller by a network (130), the charge management system (142) comprising second processing circuitry (714, 810) configured to perform operations to: receive charging session data from the power module controller (122) indicating at least an operational configuration of the one or more power modules (120); and control the power module controller (122) to adjust at least a timing of the duration of the charging session based at least on the charging session data and an efficiency of the charging session.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the charge management system (142) is further configured to adjust at least the timing of the duration of the charging session based on at least one of electricity pricing data associated with the first electric power; and itinerary data associated with a schedule of the at least one electric vehicle (125).

17. The system of any of claims 15-16, wherein the charge management system (142) is further configured to compute an efficiency metric based on a function of at least the first electric power and the second electric power; and control the power module controller (122) to adjust the one or more power modules (120) based at least on the efficiency metric.

18. The system of any of claims 15-17, wherein the charge management system (142) is further configured to adjust the timing of the duration of the charging session based on adjusting at least one of: a begin time of the charging session, an end time of the charging session, and a length of time of the charging session.

19. The system of any of claims 15-18, wherein the power module controller (122) is further configured to control the power level of the one or more power modules (120) based on an optimal efficiency power level of the one or more power modules (120) associated with the electrical architecture, the optimal efficiency power level determined at least using the operating power profile.

20. The system of any of claims 15-19, wherein the power module controller (122) is further configured to dynamically control the power level of the one or more power modules (120) to vary over the duration of the charging session to maintain operation of the one or more power modules (120) at an optimized efficiency level as a voltage level of a battery (126) of the at least one electric vehicle (125) increases.

21. A method (500) for charging electric vehicles, the method comprising: determining an operating power profile for operating one or more power modules (120) of an electric vehicle charging station (110), the operating power profile determined based at least on charging efficiency data associated with an electrical architecture of at least one electric vehicle (125), wherein the operating power profile indicates an efficiency of the one or more power modules (120) in converting a first electric power to a second electric power as a function of one or more characteristics of the second electric power; and controlling a power level of the one or more power modules (120) over a duration of a charging session based at least on the operating power profile to deliver the second electric power to the at least one electric vehicle (125).

22. The method (500) of claim 21, the method further comprising:dynamically controlling the power level of the one or more power modules (120) to vary over the duration of the charging session to maintain operation of the one or more power modules (120) at an optimized efficiency level as a voltage level of a battery (126) of the at least one electric vehicle (125) increases.

23. The method (500) of any of claims 21-22, the method further comprising: receiving charging session data indicating at least an operational configuration of the one or more power modules (120); and controlling the power module controller (122) to adjust at least a timing of the duration of the charging session based at least on the charging session data and an efficiency of the charging session.

24. The method (500) of any of claims 21-23, the method (500) further comprising: adjusting a timing of the charging session based on at least one of: electricity pricing data associated with the first electric power; and itinerary data associated with a schedule of the at least one vehicle (125).

25. The method (500) of claim 24, wherein adjusting the timing comprises adjusting at least one of: a begin time of the charging session, an end time of the charging session, and a length of time of the charging session.

26. The method (500) of any of claims 21-25, the method further comprising: computing an efficiency metric based on a function of at least the first electric power and the second electric power; and adjusting the power level of the one or more power modules (120) based at least on the efficiency metric.

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