Call Center Vehicle Charging Control Grid Load Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
As the number of electric vehicles increases, the electrical grid infrastructure becomes stressed during peak charging periods, leading to potential overload issues, especially during high temperatures, necessitating a system to efficiently manage and control vehicle charging.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for remotely controlling the charging of electric vehicles based on grid load conditions, allowing utilities or consumers to request modifications to charging operations, including reduction, stoppage, or energy feedback into the grid, through a call center that communicates with vehicles to adjust their charging status.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multiple electric vehicles charge simultaneously on the electrical grid, then the charging demand and power draw increase, but the electrical grid infrastructure becomes stressed and may experience overload
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements periodic charging control by scheduling vehicle charging during off-peak hours when grid load is lower. The call center receives requests to modify charging operations and commands vehicles to charge during specific time periods that avoid peak demand, thereby distributing the charging load periodically rather than simultaneously, which resolves the contradiction between meeting charging demand and maintaining grid stability
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts charging rates and timing based on real-time grid conditions. The call center monitors grid load and sends adaptive commands to vehicles to modify their charging operations, allowing the charging system to respond flexibly to changing grid conditions rather than operating at fixed rates, thus balancing charging productivity with grid reliability
2Reliability
If the call center remotely controls charging operations of multiple vehicles, then grid load management improves, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The call center serves as an intermediary between the utility company and the electric vehicles. It receives charging modification requests from the utility and translates them into commands for individual vehicles, while also collecting vehicle status information and forwarding relevant data to the utility. This intermediary layer simplifies the overall system architecture by centralizing the control logic and communication protocols in a single location, managing grid load effectively without requiring complex distributed control systems at each vehicle or utility endpoint
Data Source
AI summary
The described method and system provide for remotely controlling the charging operation of plurality of vehicles. In one implementation, a call center may receive a request from a utility regarding a particular grid and sends out an inquiry to locate vehicles in that grid. Once the vehicles have been located, the call center sends a command to those vehicles corresponding to the utility's request. In another implementation, vehicles may register information with the call center every time a charging event takes place, and the call center keeps track of the location of each vehicle based on the registration. When the call center receives a request from a utility, the call center may directly send out commands to vehicles based on the request. In other implementations, vehicle charging may be remotely controlled through the call center by consumers, the utility, or a home energy management system (HEMS). The charging control may further be customized based on a variety of information and preferences provided to the call center by the consumer, utility, or HEMS.