EV Charge Payment Preauthorization for Offline Charging Stations
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electric vehicle charging systems face challenges in managing payment transactions, especially when charge stations lack access to communication networks, making it difficult to facilitate electronic payments.
Innovation Solution
A user device communicates with a payment management device to preauthorize payment before leaving a communication network, then initiates charging at a station without network access, with final payment information being reconciled upon re-entering the network.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If charge stations operate without communication network access, then charging service availability is improved, but payment transaction capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs payment preauthorization before the vehicle arrives at the charge station. The user device sends a preauthorization request to the payment management device, which reserves the required funds. This preliminary payment action enables the charge station to provide charging services without needing real-time network connectivity for payment processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The user device acts as an intermediary between the charge station and the payment management device. It stores the signed receipt locally and presents it to the charge station, enabling payment verification without direct network connection between the charge station and payment system. The intermediary transfers the payment proof offline.
2Reliability
If payment preauthorization is performed before charging, then transaction security is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The payment management device is extracted as a separate component from both the user device and the charge station. It independently handles preauthorization and generates signed receipts, simplifying the overall system architecture by separating payment processing from charging operations while maintaining security.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses digital copies of payment authorization in the form of signed receipts. Instead of requiring continuous network communication or complex cryptographic handshakes during charging, the charge station verifies a copied authorization token (the signed receipt) that was previously generated, significantly reducing system complexity while maintaining security.
3Productivity
If signed receipts are stored locally in user device, then payment verification speed is improved, but data security risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The signed receipt is designed with specific parameters including expiration timestamps and usage limits. These parameter constraints automatically reduce security risks by limiting the window of opportunity for misuse. The receipt becomes invalid after a certain time or number of uses, mitigating the security concerns of local storage while maintaining fast verification.
Data Source
AI summary
The present systems, devices, and methods relate to managing vehicle battery charging. Payment for charging is preauthorized, and a receipt for preauthorization is sent from a payment management device to a user device when the user device has access to internet or cellular communications. This preauthorization receipt is later sent from the user device to a charge station where internet or cellular communication is not available, to enable charging of the vehicle battery at the charge station. Another receipt is sent from the charge station to the user device after charging of the vehicle, indicating a payment amount for actual energy used to charge the battery. Later, when the user device has access to cellular or internet communications, the user device sends the receipt indicating payment amount for actual energy used to the payment management device, for final payment balancing.