EV Charge Reservoir for Bidirectional Load Sharing at Charging Stations
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current electric vehicle charging stations often face energy shortages during peak demand, leading to reduced user experience and delayed charging times due to limitations in electrical infrastructure and increased energy costs.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a charge reservoir system that pools energy from electric vehicles (EVs) instead of relying solely on the electrical grid, allowing for the transfer of charge between EVs to optimize charging events and ensure timely charging.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If load sharing is used to distribute charging capacity among multiple EVs, then the electrical infrastructure strain is reduced, but the charging speed and user experience deteriorate due to energy shortages
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the energy resources of multiple EVs into a shared pool through bidirectional charging. EVs with excess charge contribute to the pool, while EVs needing charge draw from it, creating a collective energy resource that exceeds what the electrical infrastructure alone can provide, thus resolving the contradiction between charging availability and charging speed
Solution Approach 2:
The charge reservoir acts as an intermediary energy storage medium between the electrical infrastructure and individual EVs. It buffers energy fluctuations by storing excess charge from the grid or contributing EVs and releasing charge to EVs needing power, thereby enabling faster charging without directly straining the electrical infrastructure
2Productivity
If more EVSE are deployed to charge more EVs simultaneously, then the charging capacity increases, but the infrastructure cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
Each EVSE is equipped with bidirectional charging capability, allowing it to function both as a traditional charging device and as an energy contribution point. This multi-functionality enables the same infrastructure to serve multiple purposes: charging EVs, storing energy in the charge reservoir, and redistributing energy, thereby increasing effective charging capacity without proportionally increasing infrastructure complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables EVs to serve themselves by allowing vehicles with excess charge to automatically contribute to the charge reservoir and vehicles needing charge to automatically draw from it. This self-service mechanism reduces the need for complex centralized control and additional infrastructure to manage energy distribution
Data Source
AI summary
Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide techniques for providing a charge reservoir. Some embodiments of a method include determining that a first electric vehicle (EV) is coupled to a first electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) and a second EV is coupled to a second EVSE, determining a current state of charge and a desired charge for the first EV and the second EV, and determining that the first EV has a current state of charge that is greater than the desired charge. Some embodiments include determining that the second EV has a current state of charge that is less than the desired charge, utilizing the first EVSE to remove charge from the first EV to a charge reservoir and utilizing by the computing device, the second EVSE to transfer charge from the charge reservoir to the second EV until the desired charge for the second EV is met.