Dual-Purpose EV Charging Station for Edge Compute Utilization
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Solution Overview
Problem
The low utilization rate of electric vehicle charging stations, with available power and bandwidth often going to waste, as they are underutilized, necessitates a solution to maximize resource efficiency.
Innovation Solution
Deploying multiple server blades in electric charging stations to support cloud and distributed data center functions, allowing these stations to run compute functions and host applications when not in use for charging, and utilizing Fault Managed Power (FMP) for efficient power distribution between charging and data center operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If charging stations are deployed to meet increasing EV charging demand, then charging availability improves, but utilization rate remains low and resources are wasted
Solution Approach 1:
The charging station is designed to perform multiple functions: EV charging during peak hours and data center operations during off-peak hours. This multi-functionality allows the same infrastructure to serve different purposes at different times, improving resource utilization while meeting charging demand.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically switches between charging mode and data center mode based on real-time conditions such as EV availability, power demand, and pricing signals. This dynamic operation optimizes resource allocation and prevents energy waste when charging demand is low.
2Ease of operation
If charging stations operate at low utilization rates, then charging accessibility is maintained, but operational costs increase due to wasted power and bandwidth
Solution Approach 1:
The charging station maintains continuous useful action by switching to data center operations when EV charging demand is low. This ensures that power and bandwidth resources are continuously utilized for productive purposes, eliminating periods of waste while maintaining charging accessibility when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The system automatically manages its own resource allocation by monitoring charging demand and independently switching between charging and data center modes. This self-service capability optimizes resource efficiency without requiring external intervention, reducing operational costs while maintaining accessibility.
3Loss of energy
If dual-purpose functionality is implemented in charging stations, then resource utilization improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The charging station system is segmented into distinct operational modes (charging mode and data center mode) that can be independently controlled and managed. This segmentation allows each function to operate optimally when active, reducing the complexity of managing both functions simultaneously while improving overall resource utilization.
Data Source
AI summary
A dual purpose electric charging station that includes a housing, a network interface configured to enable network communications and an electric charging interface configured to connect to an electric vehicle to charge a battery of the electric vehicle. The electric charging station further includes at least one server that is housed within the housing and includes at least one processor configured to perform one or more data center functions and a power module that distributes power to the electric charging interface and to the at least one server. Methods are also provided for a dual-purpose electric charging station that charges an electric vehicle and performs one or more functions of a cloud data center.