EV Charging Control Using Cost-Based Off-Peak Scheduling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electric vehicle charging contributes significantly to peak power consumption and poses challenges for energy management in smart grids due to uncertainties in power supply and demand, particularly with the increasing adoption of renewable energy sources.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for electric vehicle charging control management that includes a charging control unit with processors and memory, utilizing APIs to gather user preferences, energy cost information, and vehicle telemetry to optimize charging windows based on operational costs and user preferences, minimizing load on the power grid.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If EV charging is performed without optimization, then user convenience is maintained, but peak power consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by determining optimal charging time windows in advance based on energy cost information and user preferences. The charging control unit schedules charging to occur during off-peak hours before peak demand periods, thereby reducing peak power consumption while still meeting user charging needs.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms by continuously monitoring energy cost information from aggregators and adjusting charging schedules accordingly. The charging control unit receives feedback on energy prices and dynamically optimizes charging windows to avoid peak pricing periods while ensuring adequate charge levels for user convenience.
2Loss of energy
If charging is optimized based on energy cost dynamics, then operational costs are reduced, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces an intermediary charging control unit that acts as a mediator between the EV, the power grid, and energy cost aggregators. This intermediary component handles the complexity of energy cost analysis and charging optimization, shielding users from complex decisions while reducing operational costs through intelligent scheduling.
Solution Approach 2:
The charging control unit performs self-service by autonomously determining optimal charging windows based on energy cost information and user preferences. The system automatically adjusts charging schedules without requiring user intervention, reducing operational costs while managing system complexity through automated decision-making algorithms.
3Loss of energy
If charging is delayed to off-peak hours, then energy costs are reduced, but charging time flexibility decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies dynamics by making charging schedules flexible and adaptable rather than fixed. The charging control unit dynamically determines optimal charging windows based on real-time energy cost information and user preferences, allowing charging to occur at varying times that balance cost reduction with charging time flexibility needs.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes parameters by adjusting charging schedules based on energy cost dynamics and user preferences. The charging control unit modifies charging time windows, power rates, and duration parameters to optimize for lower energy costs while maintaining adequate charging flexibility to meet user requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods are disclosed herein for managing electric vehicle charging control that provide the reduction of the operational cost to charge an electric vehicle by an energy provider and the reduction of load power consumption. In some examples, a charging control unit can include at least one processor, at least one memory, and an energy cost program stored in the memory to provide calculations for one or more optimized charging windows based on the operational cost of providing electricity by the energy provider. The energy cost information can be acquired by performing a day-ahead web scrape of a publicly available energy cost aggregator for the day-ahead settlement point cost of electricity and the market price of electricity. The charging control unit can provide charge control commands to the EV via a vehicle application programming interface.