EV Charging Queue Management System for Battery-Aware Access Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Public electric vehicle charging stations often operate on a first-come, first-served basis, leading to sub-optimal allocation and leaving vehicles with lower battery levels unable to access charging stations while others with full batteries occupy the spots for extended periods.
Innovation Solution
A system that manages electric vehicle charging station queues through a network of servers, personal communication devices, and EVCS, allowing users to reserve and prioritize access based on factors like current charge state, employment status, and pre-payment, ensuring more efficient use of available charging stations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If charging stations operate on a first-come, first-served basis, then early arrivals can secure charging spots, but vehicles with lower battery levels unable to access charging stations while others with full batteries occupy the spots for extended periods
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by allowing users to register and be placed in a queue before actually needing to charge their vehicles. The queue management system pre-establishes access priority based on battery levels and other factors, so when a charging station becomes available, the system can immediately connect the most deserving vehicle without delay. This resolves the contradiction by preparing access arrangements in advance rather than making decisions at the moment of arrival.
Solution Approach 2:
The charging allocation system transitions from a static first-come-first-served approach to a dynamic system that continuously monitors battery levels, queue positions, and charging station availability. The system adapts allocations in real-time based on changing conditions, allowing vehicles with critically low battery levels to jump ahead in priority, thereby optimizing utilization while reducing wait times for those who need charging most urgently.
2Ease of operation
If charging stations are allocated to vehicles with full batteries, then early arrivals are rewarded, but the overall utilization of limited charging infrastructure deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the parameters used for allocation from simple arrival time to a multi-factor assessment including battery level thresholds, queue registration time, vehicle type, and urgency indicators. This allows the system to maintain operational simplicity for users while fundamentally improving utilization by allocating charging spots to vehicles that need them most rather than merely to those who arrived first.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements continuous feedback loops where charging station availability, vehicle battery levels, and queue status are constantly monitored and communicated to both users and the management system. This feedback mechanism enables real-time optimization of allocations, ensuring that charging spots go to vehicles that will actually use them, thereby maintaining ease of operation through automated decision-making while dramatically improving overall utilization rates.
Data Source
AI summary
There is disclosed method of management of electric vehicle charging station (EVCS) queues and an EVCS queue management system. The method includes limiting access to the EVCS to an individual at the top of an EVCS queue during a changeover time. The changeover time may be predetermined or may be generated based upon data pertaining to the management of the queue and/or to the vehicle of the user at the top of the queue. If the user at the top of the queue fails to activate the EVCS during the changeover time, the next in line in the queue will be given a changeover time in which to reach the EVCS. If the queue is otherwise empty, the user at the top of the queue will be notified that the EVCS is no longer reserved, and that anyone may use the EVCS.