EV Route and Charging Planning System
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Solution Overview
Problem
The limited range of electric vehicles and the lack of a pervasive recharging infrastructure complicate trip planning, requiring complex calculations for intermediate refueling stops and route optimization to ensure adequate charging, especially for longer trips or remote areas.
Innovation Solution
A system that uses a processing device in the vehicle or externally, communicating with vehicle sensors and data systems to determine optimal routes and charging plans, considering factors like vehicle range, safety, comfort, traffic, weather, and charging station availability, using heuristics for route optimization and dynamic recalculation based on changing conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If electric vehicle range is extended to match fossil-fuel vehicles, then trip planning complexity is reduced, but battery capacity and vehicle weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a route planning system that acts as an intermediary between the driver and the charging infrastructure. This system automatically calculates optimal routes, identifies charging stations, and determines charging timing, eliminating the need for drivers to manually plan complex charging schedules while the vehicle maintains its inherent limited range characteristics
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary route and charging station identification before the trip begins. By pre-calculating the entire route including all necessary charging stops and timing, the system eliminates real-time planning complexity during actual driving, allowing the vehicle to operate with standard battery capacity without requiring extended range
2Ease of operation
If charging infrastructure becomes as pervasive as fossil-fuel stations, then refueling convenience is improved, but infrastructure development cost and time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The route planning system continuously receives feedback about charging station locations, availability, and status. It uses this real-time information to dynamically adjust routes and charging schedules, adapting to the current state of the charging infrastructure rather than requiring complete infrastructure coverage
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary identification of charging stations and route optimization before trips begin. By pre-planning routes that account for the existing charging infrastructure distribution, the system makes refueling as convenient as possible with current infrastructure levels, without waiting for complete pervasive coverage
3Measurement precision
If real-time route recalculation is performed continuously, then route optimization accuracy is improved, but computational energy consumption and processing time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs route recalculation periodically or event-triggered rather than continuously. It recalculates routes at specific intervals or when triggered by significant events such as major traffic changes, charging station availability changes, or battery level thresholds, reducing computational energy consumption while maintaining sufficient route optimization accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The route planning system dynamically adjusts its recalculation frequency and depth based on current conditions. When traffic patterns are stable and charging infrastructure availability is predictable, it reduces recalculation activity to conserve energy. When significant changes occur, it increases recalculation intensity to maintain optimal routing accuracy
Data Source
AI summary
A system may include a processing device and a routing application included on the processing device. The routing application may be configured to receive a destination location for a vehicle; determine a fuel efficiency of the vehicle; and determine a route for the vehicle from a current location to the destination location, the route being based on the fuel efficiency of the vehicle, a fuel capacity of the vehicle, an amount of fuel remaining for the vehicle, and navigation information including the location of at least one charging station.