On-Route EV Charging Plans for Lower Cost Per Distance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electric vehicles face limitations in range and battery lifespan due to the need for frequent charging, which increases the total cost of distance and requires significant battery capacity, while existing charging methods are inefficient and inconvenient, especially for transit and delivery vehicles that require frequent stops.
Innovation Solution
Strategic Opportunity Wireless Charging allows for continuous operation of electric vehicles by deploying wireless chargers along routes, maintaining battery state of charge within optimal thresholds to extend battery life and reduce charging time, using data analytics and machine learning to optimize charging based on energy costs and vehicle usage patterns.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If frequent charging is implemented to maintain battery operation, then vehicle availability is improved, but total cost of distance increases and battery lifespan decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary charging actions during brief vehicle stops at predetermined locations along the route, rather than waiting until the battery is depleted. By anticipating charging opportunities in advance and executing them during normal operational stops, the system maintains vehicle availability without requiring dedicated charging time, thus resolving the contradiction between vehicle availability and charging time loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables continuous operational action by integrating charging into the vehicle's normal route stops. Instead of interrupting service for charging, the vehicle charges continuously during scheduled stops at predetermined locations, maintaining uninterrupted useful action while keeping the battery within optimal charge thresholds for extended lifespan.
2Duration of action of moving object
If larger battery capacity is used to extend range, then operating autonomy is improved, but vehicle weight and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the charging process into multiple small charging events distributed along the vehicle's route, rather than relying on a single large battery capacity. By placing wireless charging pads at predetermined stops and performing brief charging sessions during normal stops, the system achieves extended operating autonomy without requiring a single large, heavy battery pack.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces wireless charging pads as intermediary energy transfer devices between the power grid and the vehicle battery. These pads enable energy transfer during brief stops without requiring physical connection or large battery capacity, thus extending range while avoiding the weight penalty of oversized batteries.
3Ease of operation
If wireless power transfer is deployed along routes, then charging convenience is improved, but infrastructure complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements wireless charging infrastructure locally at specific predetermined stops along high-traffic routes, rather than deploying it universally. By concentrating charging capabilities at strategically selected locations where vehicles naturally stop, the system provides charging convenience without requiring complex infrastructure throughout the entire route, thus balancing ease of operation with manageable infrastructure complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables automatic wireless charging during vehicle stops without requiring driver intervention. The vehicle and charging pad communicate autonomously to initiate and manage the charging process, providing charging convenience while minimizing the operational complexity for users. The infrastructure manages itself through automated protocols during vehicle-pad alignment and charging sessions.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution extends the battery lifespan, reduces the total cost of distance, and enhances operational efficiency by minimizing the need for larger batteries, allowing electric vehicles to operate continuously without 'dead-head' time for charging, thus lowering the overall cost of ownership and improving safety and convenience.
Implementation Method 1
WPT acts as an open core transformer with a primary (ground-side) coil and a secondary (vehicle-side) coil to transfer power over an air-gap in accordance to Faraday's first law of electromagnetic induction
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, systems, and computer-readable storage medium for improving the efficiency of charging an electric vehicle (EV) that follows a prescribed route. The efficiency of charging an electric vehicle is improved by receiving telemetry data from the EV, receiving charger data from a plurality of charges along the prescribed route, determining a charging plan for the EV based on a total cost per distance (TCD) of travel over each of the plurality of route segments that comprise the prescribed route and controlling a particular charger along the prescribed route to charge the EV according to the charging plan.