Remote Command Center for Plug-in Vehicle Charging Load Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing number of plug-in electric and hybrid electric vehicles poses a challenge to power grid architectures, as simultaneous charging can lead to overloading and unreliable power availability due to high demand and variable energy sources like wind and solar.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for centralized management and control of plug-in vehicle charging, utilizing a remote command center that communicates with vehicles via telematics systems to regulate charging based on vehicle location, power grid load, and user priority, ensuring efficient load leveling and power distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a large number of plug-in vehicles are concurrently charged, then the charging demand is met, but the power grid architecture becomes overloaded
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by scheduling charging sessions in advance during off-peak hours when grid load is lower. The charge control module communicates with the power grid architecture to identify optimal charging windows before vehicles are actually charged, preventing peak-hour overload while ensuring charging demand is ultimately met.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements periodic charging cycles that distribute charging loads across different time periods. Instead of continuous concurrent charging, vehicles are charged in scheduled intervals during off-peak hours, transforming a continuous high-demand scenario into periodic manageable loads that maintain grid stability.
2Ease of operation
If charging is allowed during peak power demand hours, then user convenience is improved, but power availability becomes unreliable
Solution Approach 1:
The charge control module continuously receives feedback from the power grid architecture regarding current load conditions and power availability. Based on this real-time feedback, the system dynamically adjusts charging schedules to avoid peak demand periods while still providing convenient charging options for users during off-peak hours when power is reliably available.
3Reliability
If centralized control is implemented to manage charging loads, then power grid stability is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The charge control module operates autonomously, making charging decisions based on pre-established criteria and real-time grid feedback without requiring complex centralized control infrastructure. This self-service approach allows the system to maintain power grid stability through intelligent local decision-making, reducing the complexity of the overall control architecture.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems are provided for controlling the charging of an onboard energy storage system of a plug-in vehicle using a remote command center, such as a vehicle telematics service. An embodiment of such a method involves the transmission of a charge request for the onboard energy storage system to a remote command center associated with the plug-in vehicle. In response to the charge request, a charge command is received from the remote command center. The charging of the onboard energy storage system is regulated in accordance with the received charge command, which may be a charge enable command or a charge disable command.