Telecommunication Node Repurposing for EV Charging
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Solution Overview
Problem
The sparse availability of charging stations for electric vehicles hinders their adoption, especially in sparsely populated areas, where reconfiguring the power grid to support new stations may not be feasible.
Innovation Solution
Leveraging existing telecommunication infrastructure, such as fiber optic repeaters and amplifiers connected to the power grid, to create vehicle charging stations, as these nodes are already situated along roadsides and equipped with backup power supplies, enabling rapid deployment of charging facilities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If new charging stations are built in sparsely populated areas, then charging station availability is improved, but infrastructure complexity and cost increase due to grid reconfiguration requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent repurposes existing telecommunication infrastructure (fiber optic cables, repeaters, amplifiers, power supplies) to serve dual functions: their original communication purposes and new electric vehicle charging functions. This eliminates the need to build entirely new infrastructure in sparsely populated areas, resolving the contradiction between improving charging availability and avoiding infrastructure complexity.
2Productivity
If charging stations are deployed rapidly in sparsely populated areas, then charging station availability is improved, but power grid stability deteriorates due to lack of existing infrastructure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent leverages telecommunication infrastructure that has already been installed and is already connected to power sources in sparsely populated areas. By utilizing this pre-existing infrastructure, the system enables rapid deployment of charging stations without the need for new power line construction, thereby maintaining power grid stability while achieving fast deployment.
3Reliability
If traditional charging station infrastructure is built, then charging functionality is provided, but deployment cost increases due to new construction requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent recovers and repurposes existing telecommunication infrastructure assets (cables, power supplies, housing structures) for new charging station applications. Instead of discarding these existing assets or building new infrastructure, the system adapts them for dual use, significantly reducing deployment costs while improving charging station availability.
Data Source
AI summary
In some embodiments, an electric vehicle sends a vehicle charging request to a supervisory service. The electric vehicle receives, from the supervisory service in response to the vehicle charging request, a location of a telecommunication node of a telecommunication network that is configured to provide charging to electric vehicles. The electric vehicle navigates to the received location of the telecommunication node. The vehicle initiates charging of the electric vehicle at the location of the telecommunication node.