Vehicle Matching for Cost-Aware EV-to-EV Charging
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing charging infrastructure for electric vehicles is limited, particularly in remote areas and can be congested in urban areas, making it difficult for vehicles to charge urgently, especially when grid-based charging stations are unavailable.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle matching system that enables vehicle-to-vehicle charging by matching vehicles with suitable batteries, determining optimal charging locations based on cost, proximity, and state of charge, allowing for flexible and convenient charging without relying solely on grid infrastructure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If vehicle-to-vehicle charging is implemented, then charging availability is improved in remote areas and during grid congestion, but system complexity increases due to vehicle matching requirements
Solution Approach 1:
A server acts as an intermediary to manage vehicle-to-vehicle charging operations. The server receives charging requests from first vehicles, identifies suitable second vehicles with available battery capacity, determines optimal charging locations, and coordinates the charging process. This centralizes the complexity in a dedicated system rather than requiring complex logic in each vehicle, thereby improving charging availability while managing system complexity through specialized infrastructure.
2Adaptability or versatility
If vehicles travel to meet at charging locations, then charging flexibility is improved, but time consumption increases due to route traversal
Solution Approach 1:
The system determines optimal charging locations and routes in advance by analyzing the positions, destinations, and battery states of both vehicles. The server calculates suitable meeting points that minimize travel time and energy consumption before the vehicles depart. This preliminary planning allows vehicles to travel directly to predetermined charging locations rather than searching for matches during the charging process, thereby improving charging flexibility while reducing time consumption through advance route optimization.
3Productivity
If charging location is optimized based on cost and state of charge, then charging efficiency is improved, but calculation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The server serves as a computational intermediary that performs complex calculations for determining optimal charging locations. It evaluates multiple factors including vehicle positions, destinations, battery states of charge, and route costs to identify the most efficient charging meeting points. By centralizing these calculations in a dedicated system with sufficient computational resources, the patent achieves high charging efficiency through comprehensive optimization while avoiding the need for complex calculation capabilities in individual vehicles.
Data Source
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AI summary
Aspects of the present invention relate to a vehicle matching system (1) for matching a pair of vehicles (V1, V2) for vehicle-to-vehicle charging. The vehicle matching system (1) comprising a controller (60) configured to identify a first vehicle (V1) comprising a first traction battery (11); and identify a second vehicle (V2) comprising a second traction battery (31). The controller (6) determines a first location (s1) of the first vehicle (V1) and a first state of charge (SOC1) of the first traction battery (11); and a second location (s2) of the second vehicle (V2) and a second state of charge (SOC2) of the second traction battery (31). A charging location (CCL) is identified for connecting the first and second vehicles (V1, V2) to each other to perform vehicle-to-vehicle charging. A first route profile (P1) is determined comprising the first location (s1) and the charging location (CCL) and a first cost (wP1) determined for the first vehicle (V1) to traverse the first route profile (P1). The controller (60) is configured to match the first vehicle (V1) to the second vehicle (V2) in dependence on the determined first cost (wP1). Aspects of the present invention also relate to a method of matching first and second vehicles (V1, V2) to perform vehicle-to-vehicle charging, and a non-transitory computer-readable medium.