System and method for electric vehicle charging and billing using a wireless vehicle communication service
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorNathan Bowman Littrell
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vehicle charging station for use in transmitting charging power to an electric vehicle for use in charging the vehicle is configured to communicatively couple to the electric vehicle via a network connection to a wireless network provider and electrically couple to the electric vehicle via a connector. Vehicle charging station is further configured to receive a unique identifier from the electric vehicle via the network connection, deliver a quantity of electrical charging power to the electric vehicle via the connector, and meter the quantity of electrical charging power delivered to the electric vehicle.
Claims15
A vehicle charging system having a vehicle charging station for use in delivering electrical charging power to an electric vehicle that includes a unique identifier of the electric vehicle embedded in the electric vehicle, the vehicle charging system comprising:
- a connector of the vehicle charging station configured to electrically couple the vehicle charging station to the electric vehicle;
- a station meter of the vehicle charging station configured to track a quantity of electrical charging power delivered to the electric vehicle via the connector;
- and
- a processor of the vehicle charging station, wherein the processor upon execution of a module, is configured to:
- communicatively couple, over a network and via a network connection to a wireless network provider, the vehicle charging station to the electric vehicle;
- communicatively couple, over the network, the vehicle charging station to a server system;
- receive the unique identifier embedded in the electric vehicle from the electric vehicle via the network connection to the wireless network provider;
- and
- transmit the unique identifier to the server system;
- wherein, upon receipt of the unique identifier, the server system:
- determines an account associated with the unique identifier;
- and
- generates a charging approval or a charging denial;
- wherein the charging denial denies access to electrical charging power at the vehicle charging station;
- and
- wherein the charging approval provides access to electrical charging power at the vehicle charging station;
- and
- wherein the processor, upon execution of a module, is further configured to:
- receive an input from the server system comprising one of the charging approval and the charging denial;
- when the input is the charging denial, prevent a charging output for charging the electric vehicle and display a message indicating a reason for the prevention of the charging output;
- and
- when the input is the charging approval, deliver a quantity of electrical charging power to the electric vehicle via the connector and meter the quantity of electrical charging power delivered to the electric vehicle via the station meter.
A method for authorizing and monitoring delivery of electrical charging power to an electric vehicle from a vehicle charging station, the method comprising:
- providing a server system that is communicatively coupled, over a network and via a network connection to a wireless network provider, to the electric vehicle and to the vehicle charging station;
- receiving, by the server system, as part of a charging request from the electric vehicle over the network and via the network connection to the wireless network provider, a unique identifier embedded within the electric vehicle;
- determining, by the server system, an account associated with the unique identifier;
- generating, by the server system, a charging approval or a charging denial responsive to the charging request;
- when the server system generates the charging denial, providing, by the server system, the charging denial to the vehicle charging station over the network and via the network connection to the wireless network provider such that the charging denial prevents the vehicle charging station from providing a charging output for charging the electric vehicle;
- and
- when the server system generates the charging approval, providing, by the server system, the charging approval to the vehicle charging station over the network and via the network connection to the wireless network provider such that the charging approval enables the vehicle charging station to provide a quantity of electrical charging power to the electric vehicle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.