System for providing electric vehicles

A station for charging and for holding a battery-powered vehicle (20, 30), the station comprising:

• a holder (1) for receiving a holding portion of the vehicle (20, 30) and
• an inductive charging device (11) the position of which relative to the holder (1) in the station is set, and
• wherein the holder (1) has a fixing device which in a closed state is formed to prevent the holding portion from being removed from the holder (1) and which in an open state is formed to release the holding portion, and wherein the holder (1) has a receiving region which, at its two transverse ends delimiting it in a transverse direction (Y), is delimited by transverse side walls and, at a first longitudinal end delimiting it in a longitudinal direction (X) running perpendicular to the transverse direction (Y), is delimited by a longitudinal side wall and is open at its second longitudinal end opposite the first in order to make it possible to push the holding portion into the receiving region starting from the second longitudinal end,
• wherein the receiving region extends between its longitudinal ends in the longitudinal direction (X) over at least 3 cm, and the charging device (11) has a charging coil with a cross-sectional area of at least 8 cm2,
• wherein the fixing device, in the closed state, sets the holding portion within the receiving region to a position within a holding tolerance range, which is set in terms of its transverse extent and its longitudinal extent,
• wherein the charging device (11) is formed to make it possible to transmit electrical energy to a corresponding charging apparatus (41) within a position tolerance range which has at least the same transverse extent and the same longitudinal extent as the holding tolerance range.

A method for operating a system having a battery-powered vehicle (20, 30) with an electric drive and several stations, the method comprising:

• in a first method step, the vehicle (20, 30) is held in a first parked state on a holder (1) of a first station in a set position relative to the first station and is prevented from being released from the holder (1) by a fixing device of the holder (1) and in which a battery of the vehicle (20, 30) is charged,
• in a second method step, a first user to whom a first user account is assigned is detected through a first authentication, and then the fixing device of the first station releases the vehicle (20, 30), a control device of the vehicle (20, 30) adopts an operating state of readiness for use, in which it is configured to activate the electric drive depending on an actuation of an operating device of the vehicle (20, 30) in order to drive the vehicle (20, 30), and a deposit debit information item and a first journey start value dependent on location and/or time and/or dependent on a battery state of charge are assigned as usage information to the first user account,
• in a third method step, a first journey end signal is received and, after the first journey end signal has been received, the control device of the vehicle (20, 30) adopts a locked operating state in which it is configured to prevent the vehicle (20, 30) from being driven by means of the electric drive by actuation of the operating device, and a first journey end value is assigned to the first user account, wherein it is checked whether the vehicle (20, 30) is in a second parked state, in which it is held on a holder (1) of a second station in a set position relative to the second station and is prevented from being released from the holder (1) of the second station by a fixing device of the holder (1) of the second station, and wherein a deposit return information item is assigned only if it is established that the vehicle (20, 30) is in the second parked state,
• in a fourth method step following the third method step, if it is established in the third method step that the vehicle (20, 30) is not in the second parked state, a second user to whom a second user account is assigned is detected through a second authentication, and then the control device of the vehicle (20, 30) is placed in the operating state of readiness for use, and a second journey start value dependent on location and/or time is assigned as usage information to the second user account,
• in a fifth method step, a deposit credit is assigned to the second user account only if it is established that the vehicle (20, 30) is in a third parked state, in which it is held on a holder (1) of a third station in a set position relative to the third station and, in the process, the vehicle (20, 30) is prevented from being released from the holder (1) of the third station by a fixing device of the holder (1) of the third station.