Electric charging station reservation system and method

A system for reserving an electric charging station for a vehicle, the system comprising:

• a server in communication with a client device and with a plurality of different charging stations;
• a tangible, non-transitory memory device;
• and
• instructions recorded on the memory device which are executable by the server;
• wherein the server is configured to execute the instructions, and wherein execution of the instructions by the server causes the server to:
• receive a desired destination from the client device;
• receive information from a controller of the vehicle, including a state of charge and a temperature of the battery;
• generate an electronic token that uniquely identifies the vehicle;
• verify the availability of a designated charging station of the plurality of different charging stations at an expected arrival time of the vehicle at the desired destination;
• reserve the designated charging station when the designated charging station is available at the expected arrival time;
• and
• transmit the electronic token to the client device to thereby confirm the reservation and prevent unauthorized use of the designated charging station by another vehicle.

A method for reserving one of a plurality of electric charging stations for a vehicle having a battery and a controller, comprising:

• receiving, via a server, a desired destination and an expected arrival time at the desired destination from a navigation system;
• receiving information from the controller using the server, including a state of charge and a temperature of the battery;
• using the server to verify the presence of a designated one of the plurality of electric charging stations that is within a calibrated range of the desired destination;
• determining the availability of the designated station at the expected arrival time;
• reserving the designated station at the expected arrival time when the designated station is available, including:
• scheduling a block of time having a length which corresponds to a state of charge of a battery of the vehicle;
• and
• locking or preventing use of the designated station by any vehicle not specifically identified in an electronic token, wherein the electronic token confirms the reservation and uniquely identifies the vehicle;
• generating the electronic token using the server;
• transmitting the electronic token from the server to the navigation system;
• and
• preventing use of the designated charging station by any vehicle not identified in the electronic token.