Battery Discharge Equipment for Preventing Cascading Fires Among Parked Electric Vehicles

A charging station for charging a plurality of electric vehicles, the charging station comprising:

• an electrical source providing an alternating current power output;
• a charging dispenser electrically connected with the electrical source, the charging dispenser configured to electrically connect with each of the plurality of electric vehicles to optionally charge a battery pack of each of the plurality of electric vehicles via the alternating current power output from the electrical source, each of the plurality of electric vehicles including a battery management system and a sensor in or adjacent the battery pack of each of the plurality of electric vehicles, the sensor of each of the plurality of electric vehicles being in electrical communication with the battery management system of each of the plurality of electric vehicles;
• an energy dissipation element, wherein the battery pack of each of the plurality of electric vehicles is in a circuit path with the energy dissipation element when the charging dispenser is electrically connected with each of the plurality of electric vehicles, each circuit path including a switch having a first position in which electricity does not flow from the battery pack of each of the plurality of electric vehicles to the energy dissipation element and a second position in which electricity flows from the battery pack of each of the plurality of electric vehicles to the energy dissipation element, each switch being in the first position when the charging dispenser is electrically connected with each of the plurality of electric vehicles;
• and
• a controller in electrical communication with the battery management system of each of the plurality of electric vehicles and each of the switches, the controller being configured to execute a program stored in the controller to:
• (i) receive, from the battery management system of each of the plurality of electric vehicles, electrical signals based on readings from the sensor of each of the plurality of electric vehicles,
• (ii) determine whether one or more of the electrical signals from a battery management system of one of the plurality of electric vehicles exceeds a safety threshold, and
• (iii) when the one or more of the electrical signals from the battery management system of the one of the plurality of electric vehicles exceeds the safety threshold, move the switch in the circuit path in another of the plurality of electric vehicles to the second position such that electricity flows from the battery pack of the another of the plurality of electric vehicles to the energy dissipation element.