Battery charging station for electric vehicles and electric vehicle usable therewith

A charging station for charging various types of chargeable batteries of electric vehicles comprising:

• a transformer;
• a rectifier;
• a current regulator,
• said transformer, said rectifier and said current regulator being operatively connected relative to each other for supplying power from the charging station to a chargeable battery;
• station controller means for determiner a charging current and a charging voltage based on information supplied relative to said chargeable battery for controlling a current of the power supplied to said chargeable battery during charging at the charging station;
• and
• ending time forecaster for forecasting a charging ending time using at least one of a nominal charge capacity and an actual charge capacity of said chargeable battery, a remaining charge capacity of said chargeable battery and a charging current value of the power supplied to said chargeable battery during charging.

A charging station for simultaneously charging a plurality of chargeable batteries comprising:

• a plurality of transformers;
• a plurality of rectifiers;
• a plurality of current regulators,
• said plurality of transformers, rectifiers and current regulators respectively being operatively connected relative to each other for supplying power from said charging station to said chargeable batteries;
• station controller means for determiner a charging current and a charging voltage based on information supplied relative to each of said plurality of chargeable batteries for controlling a current of the power supplied to said plurality of chargeable batteries during charging at the charging station;
• and
• distribution switch means for selectively connecting outputs of said plurality of current regulators in accordance with an output of said station controller means to selectively control the current of the Dower supplied to said plurality of chargeable batteries.

An electric vehicle comprising:

• a chargeable battery for powering the electric vehicle;
• charging control means, coupled to said chargeable battery, for determiner a desired charging current value for charging of said chargeable battery in accordance with a battery voltage and a battery temperature of said chargeable battery and for outputting a charging current signal indicative of the desired charging current value to a charging station, the electric vehicle being removably coupled to the charging station;
• and
• storage for storing a charging algorithm for charging said chargeable battery and for outputting the charging algorithm to the charging station,
• the electric vehicle operable to receive charging power for said chargeable battery supplied from the charging station in accordance with at least either one of the charging current signal or the charging algorithm.

A charging station for charging electric vehicles, each of the electric vehicles having rechargeable batteries for providing vehicle power and storage means for storing and outputting vehicle information indicative of the respective electric vehicle, the charging station comprising:

• vehicle information receiving means for receiving the vehicle information of an electric vehicle coupled to the charging station;
• vehicle discriminating means, coupled to said vehicle information receiving means, for determiner vehicle type of the electric vehicle coupled to the charging station in accordance with the received vehicle information;
• charging control means, coupled to said vehicle discriminating means, for selecting a charging method and current for charging the rechargeable battery of the electric vehicle coupled to the charging station in accordance with the determined vehicle type;
• and
• current regulating means, coupled to said charging control means, for generating and outputting a charging current for charging the rechargeable battery of the electric vehicle coupled to the charging station in accordance with the selected charging method and current.