Power line communication system and method

A method of providing electronic communications in a vehicle comprising:

• coupling a power system of the vehicle to an electrical grid, the power system configured to receive electrical power from the electrical grid to charge a battery included in the vehicle;
• receiving electronic communications through the electrical grid;
• transmitting the electronic communications over a power line communications (PLC) bus communicatively coupled to the power system;
• receiving electricity rates from an electrical utility through the electrical grid and switching the power system to a charge mode based, at least in part, on the electricity rates;
• and
• receiving travel data from an electronic device coupled to the PLC bus, and determining a charge/generation schedule based, at least in part, on the travel data.

A method of providing electronic communications in a vehicle comprising:

• coupling a power system of the vehicle to an electrical grid, the power system configured to receive electrical power from the electrical grid to charge a battery included in the vehicle;
• receiving electronic communications through the electrical grid;
• transmitting the electronic communications over a power line communications (PLC) bus communicatively coupled to the power system;
• receiving electricity rates from an electrical utility through the electrical grid and switching the power system to a charge mode based, at least in part, on the electricity rates;
• and
• receiving digital media from a remote service provider through the electrical grid, wherein the digital media includes a GPS navigation map.

A method of providing electronic communications in a vehicle comprising:

• coupling a power system of the vehicle to an electrical grid, the power system configured to receive electrical power from the electrical grid to charge a battery included in the vehicle;
• receiving electronic communications through the electrical grid;
• transmitting the electronic communications over a power line communications (PLC) bus communicatively coupled to the power system
• receiving electricity rates from an electrical utility through the electrical grid and switching the power system to a charge mode based, at least in part, on the electricity rates;
• and
• generating a search query for a point of interest, transmitting the search query to a remote service provider through a wide area network communicatively coupled to the PLC bus, receiving a location of the point-of-interest from the remote service provider, and displaying the location on a display of a GPS navigation system.

A method of providing electronic communications in a vehicle comprising:

• coupling a power system of the vehicle to an electrical grid, the power system configured to receive electrical power from the electrical grid to charge a battery included in the vehicle;
• receiving electronic communications through the electrical grid;
• transmitting the electronic communications over a power line communications (PLC) bus communicatively coupled to the power system;
• receiving electricity rates from an electrical utility through the electrical grid and switching the power system to a charge mode based, at least in part, on the electricity rates;
• and
• coupling an aftermarket device to the PLC bus through a PLC port included in the vehicle.

A method of providing electronic communications in a vehicle comprising:

• coupling a power system of the vehicle to an electrical grid, the power system configured to receive electrical power from the electrical grid to charge a battery included in the vehicle;
• receiving electronic communications through the electrical grid;
• transmitting the electronic communications over a power line communications (PLC) bus communicatively coupled to the power system;
• receiving electricity rates from an electrical utility through the electrical grid and switching the power system to a charge mode based, at least in part, on the electricity rates;
• and
• sending data corresponding to a serviceable condition of the vehicle from an instrument cluster coupled to the PLC bus to an automotive service provider through the electrical grid.

A vehicle, comprising:

• a power line communications (PLC) bus configured to carry electrical power to a plurality of electronic devices in the vehicle and to carry electronic communications between the plurality of electronic devices;
• and
• a power system coupled to an electrical grid for charging a battery of the vehicle and communicatively coupled to the PLC bus for providing electronic communication through the electrical grid between one of the plurality of electronic devices coupled to the PLC bus and a remote service provider;
• wherein the power system comprises an energy management system configured to switch the power system between a charge mode and a generation mode based, at least in part, on data received from an electrical utility through the electrical grid and travel data received from one of the plurality of electronic devices coupled to the PLC bus.