Method and system for controlling energy demand of vehicles on a network

A network planner system comprising:

• a grid monitoring device configured to monitor an available amount of electrical energy on an electrical power grid for powering one or more loads at one time, the available amount of electrical energy representing an amount of electrical energy that may be consumed at one time without exceeding a grid capacity, the electrical power grid configured to transmit electrical energy through one or more conductive pathways extending along a network of routes over which plural electric vehicles travel for delivery to the electric vehicles to power the electric vehicles, the electric vehicles having on-board trip planner systems;
• and
• one or more processors configured to communicate with the grid monitoring device and the trip planner systems on the electric vehicles to control movements of the electric vehicles such that an electrical energy demand of the electric vehicles does not exceed the available amount of electrical energy on the electrical power grid;
• wherein the one or more processors are configured to receive from the trip planner systems vehicle-specific energy usage plans, created by the trip planner systems, that detail the vehicle-specific energy demands along the routes traveled by the respective electric vehicles.

A network planner system comprising:

• a grid monitoring device configured to monitor an available amount of electrical energy on an electrical power grid for powering one or more loads at one time, the available amount of electrical energy representing an amount of electrical energy that may be consumed at one time without exceeding a grid capacity;
• an energy demand monitoring device configured to monitor an electrical energy demand of plural electric vehicles traveling on a network of routes that includes one or more conductive pathways extending along the routes for delivering the electrical energy from the electrical power grid to the electric vehicles to power the electric vehicles;
• and
• one or more processors configured to control movements of the electric vehicles such that the electrical energy demand of the electric vehicles does not exceed the available amount of electrical energy on the electrical power grid, wherein the one or more processors are configured to control the movements of the electric vehicles by modifying energy usage plans submitted by the electric vehicles traveling on the network.