Mobile Charging Station with Battery Storage for Electric Vehicles

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Patent Application No. 62/844,525, filed May 7, 2019, which is hereby incorporated by reference.

Commercial electric vehicles (EVs) require charging rates much higher than consumer EVs due to the much larger battery packs (to support the additional vehicle weight) but have a maintained requirement to be able to charge overnight. In most cases, this requires a charging system known as DC Fast Charge (DCFC) to meet these charging rates. DCFC requires extensively more power grid infrastructure (480VAC-3P in most cases), which is not only costly but also takes up to a year in some cases to get the required permitting. However, the grid infrastructure required to support lower charging levels (commonly referred to as “Level-I” or “Level-II” charging) does not suffer from either of these circumstances.

The following embodiments provide a mobile charging station with battery storage for electric vehicles that can be utilized to “up-convert” Level-II charging stations to dispense DCFC charging rates (50-350 kW) in intervals. Additionally, the mobile charging station of these embodiments can be charged remotely, driven to the vehicles needing charge, and then depleted of its battery system to charge the vehicles. Other uses of the mobile charging station can be made.

The mobile charging station of these embodiments can have the following characteristics/capabilities:

Level 2 to DCFC conversion

Can be charged with EVSE (Level I, II, DCFC)

Street legal mobile

Can provide AC grid power (110/220)

Isolated V2MG (feed power TO AC outlet in the event of a power outage)

In one embodiment, the mobile charging station comprises five (5) major components: the Energy Storage System (ESS), the thermal management system, the EV charging system, the station charging system, and the controls system.

The Energy Storage System (ESS) comprises a system of discrete battery packs that are connected either in parallel or in series. The system comprises battery modules, junction boxes, power distribution modules, and power electronics. This system is the core of the system, storing energy received from the station charging system and providing energy to the EV charging system. The ESS is thermally managed (heating and cooling) by the thermal management system.

The thermal management system is responsible for keeping the ESS in a temperature range that prolongs life and enhances performance. It is a system that is capable of both heating and cooling the liquid that is then distributed by pumps throughout the system.

The EV charging system is responsible for delivering stored energy from the ESS to the EV(s) being charged. This is accomplished through either a J1772-CCS or CHAdeMO interface. The charging is considered DCFC as the capable power level is a minimum of 50 kW.

The station charging system is responsible for receiving energy from the electrical grid or other power source and delivering this energy to the ESS so it can be stored. This is accomplished through either a J1772-CCS or CHAdeMO interface. The charging is considered DCFC as the capable power level is a minimum of 50 kW, but the station can also be charged with level-1 or level-2 charging (1-20 kW).

The control system is responsible for operating the other four (4) main systems, as well as the user interface. Some examples include: determining cooling needed and adjusting actuators and systems accordingly, conducting station-to-EV communication protocol(s) to facilitate safe and fast charging, and determining and setting the appropriate voltage levels for charging, via the power electronics.

FIGS. 15-19 provide additional information. FIGS. 15-18 are illustrations of a stationary charging system of an embodiment, and FIG. 19 shows a stationary charging system of an embodiment being transported by a cargo van

In one embodiment, the mobile charging station has the ability to be architected in three (3) different ways. These different architectures have differing impacts on cost, performance, and availability, but at the core all accomplish the same goals with respect to up-converting Level-II charging to DCFC. FIGS. 20-25 illustrate these architectures. FIG. 20 is an illustration of mobile charger configurations of an embodiment. FIG. 21 is an illustration of a first input configuration (AC (Level II)) of an embodiment. FIG. 22 is an illustration of a second input configuration (DCFC) of an embodiment. FIG. 23 is an illustration of a first output configuration (AC/DC Converter) of an embodiment. FIG. 24 is an illustration of a second output configuration (DCFC) of an embodiment. FIG. 25 is an illustration of a third output configuration (DC/DC Converter) of an embodiment.

There are several advantages associated with these embodiments. For example:

the ability to recharge EVs in remote sites where charging infrastructure may not exist

the ability to rescue EVs that have depleted battery systems on roadways

providing a mechanism for energy arbitrage/peak-shaving

the ability to provide emergency off-shore power (110, 220 VAC)

providing energy storage for V2G and V2H applications

the ability to convert CC 1.0 (50 kW) to CCS 2.0 (350 kW)

In general, the mobile charging station of these embodiments provides many different use cases, many of which may be required by the same end user(s). Current mobile chargers do not support DC Fast Charging and are not self-propelled. These embodiments can also use second-life vehicle batteries when their state of health has deteriorated too far to be used in vehicles.

The attached figures show various possible implementations of these embodiments. In general, the functionality of the mobile charging station can be provided by one or more controllers or processors that are configured to implement the algorithms shown in the attached drawings and described herein. As used herein, a controller or processor can take the form of processing circuitry, a microprocessor or processor, and a computer-readable medium that stores computer-readable program code (e.g., firmware) executable by the (micro)processor, logic gates, switches, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic controller, and an embedded microcontroller, for example. Additionally, the phrase “in communication with” could mean directly in communication with or indirectly (wired or wireless) in communication with through one or more components, which may or may not be shown or described herein. The term “module” may also be used herein. A module may take the form of a packaged functional hardware unit designed for use with other components, a portion of a program code (e.g., software or firmware) executable by a (micro)processor or processing circuitry that usually performs a particular function of related functions, or a self-contained hardware or software component that interfaces with a larger system, for example.

It is intended that the foregoing detailed description be understood as an illustration of selected forms that the invention can take and not as a definition of the invention. It is only the following claims, including all equivalents, that are intended to define the scope of the claimed invention. Finally, it should be noted that any aspect of any of the embodiments described herein can be used alone or in combination with one another.