Systems and methods for electric vehicle (EV) charging and graphic user interface for consumers, including consumer profiles and EV point of sale terminal profiles. Novel methods for consumer guidance and controls are provided coupled with graphic user interfaces for mobile applications, websites, and electric vehicle point of sale terminals.

An improved control system for a fuel dispenser is disclosed that enables fuel dispensers to process prepaid gas cards based upon a discounted wholesale cost or a non-discounted price that is locked in at the time of the purchase without taking delivery. The control system has access to a snap shot of the regional wholesale gasoline costs across an entire region, such as the US, at the time of purchase of the prepaid gas card. This enables the prepaid gas card to provide a discount on the wholesale cost component of a gallon of gas at any location across the entire region. Since the discount only applies to one component of the retail gas price per gallon; namely, the wholesale gas cost per gallon, the control system automatically calculates a discounted retail gas price at the time and location of delivery based upon the discounted or locked in wholesale cost at the time of purchase of the prepaid gas card. The prepaid gas discount card is received in a magnetic card reader at the fuel dispenser in the same manner as conventional credit cards and provides a wholesaler the ability to create an elastic demand for the gas and regain customer loyalty for gas credit cards.

A method of providing an account is provided. The method includes receiving identification information associated with a user during a communication session. The method further includes communicating a request for credit information. The request includes at least a portion of the identification information. The method further includes receiving the requested credit information, and for each of a plurality of different types of accounts, determining whether to approve that type of account based at least in part on the received credit information. The method further includes communicating an indication of at least a portion of the approved types of accounts and receiving a selection of at least one of the approved types of accounts. The method further includes opening at least one of the selected types of accounts and providing access to at least one of the opened accounts during the communication session.

A method of providing an account is provided. The method includes receiving identification information associated with a user during a communication session. The method further includes communicating a request for credit information. The request includes at least a portion of the identification information. The method further includes receiving the requested credit information, and for each of a plurality of different types of accounts, determining whether to approve that type of account based at least in part on the received credit information. The method further includes communicating an indication of at least a portion of the approved types of accounts and receiving a selection of at least one of the approved types of accounts. The method further includes opening at least one of the selected types of accounts and providing access to at least one of the opened accounts during the communication session.

Techniques are disclosed for compensating an LED light fixture/light source provider for generation of photons by one or more LED light fixtures used by a customer. In one example, a method comprises receiving a monetary amount as compensation for photons generated by the LED light fixtures/light sources, maintaining a contractual relationship with the customer in exchange for the monetary amount, the contractual relationship including a requirement that the provider pay an electricity supplier for the electricity consumed by the LED light fixtures/light sources, determining, with a meter associated with each respective LED light fixture/light source, the amount of electricity consumed by the LED light fixtures/light sources used by the customer over a period of time, and in response to the determination and on behalf of the customer, submitting payment to the customer's electricity supplier for the electricity consumed by the LED light fixtures/light sources used by the customer.

A horsepower on demand system is presented that facilitates a user to purchase additional power from a third party provider. The system includes a vehicle with an engine, a control system, a microprocessor, memory and software and a wireless communications module. The system also includes a third party provider having a module, a database, software, and an interface. When a user purchases additional power from the third party provider, the third party provider transmits a control signal over a wireless communications network to the vehicle and the vehicle's control system modifies the operational characteristics of the motor thereby increasing the power output.

The invention relates to a method for managing charging currents delivered by an installation (1) for charging electric vehicle batteries in a parking lot (P), comprising a set of electric charging terminals (B.sub.1, . . . B.sub.N) connected to an electric power distribution network (2), each terminal being able to deliver a charging current value to an electric vehicle (VE.sub.1, . . . VE.sub.j) connected thereto. The method comprises: determining a maximum permissible value of the current at a connection point (3) for connecting the installation (1) to the network (2); storing, in a central management system (4) linked to the terminals, on the one hand, the electric charging terminals of a first subset of said set corresponding to the occupied terminals and, on the other hand, the electric charging terminals of a second subset corresponding to the available terminals; measuring the sum of the charging currents delivered by the terminals of the first subset; computing, by the system (4), an available current value according to a difference between the maximum permissible value and the sum of the delivered charging currents; and, for each new electric vehicle entering the parking lot (P) for charging purposes: computing, by the system (4), a deviation between the computed available current value and a charging current value able to be delivered by a determined terminal of the second subset; if the deviation is negative, transmitting, to one or more terminals selected from the first set, an order to reduce the charging current value delivered by each terminal to the vehicle connected thereto, so as to cover the deviation in absolute value; and transmitting, to the determined terminal of the second subset, an authorization message for charging the new vehicle at a predetermined charging current value.

A network-controlled charge transfer device for electric vehicles includes a control device to turn electric supply on and off to enable and disable charge transfer for electric vehicles, a transceiver to communicate requests for charge transfer with a remote server and receive communications from the remote server, and a controller, coupled with the control device and the transceiver, to cause the control device to turn the electric supply on based on communication from the remote server.

Method for the production of tetrakis(trihydrocarbylphosphane)palladium(0) in organic solvent, whereby 50 to 100% by weight of the organic solvent consist of at least one polar-aprotic solvent, characterised in that a) at least one palladium compound selected from the group consisting of palladium(II) compounds and palladium(IV) compounds that are soluble in the organic solvent is reacted with b) at least one base, selected from the group consisting of alkali metal hydroxides, alkali metal carbonates, alkali metal hydrogen carbonates, alkali metal-C.sub.1-C.sub.4-alcoholates, ammonium carbonate, ammonium hydrogen carbonate, alkaline earth metal hydroxides, alkaline earth metal carbonates, alkaline earth metal hydrogen carbonates, alkaline earth metal-C.sub.1-C.sub.4-alcoholates, and alkylamines with a total of 2 to 12 carbon atoms; c) at least one trihydrocarbylphosphane; and d) at least one organic reducing agent that is different from the remaining components that are used in the method.

A server of a network-controlled charging system for electric vehicles receives a request for charge transfer for an electric vehicle at a network-controlled charge transfer , determines whether to enable charge transfer, and responsive to determining to enable charge transfer, transmits a communication to the network-controlled charge transfer that indicates to the network-controlled charge transfer to enable charge transfer.