A utility cart includes a stored energy device that can be in the form of a Lithium Ion battery pack. The battery pack can include a main power output useful to drive high voltage components as well as the electric motor for motive power. The battery pack can also include one or more auxiliary outputs useful to provide auxiliary power to various other components. The auxiliary outputs can be either low and/or high voltage outputs. An auxiliary DC/DC output can be used to step down high voltage of the Lithium ion battery pack to lower voltages. A motor controller supply can also be provided as an auxiliary output to provide some power to a motor controller.

A vehicle-mounted charge control apparatus includes: a voltage converter that converts a voltage output from a voltage supplier on a vehicle and supplies the converted voltage to a storage battery on the vehicle; a temperature adjuster that adjusts a temperature of the voltage converter while the voltage converter is working; a person detector that detects whether or not a person is in a cabin of the vehicle; and a controller that controls the voltage converter to supply the converted voltage to the storage battery in a case where the person detector detects that no person is in the cabin of the vehicle.

A motorized movement device includes a frame, first and second wheels connected to the frame, and first and second motors connected respectively to the first and second wheels that are commandable by respective command signals. The motorized device also includes an inertial measuring unit configured to detect the longitudinal acceleration, pitch angular speed, and yaw angular speed of the movement device and for providing signals representative of the same. The motorized device also includes sensors for detecting speeds of the wheels and configured to provide signals representative thereof. The motorized device further includes a control unit comprising a module for estimating the slope, and longitudinal thrust exerted by a user to the device, yaw torque applied by the user. The control unit also includes a module for compensating the slope, a thrust amplifying module, a yaw torque amplifying module, and a torque allocating module.

Various systems and methods associated with protecting a rider of an electric bicycle from hazards while riding their bicycle are described. In some embodiments, the systems and methods enhance the safety of the rider in response to current detected conditions surrounding the rider, such as conditions associated with the route or path traveled by the rider, other vehicles within the route or path traveled by the rider, potential hazards within the route or path traveled by the rider, environmental conditions through which the rider is traveling, and so on.

A charge control system for a vehicle, which is configured to control charging of a power storage device, includes a user detector that determines whether a user is present within a predetermined range relative to the vehicle, and a vehicle electronic control unit configured to permit the power storage device to be charged with electric power generated by the generator, in addition to the power from the outside of the vehicle, during external charging, when the user detector determines that the user is present within the predetermined range. The vehicle ECU is configured to inhibit power generation by the generator during external charging when the user detector determines that the user is not present within the predetermined range.

Systems, methods, and other embodiments associated with detecting an electric vehicle charging event. In one embodiment, from electricity consumption data from a known set of electric vehicle owners, the method encodes usage values from time intervals with a symbol from a series of symbols representing a level of electricity consumption during the time interval. The encoding generates an encoded consumption pattern of symbols for each electrical vehicle owner. An EV charge motif is identified that represents an EV charging event. One or more machine learning classifiers is trained to identify the EV charge motifs from the known set of electric vehicle owners and to distinguish from non-charge motifs to identify EV charges from unknown data sets.

A temperature increasing system for vehicle batteries includes a drive motor, first and second batteries, first and second temperature increasing units, and a controller. The drive motor can output a driving force for driving a drive wheel of a vehicle. The first battery can supply electric power to the drive motor. The second battery has a capacity smaller than a capacity of the first battery. The first and second temperature increasing units can increase, respectively, the temperatures of the first and second batteries by using electric power from the second battery. While the vehicle is parked, the controller heats the first battery by using the first temperature increasing unit if the temperature of the first battery is below a first value when the vehicle starts moving, and heats the second battery by using the second temperature increasing unit.

A server informs a vehicle of chargers, the vehicle being mounted with a battery. The vehicle includes a fatigue detection device configured to detect a fatigue level of the driver. A server includes a communication device configured to receive information indicative of the fatigue level of the driver from the vehicle, and a processor configured to extract at least one charger from among multiple chargers installed within an access range of the vehicle if the driver's fatigue level is above a given reference value, and inform the vehicle of the extracted charger, the access range being determined by power stored in the battery and the current location of the vehicle.

A network of collection, charging and distribution machines collect, charge and distribute portable electrical energy storage devices (e.g., batteries, supercapacitors or ultracapacitors). To avoid theft and tampering of the portable electrical energy storage devices, by default, each portable electrical energy storage device is locked in and operably connected to the vehicle to which it provides power unless the vehicle comes within the vicinity of a collection, charging and distribution machine or other authorized external device such as that in a service center. Once within the vicinity of a collection, charging and distribution machine or other authorized external device a locking mechanism in the vehicle or within the portable electrical energy storage device unlocks and allows the portable electrical energy storage device to be exchanged or serviced.

The disclosure relates to a method for charging a battery of a motor vehicle by an external charging station and to a motor vehicle which is designed to carry out such a method. The method includes the following steps which occur before coupling the motor vehicle to the charging station for charging the battery of the motor vehicle: first, on the basis of charging station data received by a motor vehicle, data which characterizes a current maximum charging capacity of the charging station, it is verified whether a predetermined charging state of the battery of the motor vehicle can be achieved by the charging station within a predetermined time. If the predetermined charging state of the battery cannot be achieved, a warning signal is issued.