A system for quickly exchanging batteries, and their payment, in electric vehicles as they are battery powered vehicles (BPV). Includes requirement for all BPV to be constructed similarly for battery undercarriage horizontal slide insertion and removal, with electric and water socket plug-in connections in the undercarriage. Includes requirement that batteries are slab designed to be compatible in dimensions and weight for ease of exchanging batteries in BPV, with larger batteries for SUV's, trucks, busses. Includes, battery exchange multi lane building facilities for BPV to drive in, service personnel or robots to exchange batteries from plug-in charging racks with specially designed battery movement equipment, pay for their use, and BPV to drive away. Requires batteries, facilities, racks, equipment, and all data processing and its computers to be owned by investors, with initial battery, daily, and as-you-go, payments by BPV owners.

A system for quickly exchanging batteries, and their payment, in electric vehicles as they are battery powered vehicles (BPV). Includes requirement for all BPV to be constructed similarly for battery undercarriage horizontal slide insertion and removal, with electric and water socket plug-in connections in the undercarriage. Includes requirement that batteries are slab designed to be compatible in dimensions and weight for ease of exchanging batteries in BPV, with larger batteries for SUV's, trucks, busses. Includes, battery exchange multi lane building facilities for BPV to drive in, service personnel or robots to exchange batteries from plug-in charging racks with specially designed battery movement equipment, pay for their use, and BPV to drive away. Requires batteries, facilities, racks, equipment, and all data processing and its computers to be owned by investors, with initial battery, daily, and as-you-go, payments by BPV owners.

The present invention refers to a battery bank supply and replacement system in an electric vehicle, particularly for an electric vehicle used for the distribution of commercial goods. The system of the present invention comprises a battery bank mounted in a metal structure that is structurally coupled to a metal mounting structure arranged on the electric vehicle and a handling device consisting of a movable base. The movable base is aligned and secured to the metal mounting structure of the vehicle for removal of the battery bank from the vehicle towards the handling device or the other way round.

Embodiments include apparatuses, systems, and methods for a computer-aided or autonomous driving (CA/AD) system to transmit to a remote service scheduling server, a request message for a service slot at a service provider. In embodiments, the remote service scheduling server may assign the service slot for a semi-autonomous or autonomous driving (SA/AD) vehicle including the CA/AD system. In embodiments, the service scheduling server may perform analysis or machine learning on data received from the CA/AD system as well as from a plurality of service stations in order to assign the service provider and/or service slot to the SA/AD vehicle. In embodiments, the CA/AD system may receive an assignment message and control driving elements of the SA/AD vehicle to autonomously or semi-autonomously drive the SA/AD vehicle to the service provider to receive the service at the assigned service slot. Other embodiments may also be described and claimed.

Embodiments include apparatuses, systems, and methods for a computer-aided or autonomous driving (CA/AD) system to transmit to a remote service scheduling server, a request message for a service slot at a service provider. In embodiments, the remote service scheduling server may assign the service slot for a semi-autonomous or autonomous driving (SA/AD) vehicle including the CA/AD system. In embodiments, the service scheduling server may perform analysis or machine learning on data received from the CA/AD system as well as from a plurality of service stations in order to assign the service provider and/or service slot to the SA/AD vehicle. In embodiments, the CA/AD system may receive an assignment message and control driving elements of the SA/AD vehicle to autonomously or semi-autonomously drive the SA/AD vehicle to the service provider to receive the service at the assigned service slot. Other embodiments may also be described and claimed.

A system includes energy modules that output power to an energy management bus based on load demands. An energy module includes energy cells enclosed within a module housing that provide power to the energy management bus and rotation assemblies attached on opposite ends of the module housing that provide rotational movement for the energy module. The energy module includes a local controller that controls power output from the energy cells to the energy management bus, engages a self-driving mode in response to receiving a disconnection signal from a central controller, and controls movement of the energy module in the self-driving mode to a predetermined location via the first rotation assembly and the second rotation assembly. The central controller receives a current module status from the energy modules and controls a configuration of the energy modules providing power to the energy management bus based on the current module status.

A modular system for a vehicle. The modular system includes a plurality of energy source modules configured to be connected to or included in a propulsion system of a vehicle, each one of the energy source modules having a rectangular cross-section. The modular system also includes a support structure operatively connectable to a chassis of the vehicle, the support structure defining a space for receiving said energy source modules. At least one of the energy source modules is a pressurized vessel containing a gas. The invention also relates to a vehicle and to an installation method.

A system and method for selectively charging removable batteries used for powering a fleet of local use vehicles may include placing and selectively charging batteries in a charging repository. Batteries are charged to an at least threshold charge level at which the batteries may be used to power a vehicle in a duty cycle. Charging can be managed based on at least one of fleet battery replacement needs and electrical cost optimization. The repository includes at least one rack in which batteries may be charged and a robotic device for moving batteries back and forth between the rack and the vehicles. Charging batteries within the repository and supplying them to vehicles that drive to the repository for battery exchange provides efficient spatial usage.

A battery assembly for a local use vehicle has outer walls, electrical contacts, and a communication connection, the battery providing a quantity of energy to power the local use vehicle, the electrical contacts of the battery configured and located for electrical contact with the first electrical contacts within the battery compartment when the battery is in a fully-inserted position within the battery compartment, the communication connection of the battery configured and located for wireless non-contact communication with the communication connection within the battery compartment when the battery is in a fully-inserted position within the battery compartment. The battery further includes a grasping point extending from one of the outer walls of the battery, the grasping point configured for being grasped by the end effector of the robotic device to thereby move the battery back and forth between the fully-inserted position and a removed position outside of the local use vehicle via the opening.

A system and method are provided for powering a fleet of local use vehicles using batteries, the batteries being removable from the local use vehicles for charging. The system and method include moving one of the local use vehicles in a battery exchange location when the battery in the local use vehicle is in an uncharged state, removing the battery in the uncharged state from a battery compartment in the local use vehicle using a robotic device, and placing the battery in the uncharged state into a first charging bay within a charging repository using the robotic device, the charging repository configured with a plurality of the charging bays to simultaneously hold and to charge a plurality of the batteries, removing a battery in a charged state from a second bay in the charging repository using the robotic device, and placing the battery in the charged state into the battery compartment in the local use vehicle.