A network of collection, charging and distribution machines collect, charge and distribute portable electrical energy storage devices (e.g., batteries, supercapacitors or ultracapacitors). To charge, the machines employ electrical current from an external source, such as the electrical grid or an electrical service of an installation location. By default, each portable electrical energy storage device is disabled from accepting a charge unless it receives authentication information from an authorized collection, charging and distribution machine, other authorized charging device, or other authorized device that transmits the authentication credentials. Also, by default, each portable electrical energy storage device is disabled from releasing energy unless it receives authentication information from an external device to which it will provide power, such as a vehicle or other authorization device.

The invention relates to a charging plug (100) for coupling to a corresponding plug connection (200) and for transmitting electrical energy, said charging plug comprising a charging plug housing (110) having a latching body (10) which is provided for establishing a detachable frictional and/or interlocking connection between the charging plug (100) and the plug connection (200) together with a corresponding latching body (20) of the plug connection (200), the latching body (10) having at least one detecting element (11) in a portion of the latching body (10) which is provided for frictional and/or interlocking connection to the corresponding latching body (20), and the charging plug housing (110) having at least one sensor unit (111) by means of which the detecting element (11).

A system and method for locking a charging port to charge an electric vehicle that includes determining that the electric vehicle is located within a predetermined distance of a charging station and determining that the charging station issues parking citations associated with parking of the electric vehicle at the charging station without attachment of the charging port to the electric vehicle. The system and method also include determining charging of the electric vehicle and sending a command to enable a locking mechanism of the charging port to lock the charging port in place. The system and method further include completing user authentication with respect to an operator of the electric vehicle to disable the locking mechanism to ensure that the charging port is not detached by an unauthorized individual and that parking citations are not issued based on the parking of the electric vehicle at the charging station.

A battery management system is a battery management system managing a battery device loaded in a vehicle. The battery management system includes: a sensor configured to measure an ON time of a battery module included in the battery device, the sensor being included in the battery device; a communication device configured to send the ON time measured by the sensor to a management device, the management device managing the ON time of the battery module and receive a reference value from the management device; and a circuitry configured to judge whether the battery module has been used outside management of the management device, based on the ON time measured by the sensor and the reference value, wherein the communication device also sends a judging result determined by the circuitry to the management device.

A system and method for locking a charging port to charge an electric vehicle that includes determining that the electric vehicle is located within a predetermined distance of a charging station and determining when the charging port of an electric vehicle supply equipment of the charging station is attached to the electric vehicle to actively charge the electric vehicle. The system and method also include determining if the charging station accesses a parking citation associated with parking of the electric vehicle if the electric vehicle is not attached to the charging port. The system and method additionally include locking the charging port to the electric vehicle to disallow decoupling of the charging port from the electric vehicle by an unauthorized individual to avoid the parking citation.

A vehicular removable battery removably mountable in an electric vehicle includes a time acquirer configured to acquire a current time, a time period storage storing a time period in which electric power is supplied, and an electric power supply controller configured to control the supply of the electric power stored in an electric power storage to the electric vehicle. After the electric power supply controller detects that an activation instruction of the electric vehicle has been issued, the electric power supply controller is configured to enable the supply of the stored electric power to the electric vehicle in a case where the acquired current time is included in the stored time period. The electric power supply controller is configured to prohibit the supply of the electric power to the electric vehicle in a case where the acquired current time is not included in the stored time period.

A method for communicating between an electric vehicle and a charging station for electrically charging at least one energy storage device of the electric vehicle. The electric vehicle is connected to the charging station during the charging process by a lockable mechanical coupling between a terminal of charging cable connected to the vehicle and a terminal of the charging station. Charging current is fed from the charging station through the charging cable. Information is transferred in the course of the charging process based on a communication between the electric vehicle and the charging station. The information includes a signal transmitted from the electric vehicle to the charging station for locking and/or unlocking the mechanical coupling. The signal triggers the locking and/or unlocking of the mechanical coupling between the terminal of the charging cable and the terminal at the charging station.

A system for battery binding includes a service end electronic device, at least one battery device and at least one carrier device. The service end electronic device is configured to send a carrier identifier corresponding to a carrier device to a battery device for storage therein in order to bind the battery device to the carrier device.

A device including at least one component accommodation, at least one exchangeable component arranged in the component accommodation, and a control unit. The exchangeable component includes a security device with a memory in which individualization information individually characterizing the component is stored. At least the memory of the security device is a non-nondestructively separable constituent part of the component The security device is connected via a communication connection to the control unit, and the control unit is configured to detect an exchange of the component based on the individualization information and on an acceptability information stored in the control unit, which describes the individual components that are acceptable for an operation of the device.

This disclosure describes manual release systems for electrified vehicle charge port locks. In some embodiments, a vehicle key may be used to manually override a position of the charge port lock. In other embodiments, a pull button and cable arrangement may be used to manually override the position of the charge port lock. The pull button may be packaged under a vehicle hood and, in some embodiments, may be mounted to either a cooling system component or a grille support structure.