An EV charging control apparatus may include a controller receiving a charging approval message for an EV from a charging management server, starting a charging to the EV in response to the charging approval message, measuring and accumulating an amount of energy charged to the EV, recognizing a charging termination operation from a user of the EV or the EV, and deriving charging information based on the amount of energy charged in response to the charging termination operation, and a short-range wireless communication module establishing a connection with a short-range wireless communication module mounted on the EV, and transmitting the charging information to the EV

A vehicle is provided that comprises two or more radio frequency (RF) antennas and two or more RF transceivers to communicate wirelessly sensitive information associated with a user of the vehicle (the two or more RF antennas being at different physical locations on an exterior of the vehicle). The vehicle determines which one of the two or more RF antennas is receiving a strongest signal from a common signal source, selects a first RF transceiver associated with the RF antenna with the strongest signal to send the sensitive information associated with the user to the common signal source, and sends the sensitive information associated with the user to the first RF transceiver for transmission to the common signal source.

An access control system for electric vehicle charging is provided that includes an access device, a secure reservation interface, a reservation server and a smartphone application installed on the smartphone. The access device includes a short-range wireless communication module connected to a processor having control of an electric vehicle charger. The secure reservation interface receives a reservation request for a reservation at a given destination. The reservation server receives the reservation request for the destination, issues a reservation certificate, and transmits the reservation certificate from the reservation server to a smartphone. The smartphone application has access to a short range wireless communication setting corresponding to the access device. The access device receives the reservation certificate from the smartphone application based on use by the smartphone application of the short-range wireless communication setting. The processor activates the electric vehicle charger based on at least the receipt of the reservation certificate.

A computer implemented method for managing charge availability of a charge unit (CU) to obtain charge for a battery of an electric vehicle (EV) is provided. The CU includes a computer for processing at least part of the method and for communicating with a server over a network. The method includes receiving, by the server, status information from the computer of the CU. The method includes sending to the computer of the CU instructions to make a reservation for the CU. The reservation is for a user account that has requested a desire to charge the battery of the electric vehicle of the user at the CU or another CU. The method includes sending, by the server, a confirmation for the reservation to the user account. The confirmation is viewable via a device having access to the server via the user account. The method includes sending, by the server, a data regarding a time of availability of the CU to the user account for the reservation. The computer of the CU is configured to display a visual indicator regarding the reservation of the CU.

A charging station includes an alternating current (AC) electrical power input and at least one direct current (DC) electrical power module coupled to the AC electrical power input. The charging station also includes at least one station output having a vehicle DC electrical power output, a communications output, and a dispenser DC electrical power output, the dispenser DC electrical power output being configured to be coupled to at least one dispenser. The charging station further includes a communications hub including at least one communications network connection, the communications hub being configured to receive information relating to an amount of DC electrical power to be delivered to a particular dispenser coupled to the charging station. Further still, the charging station includes a master controller configured to receive the information from the communications hub relating to the amount of DC electrical power to be delivered to the particular dispenser coupled to the charging station and provide a control signal to one of the at least one DC electrical power modules, the control signal being based on the information and being configured to control the amount of DC electrical power sent through one of the at least one DC electrical power modules.

A system for charging an electric vehicle having at least one power induction coil under control of a processor wirelessly charges an electric vehicle, wherein the at least one power induction coil is positioned in proximity to a parking location; and a parking manager device manages permissions for electric vehicles to park in one or more parking locations included in a parking zone associated with the parking manager device, wherein the parking manager also manages permissions for electric vehicles to charge via wireless charging while parked in the one or more parking locations, wherein the parking manager device has a unique address and the zone, parking locations, and charging stations associated with the parking manager device have associated unique sub-addresses associated with the parking manager device unique address.

A method for controlling a charge transfer of an electric vehicle using an electric vehicle charging station, a mobile device, and a cloud server is disclosed. The method includes: receiving, at a mobile device, a message for an electric vehicle of a user from the electric vehicle charging station, wherein a user of the mobile device is associated with the electric vehicle to be charged; sending, from the mobile device, the message for the electric vehicle of the user to the cloud server, wherein the charge transfer request relayed from the mobile device includes identification information; in response to a charging control signal being authorized using identification information received from the mobile device, receiving the charging control signal from the cloud server at the mobile device to be forwarded to the electric vehicle charging station, wherein the charging control signal is configured to adjust a charging parameter at the electric vehicle charging station.

An electric vehicle charging method includes at a user terminal, transmitting a location information of the user terminal to a management sever; at the management sever, determining at least one usable charging device corresponding to the location information; at the management sever, transmitting information for at least one determined charging device to the user terminal; at the user terminal, choosing at least one charging device among the at least one determined charging device; at the user terminal, transmitting a preemption request information for preemption at least one chosen charging device to the management server; at the management sever, locking at least one charging device corresponding to the preemption request information by transmitting a preemption order signal; at the management sever, transmitting information for a user of the user terminal to locked charging device; and unlocking the charging device corresponding to inputting a authentication information for authentication of the user.

Various disclosed embodiments include illustrative controller units, systems, vehicles, and methods. In an illustrative embodiment, a controller unit includes a communication component, a controller and a memory. The communication component is configured to communicate with a direct current charging device. The controller is configured to communicate with the communication component and the memory. The memory is configured to store computer-executable instructions configured to cause the controller to determine a target location, receive location information of a vehicle, receive state of charge information, determine a charging request in response to the target location, the location information of the vehicle, and the state of charge information, and send, via the communication component, the determined charging request to the direct current charging device connectable to the vehicle.

Technology for charging at least one battery is described. An aspect of the technology involves charging a battery using alternating current (AC) power by periodically stopping (602) charging of a battery of a mobile energy storage and power consumption device (16A) with AC power, and when charging of the battery with AC power is stopped, initiating (604) a direct current (DC) power charging communications cycle for the battery, in which the initiating the DC power charging communications cycle includes obtaining (606) state of battery related information for the battery by transmitting, over a communication link or interface, a request signal to a charging control device at the mobile energy storage and power consumption device indicating DC power charging mode of operation.