Method and System for Using a Mobile Device for Secure Access to Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment

Abstract

A systems and method are to allow a wireless telephone or any terminal to reserve and activate an electric vehicle charger using a web site or server computer system. An access control system is provided that includes a server and an access device. The access device includes an electrical vehicle charger. A reservation request is accepted from a first terminal using the server. A reservation certificate is provided to a mobile second terminal in response to the request using the server. The reservation certificate is accepted from the mobile second terminal using the access device and a communications technique like Bluetooth. The reservation certificate is determined to be authentic using the access device. The electric vehicle charger is activated in response to accepting an authentic reservation certificate using the access device.

1 . A reservation system comprising:
 a server able to receive a reservation request from a first terminal and provide a reservation certificate to a mobile second terminal in response to the reservation request; and,   an access device able to receive and validate the reservation certificate from the mobile second terminal and allow access in response.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first terminal and the second terminal is a wireless telephone. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 2  wherein said wireless telephone communicates with the access device using a short-range wireless communication technique. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 3  wherein the short-range wireless communication technique is Bluetooth. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the reservation certificate includes at least one of a duration and an end time. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the access device has an identification and the reservation certificate includes the identification. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 6 , wherein the reservation certificate further comprises a digital signature by the server, and the access device is able to authenticate the reservation certificate with the digital signature. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the access device has a public key and a private key pair, and at least a portion of the reservation certificate is encrypted with the public key by the server and decrypted with the private key by the access device. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the access device is an EVSE. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the EVSE contains an electric vehicle charger that has an identification, and the reservation certificate includes the identification. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the reservation certificate further comprises a digital signature by the server of data representative of the reservation. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the reservation certificate comprises a digital signature by the server, and the EVSE is able to authenticate the reservation certificate with the digital signature. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the EVSE has a public key and a private key pair, and at least a portion of the reservation certificate is encrypted with the public key by the server and decrypted with the private key by the EVSE. 
     
     
         14 . A method of reserving electrical vehicle charging comprising:
 providing an access control system including a server and an access device, the access device including an electrical vehicle charger;   accepting a reservation request from a first terminal using the server;   providing a reservation certificate to a mobile second terminal in response to the request using the server;   accepting the reservation certificate from the second terminal using the access device;   determining the reservation certificate is authentic; and   activating the electric vehicle charger in response to accepting an authentic reservation certificate using the access device.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the reservation certificate includes a duration and the activating is maintained for not longer than the duration. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein at least a portion of the reservation certificate is encrypted. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 14  herein the reservation certificate further comprises a digital signature by the server of data representative of the reservation. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 14  wherein the access device has an identification, and the reservation certificate contains data that includes the identification. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 14  wherein the mobile second terminal is a wireless telephone that communicates with the access device using a short-range wireless communication technique. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 14  wherein the mobile second terminal is a Bluetooth enabled EV.