Charging Service Vehicles and Methods with Output Points and Cables

Abstract

Charging service vehicles and methods with output points and cables are disclosed. The service vehicles are vehicles having electric vehicle (EV) charging equipment and output points affixed. The output points are configured as power outputs of the charging equipment to which connectors may be attached. Output points are located on multiple sides of the vehicle and can receive charging cables to connect the charging equipment to an EV. The charging cables, and potentially extension cables, may be limited in size and weight to allow a user to reach the charging port of an EV without mechanical assistance. In some cases the vehicle may be connected to multiple EVs at once to provide charging services from multiple output points. These embodiments permit a service vehicle operator to quickly and safely reach EVs in remote roadside environments that would otherwise be inaccessible to vehicles with limited ports and fixed charging connection devices.

1 . A service vehicle, comprising:
 a vehicle;   electric vehicle (EV) charging equipment transported by the vehicle, the EV charging equipment configured to be powered by energy stored in or generated by the vehicle;   a plurality of output points affixed to the vehicle, the output points configured as power outputs of the charging equipment, the output points comprising first-type electrical connectors capable of mating with second-type electrical connectors.   
     
     
         2 . The service vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein at least two of said output points are located on different sides of the vehicle. 
     
     
         3 . The service vehicle of  claim 2 ,
 wherein a first output point of the output points is affixed to a first side of the vehicle and a second output point is affixed to a second side of the vehicle, and the first output point is not operable by a human operator near the second side of the vehicle, and the second output point is not operable by a human operator near the first side of the vehicle.   
     
     
         4 . The service vehicle of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a charging cable transported by the vehicle, the charging cable having a first end comprising an EV charging connector and a second end comprising a second-type electrical connector, the EV charging connector capable of mating with a charging port of an EV, the second-type electrical connector capable of mating with a first-type electrical connector.   
     
     
         5 . The service vehicle of  claim 4 , wherein the second-type electrical connector of the charging cable is an electrically-secure connector and the first-type electrical connector is an electrically-secure connector. 
     
     
         6 . The service vehicle of  claim 4 , wherein the charging cable has a size and weight meeting Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) individual lifting recommendations. 
     
     
         7 . The service vehicle of  claim 4 , wherein the EV charging connector of the charging cable is connected to a charging port of an EV. 
     
     
         8 . The service vehicle of  claim 4 , wherein two or more output points may be configured to output power from the EV charging equipment simultaneously. 
     
     
         9 . The service vehicle of  claim 8 , wherein the two or more EVs simultaneously receive charge from the charging equipment through the output points of the vehicle. 
     
     
         10 . The service vehicle of  claim 4 , further comprising:
 a charging cable extension transported by the vehicle, the charging cable extension having a first-type electrical connector at a first end and a second-type electrical connector at a second end, the first-type electrical connector capable of mating with a second-type electrical connector, and the second-type electrical connector capable of mating with a first-type electrical connector.   
     
     
         11 . The service vehicle of  claim 10 , wherein the charging cable and charging cable extension have a size and weight meeting Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) individual lifting recommendations. 
     
     
         12 . The service vehicle of  claim 10 , wherein the charging cable and the charging cable extension are each between approximately 6 feet and approximately 15 feet in length. 
     
     
         13 . The service vehicle of  claim 10  wherein the EV charging connector of the charging cable is connected to a charging port of an EV, the second-type electrical connector of the charging cable is connected to the first-type electrical connector of the charging cable extension, and the second-type electrical connector of the charging cable extension is connected to an output point affixed to the vehicle. 
     
     
         14 . The service vehicle of  claim 1 , further comprising an onboard controller device configured to monitor and control the EV charging equipment. 
     
     
         15 . The service vehicle of  claim 14 , wherein the onboard controller device is configured to enable and disable the flow of energy from the output points affixed to the vehicle. 
     
     
         16 . A method of connecting electric vehicle (EV) charging equipment of a service vehicle to an EV across an extended distance by a single human operator, the method comprising:
 connecting a first-type electrical connector serving as an output point of an EV charging equipment to a second-type electrical connector at an end of a charging cable extension by a single human operator;   connecting a first-type electrical connector at the other end of the charging cable extension to a second-type electrical connector at an end of a charging cable by a single human operator; and   connecting an EV charging connector at the other end of the charging cable to a charging port of an EV by a single human operator, wherein the distance between the output point of the service vehicle and the charging port of the EV is greater than 15 feet.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 providing charge to the EV through the charging cable extension and the charging cable using the EV charging equipment.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the output point of the EV charging equipment is affixed to the body of the service vehicle. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the first-type connectors and second-type connectors are electrically-secure connectors. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 enabling charge to flow to the EV through the charging cable extension and the charging cable using a controller device onboard the service vehicle such that charge is provided to the EV from the EV charging equipment.