ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING APPARATUS AND METHOD

摘要

An electric vehicle charging apparatus and method, including a user interface display on a charging station arranged to deliver electrical energy to an electric vehicle. The user interface display includes in various implementations display screen and touch screen components that may be variously functionalized for the charging operation. The display may for example include an outputted identification of added range resulting from the charging operation as the charging operation progresses, so that a user/operator may quantitatively view the added vehicular range provided by the charging operation. Another feature is a "get me home charge," by which a charging station processor determines from an electric vehicle GPS system a home base location of the vehicle, and then utilizes a charging station location and a navigational program to determine a distance from the charging station to the home base location of the vehicle, and actuates the charger apparatus of the charging station to transfer to an electrical vehicle only that amount of charge necessary for the vehicle to reach the home base location.