Importance

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Abstract

An integrated electric vehicle service station system for managing the exchange of heavy and bulky battery assemblies in electric vehicles. The battery exchange system includes a battery platform for supporting an assembly of batteries for the vehicle, a vehicle platform support structure within an electric vehicle for receiving and supporting the battery platform, and a mechanized vehicle service station facility for exchanging recharged battery platforms with spent platforms mounted on-board electric vehicles. The battery platform is of a simple modular shape that may be used with the large variety of sizes and shapes of electric vehicles that may be expected in the future. The battery platform support structure is a correspondingly simple structure that may readily be included in electric vehicles of widely differing designs. The service station facility includes two general service substations--an exchange substation where the spent battery platform is removed from the vehicles and replaced with a fully charged platform, and a staging substation where the battery platforms are stored, re-charged, serviced, and staged for insertion into a waiting vehicle at the exchange substation. The exchange substation is such that the exchange of a battery platform for an electric vehicle positioned at the exchange substation is able to proceed automatically and rapidly with a minimum of operator assistance so as to minimize the inconvenience to the vehicle operator.

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First Claim