Apparatus, method and article for changing portable electrical power storage device exchange plans
A network of collection, charging and/or distribution machines collect, charge and/or distribute portable electrical energy storage devices (e.g., batteries, supercapacitors or ultracapacitors). In some embodiments, if the user selects to change their current portable electrical power storage device exchange plan to a two-portable electrical power storage device exchange plan while exchanging their current portable electrical power storage device, the user will return their current portable electrical power storage device and will receive two portable electrical power storage devices in exchange at the collection, charging and distribution machine. The user may also be required to pay additional fees and/or commit to additional obligations while at the collection, charging and distribution machine in order to change to the different portable electrical power storage device exchange plan.
1. A method performed by a processor in a battery exchange system, the method comprising:
detecting, by the processor, receipt of an at least partially depleted battery;
receiving, by the processor from a memory attached to the received battery, information indicating a characteristic of at least two battery compartments of a vehicle, wherein the at least two battery compartments are configured to hold at least two batteries, wherein the characteristic of the at least two battery compartments indicates how the at least two batteries are used to power the vehicle; and
determining, by the processor, the at least two batteries for powering the vehicle based on the characteristic of the at least two battery compartments.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining whether to provide information regarding the amount of energy to be consumed by the vehicle to a user, wherein the received information includes a number of vehicles associated with a user profile associated with the at least partially depleted battery, and wherein the method comprises determining the amount of energy to be consumed by the vehicle based on the number of vehicles associated with the user profile associated with the at least partially depleted battery.
3. The method of claim 2 wherein the user is allowed to have only one battery for the vehicle at a time from one or more battery collection and distribution machines.
4. The method of claim 2 wherein the user is allowed to have multiple batteries for the vehicle at a time from one or more battery collection and distribution machines.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein the received information is received in response to an input indicative of a user exchanging a battery in possession of the user for a charged battery.
6. A battery exchange system comprising:
at least one processor configured to:
detect receipt of an at least partially depleted battery;
receive, from a memory attached to the received battery, information indicating a characteristic of at least two battery compartments of a vehicle, wherein the least two battery compartments are configured to hold at least two batteries, wherein the characteristic of the at least two battery compartments indicates how the at least two batteries are used to power the vehicle; and
determine the at least two batteries for powering the vehicle based on the received information characteristic of the at least two battery compartments.
7. The system of claim 6 wherein the at least one processor is further configured to provide information the amount of energy to be consumed by the vehicle to a user, and wherein the received information includes a number of vehicles associated with a user profile associated with the at least partially depleted battery, and wherein the method comprises determining the amount of energy to be consumed by the vehicle based on the number of vehicles associated with the user profile associated with the at least partially depleted battery.
8. The system of claim 7 wherein the user is allowed to have only one battery for the vehicle at a time from one or more battery collection and distribution machines.
9. The system of claim 8 wherein the user is allowed to have two batteries for the vehicle at a time.
10. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer executable instructions thereon that, when executed by one or more computer processors, cause the one or more computer processors to:
detect receipt of an at least partially depleted battery;
receive a request to exchange a battery of a vehicle;
receive, based on the received request to exchange the battery from a memory attached to the received battery, information indicating a characteristic of at least two battery compartments of the vehicle, wherein the two battery compartments are configured to hold at least two batteries, wherein the characteristic of the at least two battery compartments indicates how the at least two batteries are used to power the vehicle; and
determine the at least two batteries for powering the vehicle based on the characteristic of the at least two or more battery compartments.
11. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10 wherein the instructions thereon, when executed by one or more computer processors, further cause the one or more computer processors to:
provide information regarding the amount of energy to be consumed by the vehicle to a user, wherein the information regarding the amount of energy to be consumed by the vehicle includes a number of battery or batteries to be exchanged at one time;
wherein the received information includes a number of vehicles associated with a user profile associated with the at least partially depleted battery, and wherein the method comprises determining the amount of energy to be consumed by the vehicle based on the number of vehicles associated with the user profile associated with the at least partially depleted battery.
12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10 wherein the received information includes information regarding battery exchange history.
13. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
receiving a vehicle characteristic; and
determining the amount of energy to be consumed by the vehicle based on the vehicle characteristic.
14. The system of claim 6 wherein the processor is configured to:
receiving a vehicle characteristic; and
determine the amount of energy to be consumed by the vehicle based on the vehicle characteristic.
15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10 wherein the instructions thereon, when executed by one or more computer processors, further cause the one or more computer processors to:
receiving a vehicle characteristic; and
determine the amount of energy to be consumed by the vehicle based on the vehicle characteristic.
16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the characteristic of the at least two battery compartments indicates that the at least two batteries are positioned in tandem.
17. The system of claim 6 , wherein the characteristic of the at least two battery compartments indicates that the at least two batteries are positioned in tandem.
18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10 , wherein the characteristic of the at least two battery compartments indicates that the at least two batteries are positioned in tandem.