Patent ID: 8949009
Filing Date: 2015-02-03
Classification: G06F,G06Q,G07B,G07C

Abstract:
1. A system, comprising: a computer processor embedded in a vehicle; a communications component in the vehicle, the communications component communicatively coupled to the computer processor via a vehicle communication bus in the vehicle, the communications component configured to enable communications between the vehicle and information sources, at least one of the information sources is external to the vehicle; a display device embedded in the vehicle and communicatively coupled to the computer processor over the communication bus; and logic executable by the computer processor, the logic configured to implement: determining, via global positioning system coordinates, a location of the vehicle; in response to determining, via the global positioning system coordinates, that the vehicle is located at an energy provider: prompting a vehicle occupant, via an option on the display device, to select the at least one of the information sources to acquire a price per unit of energy offered by the energy provider; and in response to receiving a selection from the vehicle occupant of the at least one of the information sources, accessing the at least one of the information sources via the communications component and acquiring the price per unit of energy offered by the energy provider; computing, during a drive cycle and as a function of operator driving behavior, an energy consumption rate of the vehicle over a time period, the computing comprising determining, from an energy gauge in the vehicle, an amount of energy consumed for the time period; multiplying the price per unit of energy by the energy consumption rate to determine a cost of the energy consumption rate over the time period; and displaying the cost of the energy consumption rate for the time period on the display device in the vehicle.