Patent ID: 6941197

Claim:
An energy tracking system for a fleet of battery powered vehicles, comprising: a plurality of sensors, each sensor being installed on a respective vehicle in the fleet for sensing a state of charge of at least one battery on the vehicle; a plurality of vehicle subsystems, each vehicle subsystem being installed in a respective vehicle in the fleet, operatively coupled to a corresponding sensor, and configured to transmit information reflecting the state of charge of the at least one battery; and a central station in wireless communication with said plurality of vehicle subsystems and configured to allocate vehicles in the fleet in response to the information regarding the state of charge of the at least one battery to effectuate an efficient battery charging operation in the fleet, wherein allocating vehicles to effectuate an efficient battery charging operation in the fleet comprises allocating a vehicle with a state of charge corresponding to a non-linear charging rate if such a vehicle is available, otherwise allocating a vehicle with a state of charge corresponding to a linear charging rate.