Patent ID: 8384358

Claim:
A charging system for use in a plug-in vehicle and configured to charge a vehicle battery from an external power source that is not onboard the vehicle, the charging system comprising: a first sensor disposed onboard the plug-in vehicle and configured to detect a first measure of an electrical current received from the external power source, the first measure detected by the first sensor onboard the vehicle; a second sensor disposed at the external power source and configured to detect a second measure of the electrical current at the external power source, the second measure detected by the second sensor at the external power source; a processor configured to: compare the first measure with the second measure, generating a comparison; determine a charging expectation related to charging the vehicle battery; determine a variation from the charging expectation based on the comparison; and direct transmission of a message based on the variation from the charging expectation; and a remote electronic device configured to receive the message and to alert a driver of the plug-in vehicle based on the message.