Patent ID: 7541757

Claim:
A motor vehicle comprising: at least one electric motor; an electrical energy storage device operable to provide electrical drive energy to the electric motor; a plug connector coupled to the energy storage device for connection to an electric power network; a controller operable to control a flow of a current from the electric power network to the energy storage device and from the energy storage device to the electric power network; a detecting device communicatively coupled to the controller, the detecting device operable to detect an amount of a residual charge in the energy storage device and operable to interrupt the flow of current from the energy storage device to the network when a threshold value of the residual charge is detected; and an input coupled to the controller and operable to initiate a partial discharge of the electrical energy stored in the electrical energy storage device to the electric power network in response to an external trigger wherein the plug connector is coupleable to an inverter outside the motor vehicle, and wherein the current of the electrical energy storage device is provided to the inverter.