Battery knowledge · Charging infrastructure
Opportunity charging
Topping up a vehicle in short, high-power bursts wherever it stops anyway — a bus at its terminus or at stops, a forklift at breaks — instead of carrying enough energy for the whole day. It allows a smaller, lighter battery, at the price of frequent high-rate cycling and of chargers along the route.
- Also called
- en-route charging, terminus charging
Example
Charging infrastructure: an example situation
A 100 kW model request does not establish real voltage, current, connector or negotiation compatibility.
Read Opportunity charging alongside Charge acceptance in this context. How much of the current offered to a battery it can actually absorb at a given state of charge and temperature. It falls as the battery fills and as it cools, which is why regenerative braking and fast charging are limited by the battery rather than the source.
Use in Lemonergy
Lemonergy Studio blocks
Charge during available stops
Availability is an independent signal.
Blocks to use
- Physical availability / signal schedule
Defines stop windows
Inputs & settings
- defaultValue
- startS / endS / value
- Charging schedule and target policy
Permits charging
Inputs & settings
- strategy
- targetSoc
- departureS
- soc, available, chargerDone → permit
- Regulated CC/CV charger
Regulates current and voltage
Inputs & settings
- currentA
- voltageV
- cutoffCurrentA / cutoffHoldS
- Electrical ports p and n
- Battery with SOC-dependent OCV
Stores charge and supplies terminal voltage
Inputs & settings
- capacityAh
- initialSoc
- emptyVoltageV / fullVoltageV
- resistanceOhm
- Electrical ports p and n
This overview identifies the components to use. Follow the example in Lemonergy for their connections and settings.
- Inspect availability and preferred windows.
- Shorten a stop.
Example. A 15-minute stop at a 100 kW grid cap has a 25 kWh upper grid-energy bound before losses and battery limits.
Observe. More power cannot recover disconnected time.
All battery and converter limits still apply. A schedule is not an electrochemical law.
Open the Studio example →References & further reading
Further reading on this topic
These sources provide broader context; they are not presented as citations for every statement in this entry.
- Electric Vehicle Charging Stations
U.S. Department of Energy, Alternative Fuels Data Center
Topic background · U.S. charging equipment levels, charging infrastructure and connector context. Regional terminology varies.