WO2023235992A1

WO2023235992A1 - An auxiliary battery system and methods of using same

Info

Publication number: WO2023235992A1
Application number: PCT/CA2023/050805
Authority: WO
Inventors: Arek M KAMINSKI
Original assignee: Ak Motor International Corporation
Priority date: 2022-06-11
Filing date: 2023-06-12
Publication date: 2023-12-14

Abstract

An auxiliary battery pack, system and methods of using same are described. The pack is used in addition to a main battery in an Electric Vehicle (EV) and comprises a battery cell; a casing for housing the cell, the casing has: an output port for supplying electricity from the cell to an input port of the EV; at least one fastener to be removably coupled to a receptacle in the EV, to secure the casing against movement in the EV. The pack is sized to be handled by a person, is configured to be manually removable from the EV, and when installed inside and is electrically connected to the EV, the pack forms an integral part of an on-board battery system of the EV, including the main battery, and is configured to optionally charge the main battery and/ and supply electricity to the EV, without interrupting electrical operation of the EV.

Description

An Auxiliary Battery System and Methods of Using Same

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

[0001] This application claims priority from US Provisional Patent Application No. 63/351,373, filed on 11 June 2022 and entitled "Auxiliary Battery System", the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] This invention relates generally to battery systems for Electric Vehicles and more particularly, to an auxiliary battery system and methods of using same.

BACKGROUND

[0003] Existing battery systems in electric vehicles (EVs) are ill-equipped to deal with many real-world EV ownership situations and scenarios. Of primary importance is the winter climate scenario, but also urban and rural settings provide their own unique challenges, regardless of the weather. Most of these challenges relate to the charging of the EV battery, and how long the charge will last when the EV is in use. The different usage and ownership scenarios have a direct impact on the way the EV batteries behave, yet the charging and discharging methods of the batteries remain remarkably uniform.

Battery Usage - The Range Metric

[0004] The prevalent metric for battery usage efficiency appears to be the "range metric", which relies on distance as a measure of capacity. Long recharge times, and a lack of charging infrastructure give rise to range anxiety. In the latter phenomenon, when an EV's battery runs out of charge, the vehicle is effectively rendered useless, until a charge station is found and the requisite investment of time is made so that the EV battery charge is replenished. This overall arrangement results in a slow adoption of electric vehicles by a broad section of the population, and especially in areas where exposure to the winter elements is a serious danger. Disregarding the continuous improvements in the actual components of electric vehicles (i.e. batteries), there could be a different method of usage of the existing technologies which has not been appropriately explored, but which could solve some key challenges of EV adoption. There is a desire in the field for exploration of a new and improved method of usage (charging and discharging).

Battery Charging

[0005] Already in the past 2 decades, there have been several different attempts made at different charging methods. One method of charging has been to plug the vehicle into a charging apparatus and wait until the battery is fully charged. Another method of charging has been the idea of removing, and replacing an existing battery in a vehicle. Due to the tremendous weight of an EV battery, and the massive investment required in building the battery exchange / charging facility infrastructure, the latter method has not been widely adopted. It is simply not a practical method of refueling an electric vehicle. Having said that, where the latter method has been implemented, the process of removing the EV battery and replacing it was machine governed and automation was required for accuracy and alignment. The former method is the one which has gained acceptance by a wide margin. The ramifications of this adoption remain among the core challenges with EV adoption. A tremendous amount of new charging infrastructure must be built to satisfy the requirements of the ever-expanding global fleet of electric vehicles. Moreover, even if there was an abundance of these facilities, the charge times will always remain an issue. A solution is needed which will not require a significant expansion of charging infrastructure, nor an excessive amount of charging time. The solution must also address the issue of range anxiety, whereby people literally fear for their lives when they are traveling long distances, particularly in freezing weather. There is a desire in the field to resolve the challenge with the charging side of the battery usage equation, while also dealing with the discharging challenge as expressed in the range anxiety part of the equation.

Battery Discharging

[0006] As compared to the charging side of the battery usage equation, the discharging of the battery represents the actual Electric Vehicle usage on the road. As outlined above, the vehicle usage is commonly expressed by the range metric, which indicates the distance a vehicle can be driven on a single charge. This metric is not well representative of an Electrical Vehicle's overall utility as it only provides a measure of travel distance potential. There are other Electric Vehicles potential uses which are not addressed with the range metric. As an example, in a winter climate, the range metric does not take into account the length of time that a battery can generate heat inside a cabin for the occupants' survivability purposes. In winter climates, where the possibility of freezing to death in a vehicle is real, and the possibility of immobility due to excessive snow is also real, a metric which relies on distance traveled alone, becomes entirely incomplete. In such cases, the metric should also take into account the protection of the cabin environment from the winter elements over time, in the event that the electric vehicle is rendered immobile by inclement weather conditions. This could be considered a "Life Support Metric".

Life Support Metric

[0007] On the "Life Support Metric", it is clear that the existing battery usage schedule will run up against challenges regardless of improvements to battery technologies. The Life Support Metric of usage will always be at odds with the battery charging side of the equation. In simple terms, there will always be a recharging period which will render the Life Support potential of an Electric Vehicle useless. This situation is made even worse when the Electric Vehicle has no access to a charging facility, i.e. if the vehicle is stranded on a road in a rural or uninhabited region in winter conditions. Even if the vehicle could be plugged in for charging, there will still be a period of down time where the vehicle is not generating life support. The danger in this arrangement is self-evident, and more-over, this danger is at the core of Electric Vehicle adoption challenges in countries where cold climates are a day-to-day reality. The Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles have this challenge resolved very well. A "Jerry-Can" with gasoline delivered to a stranded ICE vehicle provides immediate Life-Support and operability.

[0008] There is a desire in the field to address at least some of the problems identified above for Electric Vehicles.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009] The current invention has several aspects. In one aspect, an auxiliary battery pack for use in and Electric Vehicle (EV) in addition to a main battery is described. The auxiliary battery pack includes: a battery cell; a casing for housing the battery cell, the casing has: an output port configured for supplying electricity from the battery cell to an input port of the EV; at least one fastener configured to be removably coupled to a receptacle in the EV, such that when the at least one fastener is coupled to the EV, the casing is secure against movement in the EV. The auxiliary battery pack is sized to be handled by a person, is configured to be manually removable from the EV, and when the auxiliary battery pack is installed inside and is electrically connected to the EV, the auxiliary battery pack forms an integral part of an on-board battery system of the EV, including the main battery, and is configured in a first mode of operation to perform at least one of charge the main battery and supply electricity to the EV, without interrupting electrical operation of the EV. [0010] In a related embodiment, when the auxiliary battery pack is installed inside and is electrically connected to the EV, the auxiliary battery pack is configured in a second mode of operation to recharge from the main battery, without interrupting electrical operation of the EV.

[0011] In another related embodiment, the Auxiliary battery pack further has an input port, the auxiliary battery pack is further configured to be electrically, removably couplable to the output port of a second auxiliary battery pack in a stacked configuration, such that when the stacked configuration is installed inside and is electrically connected to the EV, the stacked configuration is configured to deliver electricity from each auxiliary battery pack in the stacked configuration to the EV through the output port of the auxiliary battery pack.

[0012] In another related embodiment, the auxiliary battery pack further comprises sensors for measuring a level of electric charge stored in the battery cell and at least one of a Wi-Fi transmitter or a Bluetooth transmitter for transmitting the measurements from the sensors to a controller of the EV.

[0013] In another related embodiment, the auxiliary battery pack is configured to supply electricity to at least one of the main battery and the EV instantaneously after being installed inside and is electrically connected to the EV.

[0014] In another related embodiment, the Auxiliary battery pack further includes one or more of an accelerometer, a Principal Circuit Board (PCB), a battery service memory, a Global Positioning System (GPS), and an impact detector.

[0015] In another related embodiment, the auxiliary battery pack is further adapted to be rechargeable from any one of a solar power cell, a hydraulic power source, a wind turbine, a dynamo, a heat to electricity conversion source, or another electrical power source.

[0016] In another related embodiment, the casing of the auxiliary battery pack has fins on the exterior structure of the casing for controlling heat dissipation from the auxiliary battery pack, when in use.

[0017] Another aspect of the invention relates to a system for providing auxiliary power to an Electric Vehicle (EV), the system comprises: at least one auxiliary battery pack, as described above; sensors for obtaining measurements from a main battery of the EV and the at least one auxiliary batter pack, when securely installed inside and is electrically connected to the EV to form an integral part of the on-board battery system of the EV; and a controller electrically connected to the EV, the controller configured to: receive the measurements from the sensors; determine a level of charge stored in the main battery and the at least one auxiliary battery pack based on the measurements received; select a mode of operation of the at least one auxiliary battery pack based on the determined level of charge store in the main battery and the at least one auxiliary battery pack; and manipulate an electrical circuit connecting the main battery and the at least one auxiliary battery pack based on the mode of operation selected.

[0018] In related embodiment of the system, the mode of operation specifies the mode of the main battery and the at least one auxiliary battery pack to be one of discharging or recharging.

[0019] In another related embodiment of the system, the controller is configured to determine, based on the measurements, if the secure installation of the at least one auxiliary battery pack inside the EV is jeopardized and to electrically disconnect thereafter the at least one auxiliary battery pack from the on-board battery system of the EV. [0020] In another related embodiment of the system, the controller is configured to determine, based on the measurements, excessive weight placed on the at least one auxiliary battery pack inside the EV and to electrically disconnect thereafter the at least one auxiliary battery pack from the on-board battery system of the EV.

[0021] In another related embodiment of the system, the at least one auxiliary battery pack includes two or more auxiliary battery packs physically coupled to one another in a stacked configuration, such that the stacked configuration is securely installed inside the EV and is electrically connected to the EV, such that each auxiliary battery pack of the stacked configuration forms an integral part of the on-board battery system of the EV.

[0022] In another related embodiment of the system, the controller is configured to receive commands wirelessly from an external interface.

[0023] Another aspect of the invention relates to a method of using an auxiliary battery pack in an Electric Vehicle (EV) in addition to a main battery. The method includes: manually securing the auxiliary battery pack inside the EV; electrically connecting the auxiliary battery pack to the EV, such that the auxiliary battery pack forms an integral part of an on-board battery system of the EV; configuring, via a controller in the EV, the auxiliary battery pack to operate between a first operational mode and a second operational mode, wherein in the first operational mode, the auxiliary battery pack performs at least one of charging the main battery and supplying electricity to the EV, without interrupting electrical operation of the EV and wherein when in the second operational mode, the auxiliary battery pack operates to recharge from the main battery, without interrupting electrical operation of the EV. [0024] In another related embodiment, the method further includes configuring the controller to electrically disconnect the auxiliary battery pack from the on-board battery system of the EV when the auxiliary battery pack is no longer securely coupled to the EV.

[0025] In another related embodiment, the method further includes configuring the controller to electrically disconnect the auxiliary battery pack from the on-board battery system of the EV when excess weight is detected on the auxiliary battery pack.

[0026] In another related embodiment, the method further incudes: (a) manually disconnecting the electrical connection between the auxiliary batter pack and the EV; (b) manually decoupling the auxiliary battery pack from the EV; (c) recharging the auxiliary battery pack at a location different from a location of the EV; (d) bringing back the recharged auxiliary battery pack to the location of the EV; (e) manually securing the recharged auxiliary battery pack inside the EV; (f) electrically connecting the recharged auxiliary battery pack to the EV; (g) configuring the auxiliary battery pack to operate in the first operational mode to trickle charge the main battery; and (h) repeating steps (a) to (g) to supplement the charge of the main battery.

[0027] In another related embodiment, the method further includes: continuously monitoring an electrical charge level of the main battery during operation of the EV; determining when the electrical charge level of the main battery falls below a predetermined level; configuring, vial the controller of the EV, the auxiliary battery pack to operate in the first operational mode; and configuring, vial the controller of the EV, the on-board battery system to disconnect the main batter as a power source to the EV and to maintain the auxiliary battery pack as the only electrical power source to the EV without interrupting the electrical operation of the EV.

[0028] In another related embodiment, the method further includes: manually securing another auxiliary battery pack inside the EV in a stackable configuration with the auxiliary battery pack; electrically connecting the other auxiliary battery pack to the auxiliary battery pack, such that the other auxiliary battery pack forms an integral part of an on-board battery system of the EV; configuring, via a controller in the EV, the each of the auxiliary battery pack and the other auxiliary battery pack to operate between a first operational mode and a second operational mode, wherein in the first operational mode, the auxiliary battery pack performs at least one of charging the main battery and supplying electricity to the EV, without interrupting electrical operation of the EV and wherein when in the second operational mode, the auxiliary battery pack operates to recharge from the main battery, without interrupting electrical operation of the EV.

[0029] Other aspects and embodiments of the invention will be apparent as will be shown in the detailed description of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] The accompanying drawings illustrate non-limiting example embodiments of the invention.

[0031] Fig.l shows a perspective view of a four auxiliary battery pack configuration according to an embodiment of the current invention.

[0032] Fig.2 shows a perspective view of a two auxiliary battery pack configuration with a free trough and receptacles for engagement.

[0033] Fig. 3a shows a partial perspective view of an auxiliary battery pack with fastener in an engaged position.

[0034] Fig. 3b shows a partial perspective view of an auxiliary battery pack with fastener in an engaged position. [0035] Fig. 3c shows a perspective view of a receptacle.

[0036] Fig. 4 shows a perspective view of an electrical connection.

[0037] Fig. 5a shows a perspective view of a rear trough and groove in an unengaged position.

[0038] Fig. 5b shows a perspective view of a rear trough and groove in an engaged position.

[0039] Fig. 5c shows a perspective view of a rear trough and groove in a travel position.

[0040] Fig. 5d shows a perspective view of a rear groove in detail.

[0041] Fig. 6 shows a perspective view of a single auxiliary battery pack.

[0042] Fig. 7a shows a perspective view of an auxiliary battery pack mounted on a surface of the EV.

[0043] Fig. 7b shows a further perspective view of a battery pack mounted on a surface of the EV.

[0044] Fig. 8 shows an exploded view of an auxiliary battery pack according to an embodiment of the current invention.

[0045] Fig. 9 shows a schematic flowchart for creating an auxiliary battery subscription account. [0046] Fig. 10 shows a schematic flowchart describing the process used to connect a smart phone app to an auxiliary battery.

[0047] Fig. 11 shows a schematic flowchart describing the process to register and EV with a smartphone according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0048] Fig. 12 shows a schematic flowchart describing the process to access EV through the app.

[0049] Fig. 13 shows smart-phone app main screen according to an embodiment of the current invention.

[0050] Fig. 14 shows an EV app main screen according to an embodiment of the current invention.

[0051] Fig. 15 shows a schematic flowchart describing the process for the auxiliary battery installation into an EV.

[0052] Fig. 16 shows a schematic flowchart describing the process for sharing the auxiliary battery.

[0053] Fig. 17 shows a schematic flowchart describing the process for charging the auxiliary battery.

[0054] Fig. 18 shows a further exploded diagram of the auxiliary battery pack.

[0055] Fig. 19 shows a detailed perspective view of the physical connectors within an EV used for connecting the auxiliary battery pack. [0056] Fig. 20 shows a detailed perspective view of the electrical connector within the EV for interfacing with the auxiliary battery, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0057] Throughout the following description, specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding to persons skilled in the art. However, well known elements may not have been shown or described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the disclosure. The following description of examples of the technology is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the system to the precise forms of any example embodiment. Accordingly, the description and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative, rather than a restrictive, sense.

[0058] The solution presented in this disclosure addresses many challenges relating the EVs in an elegant way, while remaining fundamentally "future proof" as the technology evolves. The essence of the system relies on the idea of separating the battery arrangement of an EV into two separate systems, whereby the First System is a permanent, on-board system, which is built into the structure of the EV, and the Secondary or Auxiliary System is one which can be installed, and removed from the vehicle manually, without any tools. This Auxiliary Battery System is intended to be portable, and is analogous to a gas canister for an ICE vehicle. This Auxiliary Battery System may be managed by an on-board EV App, and / or a Smart-Phone App.

An Auxiliary Portable Battery System - The gas-canister solution

[0059] The Auxiliary Battery is portable, ideally carried by a human, which implies a weight limitation. Also, the installation of a fully charged Auxiliary Battery allows the EV to drive instantly, if only for a short period of time due to a more limited capacity, in an analogous way to a traditional Internal Combustion Engine Car which has had its tank filled up. This "quick-install" method immediately removes the need for time spent on charging the battery. A third party can invest the time into charging, or it can be done in spare time, outside the car.

An application-based management system for the Auxiliary, Portable Battery

[0060] A secondary optional component of this arrangement is the application, herein after referenced as the "app" which manages the relationship between the Primary and Auxiliary Battery, as well as the vehicle itself. This app be accessed on-board the vehicle's digital interface, and/ or may be a downloadable app that may be installed on the owner's smart phone. The app may further allow for a relationship among any number of Auxiliary Batteries shared among a broad section of the population.

Battery Description

[0061] The Auxiliary Battery is intended to mimic the basic functionality of a portable gasoline canister whereby an ICE vehicle becomes instantly operable when gasoline is added to its fuel tank. In the Electric Vehicle analogy, the EV should automatically be drivable when the Auxiliary Battery is plugged in. This solution arises from the common complaint among those who are hesitant to adopt the usage of Electric Vehicles whereby if the ICE vehicle runs out of gasoline, all that is needed is a canister of gasoline to get the vehicle going again. So far, to the knowledge of the applicant, this solution is not available for Electric Vehicles; i.e. there is no additional or supplementary battery that can deliver instant power to an Electric Vehicle in addition to the primary EV battery or temporarily in place of the primary EV battery. To resolve this challenge, the Auxiliary Battery, once installed in the Electric Vehicle (with a discharged main battery) is configured to allow that vehicle to instantly become drivable. The Gasoline Canister Analogy

[0062] It should be noted that while the ICE vehicle has the advantage of the Gas Canister solution readily available as a means to instantly reactivate the ICE vehicle, the analogous solution for an EV featuring an Auxiliary Battery, is actually more practical. Gas Canisters are rarely used in daily operation for ICE vehicles. This is because Gas Station Infrastructure is readily available throughout the world, but also for some other key reasons. People are reluctant to drive around with full back-up Gas Canisters in their vehicles as Gasoline vapor leaks are quite common, and also full Gas Canisters are unwieldy and potentially dangerous. It is a challenge to properly restrain them in a passenger vehicle. By contrast, an Auxiliary (exchangeable) Battery does not have any odors associated with it, and there are no preconceived notions about onboard storage challenges. There is also another key reason which tilts the potential acceptability of the Auxiliary Battery in favor over the Gas Canister. Electricity for the Auxiliary Battery can be generated practically by anyone, anywhere (especially from home), or even using an array of charging equipment capable of harnessing power sources (such as wind, solar, heat etc.). By contrast, gasoline can only be purchased at a gas station, and it often comes from regions of the world that have poor human rights records. Gasoline is not made at home, whereas every home practically has electricity on tap. Also, there is a planned social element to sharing electricity among users of the Auxiliary Battery System by exchanging charged units as needed. The calculation of costs of a gasoline fuel exchange among users would be more difficult than an exchange of electricity. It is easier to exchange and share electricity through the Auxiliary Battery, as it can be readily digitally measured, whereas Gasoline in a Canister cannot. The Auxiliary battery will actually have a clear advantage over the Gas Canister in this way, paving the way for EV drivers with the Auxiliary Battery System to eliminate their range anxiety.

[0063] With reference to Fig. 1, a collection of four auxiliary battery packs 5 are shown to be mounted on a surface 2 within the trunk or another storage portion of an Electric vehicle. Auxiliary batery packs 5 are configured to be electrically connected to each other in a stacked configuration, which will be described in more detail below, and to a vehicle connection 8 by cables 10. In the exemplary embodiment shown in Fig. 1, the batery system is configured such that a single battery is in direct electrical communication with the EV through the vehicle connection 8 and each of the remaining auxiliary batteries 5 is directly connected to another of the battery packs, such that each auxiliary batery pack is directly connected to a single other batery pack and one of the batery packs 5 is directly connected to the EV through the vehicle connection 8. It is to be understood that other known mechanisms in the field may be used to establish the electrical connection between the auxiliary batteries and the connection between one of the auxiliary bateries and the Electric Vehicle. For example, the auxiliary batery pack's output port may be structured to be in the form of a male part that clips to a female shaped EV electrical connection to establish a connection between the battery pack and the EV. The male part of another auxiliary batery pack may be fited into a corresponding female shaped input port of the auxiliary batery pack such that when the two batery packs are connected by couple the male and female parts together, a stacked configuration is established. In such embodiments, the cable 10 may not be needed.

[0064] Returning back to Fig. 1, to establish the shown configuration, two battery packs 5 are clipped within the trunk of the EV by engagement with receptacles 12 on the surface 2 of the trunk. An additional batery packs 5 is shown to be connected to each of the batery packs 5 that are coupled to the receptacles 12, in a stacked configuration. Each batery pack 5 has a plurality of fastener 15 like clips that may engage with another batery pack below them or the receptacles 12. This allows for each of the batery packs to be coupled to the body of the EV directly through the receptacles or indirectly by being coupled to other batery packs in a stackable configuration, as shown in Fig. 2 and Fig. 1.

[0065] With reference to Fig. 2, an embodiment with two auxiliary battery packs 5 is shown to be connected to each other in a stackable configuration with one of the two auxiliary battery packs 5 is connected to the EV through vehicle connection 8. In Fig. 2, a set of receptacles 12 are shown with a trough 18, all for mounting a battery pack 5, wherein the battery pack 5 has complementary fastener 15 such as clips. In the exemplary embodiment presented, there are no clips at the rear of the battery pack 5. Rather, there is a catch system 32 (see Fig. 5b), to interface and engage with the receptacles 12 and trough 18. The objective of the receptacle 12 is to secure the battery pack that is coupled to it in place against any movement. It is to be understood that other means known in the art for securing objects in a vehicle are to be contemplated in this invention. It is also to be understood that in other embodiments, the trough may be optional. In such embodiments, the receptacle in the EV for receiving the fastener of the auxiliary battery may also act as the EV female power connection. The male output components of the auxiliary battery pack may serve as the fastener as well. In such embodiments, the presence of a catch system and a trough may be optional as the male and female parts model would be a replacement to such components.

[0066] With reference to Figs. 3a - 3c, the non-limiting exemplary receptacle 12 described is shown as a cavity in surface 2 with a bar 13 across the opening. In an exemplary embodiment, the fastener 15 slides up and down within a channel 22 on the body of the casing of battery pack 5. The fastener 15 is slidingly held within the channel 22 and has a horizontal hook 20 at the lower end. In an embodiment, the fastener 15 is upwardly biased by a spring within the channel (not shown), such that force is required to lower it. In another embodiment the fastener 15 is in a frictional relationship with channel 22. Other mechanisms known in the art may be used to allow fastener 15 to move within channel 22. To engage with the receptacle 12 and bar 13, the fastener 15 is lowered so that the hook 20 fits around the bar 13. Then the hook 20 is upwardly biased to maintain contact with the bar 13. Releasing the fastener 15 in such exemplary embodiment is established by applying the reverse process, specifically the hook 20 is downwardly biased and moved outwardly to avoid the hook 20 before it returns upwardly in the channel 22, avoiding engagement with the bar 13. In such an embodiment the design of the fasteners 15 prevents lateral movement of the battery 5 secured to it. In such embodiment, the rear trough 18 is shown to receive a part of the battery packs 5, as will be described in detail below. Such engagement is not shown to prevent lateral movement of battery pack 5, when coupled to trough 18. In other embodiments, additional means of securing the end of the battery pack 5 to the EV, while trough 18 is aligned with and coupled to the corresponding end of battery pack 5.

[0067] With reference to Fig. 4, the electrical connection to the EV is shown. Cables 10, which is coupled to a battery pack 5 is shown to terminate in a plug 28, which engages a vehicle connection 8 electrically connected to the vehicle, to establish an electrical connection between the battery pack 5 and the EV. In Fig. 4, plug 28 is shown to be compatible with vehicle connection 8. In other embodiments, a converter may be used to achieve such compatibility.

[0068] With reference to Figs. 5a - d, in an exemplary embodiment, the trough 18 consists of an elongated trough in the surface 2, with a lip 30 therein. In such embodiment, the lip 30 plays two important functions in addition to the physical restraining of the battery. The floor lip 30 tells the vehicle that a battery is connected to it physically when it is raised. The battery lip tells the battery that a second battery is physically connected to it when it is raised. This is a very important feature, in that if the lip were not raised, the battery would not be able to connect electrically to the EV. The logic is simple here, in that the battery must be properly restrained for safety purposes to ensure that it doesn't fly around inside the trunk or passenger compartment, and secondly, to ensure that the battery doesn't become electrically disconnected. Having the movable flap, allows the flap to become the "switch" which tells the system that it is properly restrained. Only then when the battery is plugged in, will it become active. The switch in this example acts to close the electrical loop that connects the auxiliary battery pack to the electrical system of the EV, which includes a control system configured to detect the presence of the auxiliary battery and implement a series of instructions. The second reason why a movable lip was chosen was so that the floor surface would remain flush when not engaged. The surface of the battery is also able to be flush and this improves stackability. The battery pack 5 has a hooked fastener, namely a groove 32 on the bottom which engages with the lip 30 once the bottom of the battery pack 5 is adjacent to the trough 18. The engagement is biased forwardly by the clips described in Figs. 3a - c, such that the groove 32 does not disengage from the lip 30 as long as the clips are engaged, since the clips prevent the battery pack 5 from lateral movement once engaged. It is to be understood that other mechanisms known in the art may be implemented in this invention to achieve the objectives described above.

[0069] With reference to Fig. 6, battery pack 5 is shown to have a cable 10 connecting at one end to the battery and terminating at the other end in plug 28. Battery pack 5 is also shown to have a handle 35 to help to carry it, and fasteners 15 to engage with a surface 2 (shown in Fig. 1).

[0070] With reference to Fig. 7a and 7b, a shorter or longer battery pack 5 may be used. In that case, two rows of receptacles 12 may be present in each column for receiving a battery pack 5, for the fasteners 15 to engage with. The first row 36 would be for a shorter pack (shown) while the second row 37 would be for a longer pack (not shown). In the exemplary embodiments shown, the trough 18 is present in only the one position, which is aligned with the end opposite to the end comprising fasteners 15. The different size auxiliary battery pack would allow for a variation of the battery capacity as well as dimensions to accommodate the interior space of the EV compartment used to engage the auxiliary battery pack.

[0071] With reference to Fig. 8, an exploded diagram of the battery pack 5 is shown, showing the battery 40, the casing 41, the handle 35 which may swivel to a closed position, the fasteners 15 and the front plate containing the fastener channels 22. In the current embodiments, the casing may have fin-like exterior texture, demonstrated by the stripes on the casing in Fig. 8, to allow for heat control and heat dissipation. The number of fins may vary at the time of manufacturing to accommodate the desired heat control requirements. In an exemplary embodiment, the battery head 43 may contain electronics including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, accelerometer, Principal Circuit Board (PCB,) battery service memory. In some embodiments, battery head 43 may include a localized battery processor for controlling the operation and functionality of the electronics described above. In some embodiments, the bottom housing 42 has an impact detector (not shown) built into it like an airbag sensor.

[0072] It should be noted that battery 40 may comprise any type of battery used in the filed for EV use. Further details about the structure and functionality of the auxiliary battery will now be provided.

Auxiliary battery weight, size and shape:

[0073] If an Auxiliary Battery is to be installed by hand in an Electric Vehicle, or carried by hand for charging purposes, it must correspond to appropriate ergonomic considerations. These considerations do not need to be identical to the Gas Canister equivalent, but some of the Gas Canister logic must be considered. There is a good reason why Gas Canisters are shaped the way they are, and are limited in size by their volume. Gas canisters could be narrow, but this would result in them being likely to tip. Therefore gas canisters have a significant footprint, and they stay upright. The reasoning here is that the spout for the Gas Canister has to be at the top for ease of pouring. Also, having the spout above the gas fill line reduces the possibility of a gasoline spill. Gas Canisters are commonly limited in their weight for ease of carrying, therefore there is sound logic in conforming to some Gas Canister standards when developing Auxiliary Batteries for an EV.

[0074] The common volumes, and the relative weights for Gas Canisters are as follows: • 5L - 1.25 Gal = 3.69kg - 8.121bs.

• 10L - 2.5 Gal = 7.37kg - 16.241bs.

• 20L - 5 Gal = 14.74kg - 32.481bs.

• 25L - 6.6 Gal = 18.43kg - 40.61bs.

[0075] It would appear that the upper limit of a Gasoline Canister is about 401bs. In some embodiments, from an ergonomic point of view, the weight of an Auxiliary Battery may be similar to the above. It is to be understood that the Auxiliary Battery may be available with several different weight specifications. The auxiliary battery may also conform to different size and shape specifications as well, and this will be outlined elsewhere in this disclosure. It should be noted that the weight of the Auxiliary Battery could have a correlation with the size or shape, but also it could be the battery's chemical composition. There are various types of Electric Vehicle batteries on the market such as Lithium-Ion, Nickel-Metal Hydride, Nickel-zinc, etc. Also, there will be other chemical compositions in the future. The scope of this invention is not limited to any specific battery chemistry or composition, and therefore the Auxiliary Battery may have various weights, while maintaining the same size and shape, bearing in mind that the size can somewhat vary as well as long as the fundamental ergonomic principles remain the same.

Weight Specifications:

[0076] Depending on chemical composition and seasonal purpose, it is contemplated to consider 3 standard, approximate weight specification targets for an EV's Auxiliary Battery as non-limiting examples. Different batteries could be used for different seasonal temperatures and other environmental considerations, but in most instances, the overall shape of the Auxiliary Battery unit could effectively remain the same for modularity purposes. Regardless of chemical composition or shape, the Auxiliary Battery units may have a non-limiting exemplary target weight as follows: 151bs, 301bs, and 401bs.

Shape Specifications:

[0077] The Auxiliary Battery may be configured to have any shape known in the field for the purpose the battery is intended for as it could practically be stored in any strategically sound location in an Electric Vehicle. In some embodiments, the Auxiliary Battery is in the shape of a "plate". As the saying goes, "It's not heavy, it's awkward". This certainly would apply to the Auxiliary Battery which would need to be carried by hand with a handle 35, (though a version that can be rolled around on wheels (not shown) is also conceivable in some embodiments - for example by way of a secondary trolley unit). A "plate" or "tile" shape would offer the best option for carrying an Auxiliary Battery unit by hand. In fact, a narrow plate structure would be easier to carry than a Gasoline Canister, as the Gas Can is wide and requires the arm to be slightly cantilevered. Objectively, in some embodiments, the Auxiliary Battery is configured to be carried like a briefcase which is slim and overall square or rectangular in shape. Such configuration provides an ergonomic structure for an Auxiliary Battery.

[0078] The shape of the Auxiliary Battery is also designed to be functional beyond its ergonomic requirements. Since the battery packs may be coupled to one another in a stacked configuration, theoretically, there is no limit to the number of Auxiliary Batteries that could be used in an Electric Vehicle by way of this disclosure. Rather, it should be the specific Electric Vehicle design which limits the number of Auxiliary Batteries that could be safely installed in the vehicle and stored. The advantage of an overall flat, rectangular "briefcase shape" is that the Auxiliary Battery can be stored flat inside the vehicle, preferably in a strategic location that aids in the vehicle's road behavior by keeping the center of gravity low. As each Auxiliary Battery unit is heavy, multiple units in a vehicle will affect the vehicle driving dynamics. Based on a preferred configuration, it is possible to easily store 4 Auxiliary Battery units inside the rear trunk, or the front trunk, or under the rear seats of the Electric Vehicle or in other location of the EV for such purpose, depending on the individual vehicle's specifications.

[0079] In some embodiments, there is a special claim to be made for vehicles which are driven in winter conditions. Typically, such vehicles are driven in the winter with bags of salt or sand placed over the driven axle. The salt can mainly be used on slippery patches of road if the vehicle's tires are spinning and slipping. Having bags of salt placed in the rear trunk of a rear-wheel drive ICE vehicle has a secondary feature of assisting in traction. This has been a common solution for rear-wheel drive vehicles in snowy conditions, particularly if the ICE engine is in the front. According to some embodiments of the current invention, the weight of the Auxiliary Batteries, neatly stacked over the driven wheel axle will aid in winter traction, much like bags of salt have done over the years.

[0080] There are other special considerations to be made in relation to the shape of the Auxiliary Batteries. Very importantly, it is necessary to address the safety issue. It is known that the batteries in an EV are the heaviest components. The main batteries in an EV take advantage of such physical feature. Since the batteries are placed low in some embodiments, inside the floor, they assist in keeping the center of gravity of the vehicle low, which adds to the performance of the Electric Vehicle. In addition, these batteries are securely fixed inside the vehicle, when properly installed, which reduces the hazard of unsprung weight in the vehicle. Unsprung weight affects the driving dynamics in an unpredictable way, and would also result in a physical hazard if heavy objects are placed loose (unsprung weight) inside the vehicle cabin. It is one thing to place unsprung weight inside a closed trunk, but there should also be considerations for station wagon vehicles where the heavy objects in the trunk could easily migrate into the passenger compartment. Moreover, if the Auxiliary Battery were unrestrained in its location inside the vehicle, it could easily become unplugged from its electrical connection. Keeping this in mind, there is clearly a need to restrain the movement of the Auxiliary Batteries within an Electric Vehicle. This could be done by a belt system, or an interlocking system, or in any number of ways known in the field. As a safety failsafe measure, the controller in the EV in charge of integrating the auxiliary battery into the power system of the EV may be programmed to disable the Auxiliary Battery from the power system if the controller detects that the auxiliary battery is not properly installed (i.e. secured within the designated compartment for it in the EV). Such detection may be done via sensory measurements obtained from any combination of the trough, receptacles, auxiliary battery processor and/ or PCB as well as other sensors that may be placed in the EV for detection of physical and electrical connectivity of the Auxiliary battery to the EV as well as to other auxiliary batteries.

[0081] People tend to be lazy, and in many cases, people would be inclined to just put the Auxiliary Battery into their trunk, plug it in and drive away. This would be dangerous. To address this, a preferred embodiment includes a positive location for every Auxiliary Battery installed inside the electric vehicle, and these batteries are able to securely interlock if multiple units are to be installed. In some embodiments, once positively located inside the vehicle, the Auxiliary Battery has its own connector port, which could be a cable, that interfaces with the Electric Vehicle, directly or indirectly as described above, from inside the vehicle. This is an important point of distinction from devices which charge the Electric Vehicle from the outside. Normally, it would not be possible to drive the EV if a battery is connected outside the Electric Vehicle for charging the main battery. However, when the Auxiliary Battery is plugged in from the inside, this adds security and elegance to the entire arrangement. Effectively, if the Auxiliary Battery system is connected to the EV from the outside, it would just be a Charger. There is a clear distinction to be made here, that by mounting the Auxiliary Battery inside the vehicle, it is not a Charging Device, but rather an integral part of the On-Board Battery System. While the Auxiliary Battery could potentially act as a Charger for the Main Battery, it could do so while the Electric Vehicle is stationary or in motion (i.e. would disrupting the electrical operation of the EV), which is a significant point of difference from all EV Chargers in the market. Moreover, in the embodiments described, the Auxiliary Battery has an input port which allows another Auxiliary Battery to connect to it. This way, multiple Auxiliary Batteries can be connected together in sequence inside the Electric Vehicle, while only requiring 1 main port for the first Auxiliary Battery inside the vehicle.

[0082] In the embodiments described, since the auxiliary battery supplies power to the EV through high voltage connection inside the vehicle, the system is contemplated to include several other layers of safety precautions and considerations. The Auxiliary Battery and its connections to the Electric Vehicle or to other Auxiliary Batteries are configured to be child-proof and also water-proof. The extreme case would be where an Electric Vehicle is submerged under water due to a flood or an accident. In such a case, the water-proofing would allow the Auxiliary Battery and its connections to resist water infiltration. In a more common scenario, someone might spill coffee or other liquid on the unit unintentionally, and clearly, under such situation the water-proofing would prevent a short-circuit or risk of fire. Moreover, even if the Auxiliary battery is properly installed inside the vehicle but not connected to any power port, child and water-proofing will prevent dangerous situations that may result from liquids or mishandling.

[0083] In some embodiments, the Auxiliary Battery and its connections are configured to resist tampering by children or pets. In some embodiments, this is established by requiring the Auxiliary Battery power port to be inaccessible without the right tool. In some embodiments, the power port door may be controlled by a Smart-Phone App, or by an App on the EV's main computer system, which would require access through a secure interface. Also, the connections and Power Ports on the Auxiliary Battery may be controlled in the same way. In some embodiments, the proper installation of the battery, likewise may be confirmed on the Smart-Phone App, or by an App on the EV's main computer system via internal or external sensors to the EV and auxiliary battery. If the Auxiliary Battery is not installed properly inside the Electric Vehicle, the app may verify this either by not recognizing the Auxiliary Battery, or by not granting access to the Auxiliary Battery's operation and integration into the EV power distribution system.

Size Specifications:

[0084] Modularity is an advantageous feature in the Auxiliary Battery system. While some vehicles may necessitate a specific shape and size for a battery, to maximize interchangeability, stackability, and portability, the Auxiliary Batteries are configured, in a preferred embodiment, to be of identical size and shape. In such embodiments, if the chosen shape is to be a thin rectangular or square plate, this will allow it to fit in the trunks of several vehicles. The thickness of an Auxiliary Battery may be configured to be about 4", as a non-limiting example, so that it maintains the dimensions of a thin briefcase and allows for ease of portability. A trunk width of around 37", as a non-limiting example, is considered typical in this example, so, in such example, if two square Auxiliary Batteries were to be mounted inside the trunk, they would be about 17" x 17" in size. This way, there would be additional "buffer" space to the left and right of the batteries once installed and secured to the EV. The length of most trunks is in excess of 37", so if the objective is to place about 4 x Auxiliary Batteries in a vehicle, this eliminates the need to make the overall footprint greater than 34" x 34". This way, if the Auxiliary Batteries are positioned in 1 plane (i.e. not stacked), then they could act as the next level of the floor. The structure of the Auxiliary Batteries are configured to allow for a secondary stacking (or second layer) of Batteries to be positioned on the lower level or layer of auxiliary batteries. It is also to be understood that the Auxiliary batteries may be placed and stacked in other locations inside the EV, such as under the seats for example.

[0085] In an embodiment, multiple Auxiliary Batteries may be stackable, and the structure of the Auxiliary Batteries is able to accommodate this, but a limit of operability may be considered. In some embodiments, if each Auxiliary Battery unit weighs 401bs, placing 8 units in the trunk of a car would add 3201bs to the Electric Vehicle. The additional weight would diminish the Electric Vehicle's efficiency, and may not be consistent with the load tolerances of the Electric Vehicle. The Vehicle Battery Management app may be configured to detect excessive weight placed on the Battery via sensors, or when too many batteries are "properly" installed together and may limit or stop their operation. It should be expected that some people may try to stack too many Auxiliary Batteries. In such cases, he above battery system is configured to include failsafes in place to prevent and discourage such behavior. In an embodiment, the Electric Vehicle's suspension system may be configured to communicate to the Smart-Phone App that the weight of the Auxiliary Batteries mounted in the Electric Vehicle is excessive. As a reaction to this, the controller in the EV may disconnect the auxiliary batteries as a failsafe. In a preferred embodiment, the basic dimensions of an Auxiliary Battery, in a preferred embodiment, could be: L17" x W17" x H4".

Auxiliary Battery Features:

[0086] In a preferred embodiment, the Auxiliary Battery is equipped with its basic core of battery cells and a minimum of secondary electronics to keep weight, complexity and costs down. Some basic electronic features allow the Auxiliary Battery to communicate with the Electric Vehicle's on-board computer system, as well as the App on a Phone. In some embodiments, the Auxiliary Battery also features a set of diagnostics that can be read by the Apps. It should be noted that, in some embodiments, these diagnostics do not need to be read on the Auxiliary Battery itself to remove redundancy, and reduce costs, weight and complexity. It would be sufficient, and preferred in such embodiments that the Auxiliary Battery on-board information be accessible and readable through the EV App or Smart-Phone App. The following is the list of features that the Auxiliary Battery would have, in a preferred embodiment. [0087] Communication Features - The Auxiliary Battery is configured to communicate with the EV's on-board computer app when it is plugged in. Otherwise, the vehicle should have no reason to recognize that the Auxiliary Battery is inside or near the Electric Vehicle. This may be done for example by applying a switch to the electrical circuit connecting the trough, where the switch is configured to be in the closed position to complete the circuit and include the auxiliary battery in such circuit when the battery is properly connected to the trough or when another battery is properly connected to the battery that is connected to the trough of the EV. Once the Auxiliary Battery is properly installed and connected to the Electric Vehicle, the full panoply of data may be exchanged with the Electric Vehicle's On-Board Computer, and the Smart-Phone App. Such communication may be done wired or wirelessly. Additionally, in some embodiment, the Auxiliary Battery is configured to communicate with the Smart-Phone App wirelessly. This could be a Wi-Fi communication, or a Bluetooth communication, or an alternate wireless communication system. The wireless communication may be directly with the on-board EV processor, a separate controller in the EV or to an external server, which may collect the information and relay it to a smart phone app through a dedicated network. Also, communication may be directly to the smart phone app if both the phone and the auxiliary battery system are connected to the same internal network. So, for the Auxiliary Battery to communicate with the EV, it should be already properly installed and electrically connected nto the EV. However, the Auxiliary Battery may be in a status of charging at home, or in the office so in such a case it will not be able to communicate through the EV as in such case, it would not be in a properly installed status.

[0088] There will be a significant convenience value in being able to communicate with the Auxiliary Battery wirelessly through the Smart-Phone App. As an example, it should be possible to rent an Auxiliary Battery unit from a third party, so it would be impossible to connect to the Auxiliary Battery in a store for example by wire. Also, as the Auxiliary Battery is charging at home, and the owner is using their Smart-Phone elsewhere in their home, it would be convenient if the Auxiliary Battery is able to advise the owner that it is fully charged through the Smart-Phone App. In such circumstance, the auxiliary battery processor would communicate its sensory information about capacity, temperature, load, etc. wirelessly to the phone directly, if on the same network or indirectly through an external server, to which the phone and the auxiliary battery processor are connected. Communication would also take place wirelessly between the Smart-Phone App and the Electric Vehicle's On-Board Computer App, so the Electric Vehicle could receive information about the Auxiliary Battery this way, but it would not necessarily recognize the Battery as plugged in. such communication may be done on a dedicated external server to which the phone and the EV On-Board processor are connected.

[0089] GPS beacon feature - This feature allows for confirmation of actual location rather than reliance on secondary devices for location. It should be considered that the Auxiliary Battery could be operated as a fleet of rental batteries. In this way, it would be valuable for the fleet operator to know where the actual Auxiliary Battery is. This is particularly important (given the portable nature of the Auxiliary Battery) if the battery is stolen or lost. The Auxiliary Battery does not need to issue a constant GPS signal, but it could issue an intermittent ping every several hours. In some embodiments, the pinging of the battery's location may be done actively by sending a request signal from an external server to the battery's internal processor to broadcast a geolocation signal or to activate the GPS on-board GPS beacon. Such signal may then be communicated to a dedicated server wirelessly to facilitate the accurate geo location of the auxiliary battery via satellite.

[0090] Usage log - In circumstances, where the Auxiliary battery is privately owned by the user or as part of a rental fleet, the unit may log its use in terms of hours, distance, charge / discharge cycles and perhaps even temperature. This will enable the owner to know the status of the battery, so that a degraded battery is pulled out of usage for recycling or repair. Such logs may be stored on a memory storage device. Such storage device may be integral to a processor of the auxiliary battery or removable for easy extraction of the stored data therein to other devices.

[0091] Bump log - As the Auxiliary Battery is portable and can be carried by hand, it is possible that it will sustain damage by being bumped or dropped. In some embodiments, a sensor may be included which could detect if the battery was dropped or hit. This would trigger an internal test by the battery to check its operability status. Such test may be a diagnostic test of any parameters of the battery cell in the auxiliary battery pack as well as of the physical features of the pack itself. If the test returns an error due to significant damage, the battery would cease operation, and the appropriate log would be sent to the owner's account. If this is a rental unit, then this could result in a deposit being not refunded for the unit. If this is a personal battery, this would indicate to the owner that the battery needs to be taken in for service or replaced. This information would be relayed to the Smart-Phone App or the on-board EV app.

[0092] Temperature Sensor - in some embodiments, the Auxiliary Battery may selfdiagnose its own temperature and provide advice to its owner via the EV App or Smart- Phone App. The Battery may operate in accordance with its temperature specifications and adjust its output as necessary. Known techniques in the field may be utilized for such purpose.

[0093] Fire-proof materials - in some embodiments, the Auxiliary Battery may use nonflammable chemistry in its batteries if the Auxiliary Batteries are to be charged indoors. Outdoor charging batteries may also be built with appropriate labeling on them.

[0094] Weight Sensor - As outlined above, if there is sufficient weight placed above the Auxiliary Battery, this may trigger an EV App warning. Also, if too many Auxiliary Batteries are plugged in together, this may trigger the same warning as the system would extrapolate that the batteries are stacked. As such, only a limited number of batteries may be plugged in together for operating an Electric Vehicle. In some embodiments, the number of auxiliary batteries that can simultaneously be connected may be manually set by the user or automatically set by the on-board EV processor and control system based on pre-determined list of parameters including the size of the storage area, size of the EV, maximum load capacity, overall weight of the EV with the batteries stored therein, etc. As a non-limiting example, in some embodiments, the EV may be limited to 6 or 8 auxiliary batteries that are simultaneously positioned inside the EV, regardless of whether or not they are all properly installed in to the EV. If too many Auxiliary Batteries are plugged in together inside a vehicle, the system should assume that a weight violation is taking place. In some embodiments, the Weight Sensor in an embodiment could be a part of the Electric Vehicle's suspension system.

[0095] Dual-Stream Connector - under a mode of operation, the Auxiliary Battery is configured to provide electricity directly to the EV for driving purposes when it is plugged into the Electric Vehicle. Under the same mode, it may also be configured to charge the Electric Vehicle's Main Battery. These could be handled as mutually exclusive or simultaneous activities depending on the tolerance of the Electric Vehicle. The auxiliary batteries may be connected in series or parallel to the main battery, depending on the mode of operation, which may be governed by the controller in the EV system. Switches may be used and controlled by the controller to configure the on-board internal circuit for the desired use. Determining the mode of operation may be automatic, where the controller may detect the main battery's power levels and based on such information, determine if the auxiliary battery is to be used for direct use by the electrical system of the car, including the electric engine as well as the EV's other electrical system, such as ones controlling dashboard and environmental functionality. In some embodiments, such automation may be manually over-ridden by a user on-cite or remotely. By plugging in the Auxiliary Battery, the EV is enabled to be drivable directly from the Auxiliary Battery, or the Auxiliary battery could be used to charge a portion of the Main Battery (in case of partitioning of the main battery), or where possible, both. Moreover, if multiple Auxiliary Batteries are plugged into an Electric Vehicle, one Auxiliary Battery could be used for driving the vehicle as the power source for powering the EV, and the second could be used for charging the vehicle simultaneously (i.e. charging the main battery of the EV). Such configuration may be governed by the controller, on-board EV processor and/ or through a dedicate mobile App.

[0096] Auxiliary Battery System Usage - The Auxiliary Battery system is intended to change the way Electric Vehicles are used in relation to charging and discharging practices. The current method for charging Electric Vehicles relies on 1 Central Battery in an Electric Vehicle which needs to be charged by parking the Electric Vehicle at an appropriate charging station and investing the time needed for the complete charge to take place. An alternative method is to swap the main battery with a charged main battery. However, such method requires the use of machinery and sensors, which require the EV to be located as a pre-determined location, such as pods, where such machinery and sensors are located. As such, this alternative method does not provide utility in locations where such pods are not available. Also, in such cases, the EV must be turned off as the power source of required to maintain the electrical operation of the EV would temporarily be disconnected from the EV.

[0097] The proposed Dual-Battery Charging System in the current disclosure will work in one of several different ways. There is an option for the EV owner to also own their own Auxiliary Battery. The other option is for the owner of the EV to take part in an Auxiliary Battery Subscription Service. Both Auxiliary Battery ownership plans share an App and some common features, while there will also be some differences in usage between the ownership and subscription models.

[0098] The common aspect of ownership and subscription of Auxiliary Batteries is in the ability to manually remove the Auxiliary Battery from the EV for charging purposes, and subsequent reinstallation without the need for machinery and sensors and without the need for the EV to be at any dedicated location for such operation. Under such model, due to the size and weight of the auxiliary battery, the installation and uninstallation of the auxiliary battery in the EV may be performed completely manually by a person without the use of any machines or sensors. Owning an Auxiliary Battery does not exclude the Electric Vehicle driver from also installing an Auxiliary Battery that is part of a Subscription Plan. The intention is for there to be potentially multiple Auxiliary Batteries installed and connected to the Electric Vehicle if necessary.

[0099] According to an embodiment, a method for using an Auxiliary Battery has the following steps:

[0100] Charge the Auxiliary Battery from an electrical outlet.

[0101] The sensors continually monitor the charging.

[0102] Communicating through Bluetooth or a similar network, the battery communicating to a user's portable device when it has reached a certain predetermined level of charge.

[0103] The Auxiliary Battery being safely inserted into a receptacle in an EV manually by the user.

[0104] The user continues driving the EV and depleting the main battery.

[0105] The user or system connecting the Auxiliary Battery when the main battery is sufficiently depleted (in an embodiment an automatic battery management system, which may be part of the controller system on-board or part of the programming of the on-board EV processor, eliminates the need for the driver to physically switch to the Auxiliary Battery; under the automatic Battery Management setting, the EV App would make its own decisions as to which battery would be used to drive the wheels, and which battery would receive electricity from regenerative braking).

[0106] The user continues driving the EV using the power of the Auxiliary Battery.

[0107] The Auxiliary Battery continually communicating its status to at least one of the EV on-board processor, the dedicate smart app and an external server.

[0108] Usage - Charging - The Auxiliary Battery may be charged by using any normal household Power Outlet, as well as a specialized charging apparatus. Being able to charge anywhere eliminates the need to urgently build a costly Charging Infrastructure throughout the world. Charging stations can be built all over the world in due course, but the ability to use normal household power outlets will aid in Electric Vehicle adoption now. The question arises, why would Electric Vehicles not be able to just use normal Power Outlets to charge their batteries now? The answer is in the differing sizes of the batteries, and the differing objectives in how quickly to charge them. The Main Battery inside an Electric Vehicle is intended to give up to 500 KM of range in some cases, whereas the Auxiliary Battery is only intended to give 20 - 50 KM of range due to its smaller size. It is to be understood that this range is not limiting and higher or lower ranges are considered to be covered under this disclosure. The time to charge an Auxiliary Battery would then be a fraction of what it would take to charge a full-size Electric Vehicle Battery. Moreover, it is not a core objective to charge the Auxiliary Battery very quickly. In some embodiments, different settings are provided, whereby if the Auxiliary Battery is being charged with a dedicated charger, then it could reach a full charge in minutes. If the Auxiliary Battery is being charged through a normal home Power Outlet, it may be left on a "trickle" charge for several hours, or overnight. If charging the battery on trickle overnight provides only 40KM of range, this could still be sufficient for many owners' daily commutes. Moreover, the Auxiliary Battery could be brought into the office for additional charging during the day. The ability to charge the Auxiliary Battery at any outlet, will allow people who live in apartment buildings and high-rise condominiums to use their existing household Power Outlets rather than having to rely on their buildings to install costly, shared specialized charging facilities in the building. The draw in electricity will not be as high to charge smaller Auxiliary Batteries overnight, as it would be to charge the Primary Batteries in an Electric Vehicle. This will allow for a significant acceleration in the adoption of Auxiliary Batteries in urban areas. To facilitate the charging from different outlet, it is contemplated that various adapters known in the field or custom adapters may be used.

[0109] Rural areas present different problems in charging the Auxiliary Battery. There may not be facilities readily available for charging a vehicle for many miles. In such circumstances, according to some embodiments, it will be helpful if many people subscribe to the Auxiliary Battery Subscription / Rental service. If an Electric Vehicle with a drained Main Battery and Auxiliary Battery is stranded without electricity, though the subscription feature, the system can send out a Beacon for assistance from the app on the phone or through the Electric Vehicle's on-board computer. Anyone, who is subscribed to the service or a member of the network created by the service driving by with a rental Auxiliary Battery would be alerted to the emergency and if they choose to help their stranded traveling neighbor, they would be either rewarded with bonus points, or a discount on their own rental. The alert of the need by other for help as well as the interaction of the helper may be governed by an interface that may be presented as part of the on-board processor for each EV or as part of a dedicate smart phone app. In this way, the Auxiliary Battery rental system has a positive social dimension, helping to incentivize drivers to help their fellow drivers. If a stranded Electric Vehicle receives a charged Auxiliary Battery, that vehicle would be able to use the charge of this Auxiliary Battery to instantly drive further, or to heat or cool the passenger compartment as necessary to stay alive until other help arrives. [0110] According to an embodiment of the current invention, a method for alerting other drivers is disclosed. Such method includes the use of a centralized system through which a network of subscribers to a service are connected, the method includes: Sensors monitoring the battery condition of a user's main and Auxiliary Batteries in an EV; the sensors communicating with a user's portable phone or On-Board EV App to provide to provide to the centralized system sensory data obtained about the user's main and auxiliary batteries. Such sensory data is evaluated by the centralized system, comprising a processor and is assessed against pre-determined values. When a threshold of predetermined values is not met, an indicator is generated by the system that one or more of the batteries need a charge. Details about which battery needs to be charged is generated as part of the notification or indicator generated by the system; the user's phone communicating with an app (centralized server) to locate another Auxiliary Battery through the system; as an optional step, the Smart-Phone App communicating with Smart-Phone Apps on other users' phones that are connected to the centralized system to locate another Auxiliary Battery; other Auxiliary Batteries being tracked through the centralized system and information about same are conveyed to the users through the mobile app acting as an interface to the centralized system; a second battery being located by the centralized system based on sensory data provided by the second auxiliary battery to the centralized system; the user of that Auxiliary Battery being informed through the user interface (mobile app or on-board processor of the EV of the need of the first user, including the location and first user; and the second user driving to the first user and the batteries being exchanged, the full Auxiliary Battery of the second user with the depleted battery of the first user. The transaction is then recorded by the centralized system along with the relevant information about the users and batteries. In another embodiment, the second user hands over their battery and directly receives a reward payment from the centralized system through their Smart-Phone App. Such reward may be monetary. In other embodiments, the reward may be in other forms such as points accumulated for redemption by the user. The type of reward and the tracking of same is monitored and tracked through the centralized system. [0111] There would be a plurality of methods of charging the Auxiliary Battery. This is consistent with the earlier stated objective of an Electric Vehicle's life support objectives. While the Auxiliary Battery can be charged by any outlet, or through a specialized charging device, or it could even draw electricity from a fully charged Electric Vehicle's Main Battery, there could be many other ways to charge the Auxiliary Battery. In fact, any device which generates electricity that is designed to interface with the Auxiliary Battery could be used for charging purposes. This implies that a wide assortment of Secondary Charging devices could be developed with which to charge the Auxiliary Battery. Charging devices which generate electricity from Solar Power, Wind, the Flow of Water, or from Heat could all be appropriate devices for charging the Auxiliary Battery such as Wind turbines, flowing water turbines, thermocouples, portable steam turbines, solar panels, exercise machines, piezoelectric generators, hand-cranked generators. It is the ability to remove the Auxiliary Battery from the Electric Vehicle and to be able to bring it to the location of the charging source that is a core benefit of this Auxiliary Battery system. Without the ability to remove the Auxiliary Battery from the Electric Vehicle, it would not be possible to charge an Electric Vehicle from many such natural sources or sources otherwise physically inaccessible to the Electric Vehicle.

[0112] Charging in Natural Environments - A core part of the Life-Support Metric - As an example of charging the Auxiliary Battery by natural sources, it is appropriate to consider a camping scenario as a case study. If an Electric Vehicle with an Auxiliary Battery system is used to drive deep into a wilderness area, and subsequently uses up its entire electric charge, there would be several options for recharging the Auxiliary Battery and returning functional mobility to the stranded Electric Vehicle. In some embodiments, the Electric Vehicle could be equipped with Solar Panels on the roof which would allow the Auxiliary Batteries (and the Main Batteries) to be recharged without removing the Auxiliary Battery from the vehicle. If the Electric Vehicle is stranded in a location with no access to sunshine, the Solar Panels and the Auxiliary Battery could be removed and relocated to a position with more Solar Power available to recharge the Auxiliary Battery. Another option might be to pull out the Auxiliary Battery from the Electric Vehicle and bring it to a source of moving water. A micro Water-Turbine Charging Device could be placed in the water and connected to the Auxiliary Battery for charging purposes. An unlimited plurality of different Charging Devices for survival camping or real life scenarios could be built and provided as part of the Life-Support strategy for the Auxiliary Battery system. These devices could be purchased by the owner, or they could be part of a subscription system. It could even be possible to connect the Auxiliary Battery to an exercise machine and generate electricity for the unit by exercising. This invites opportunities for partnerships with companies with subscription exercise programs, whose exercise machines could come equipped with electricity generation components that connect directly to the Auxiliary Battery.

[0113] Usage - Discharging - As the Electric Vehicle with an Auxiliary Battery is being driven, there could be several different battery management behaviors. The Main Battery of the vehicle remains the primary source of propulsion electricity. The Auxiliary Battery is intended to be failsafe in many ways. The controller of the EV system or the on-bord processor may be configured such that if the electric charge in the Primary Battery is depleted, the electrical circuit connecting that battery will be configured to allow the Electric Vehicle to bypass the primary battery and to draw electricity directly from the Auxiliary Battery. In such configuration, the primary battery may be temporarily disconnected from the main circuit to allow the auxiliary battery to act as the only power source in the circuit. In other embodiments, the dead main battery may remain connected to the main circuit as a load capacitor that may be charged by the auxiliary battery acting as the power source of that circuit, in such configuration, the auxiliary battery would serve as the temporary main power source to power the EV and also to recharge the main battery. During such operation, the EV's electrical system would not draw power from main battery while it is in charging mode. In some embodiments, it is be possible to partition the Main Battery system in such a way, so that the Auxiliary Battery may recharge a portion of the Main Battery directly, while another portion of the Main Battery is providing propulsion. The partitioning of the Main and Auxiliary batteries and their Electric Discharge arrangement during Electric Vehicle operation can be governed and optimized by the controller and/ or on-board main processor of the EV to work with the specific Electric Vehicle that is using the Auxiliary Battery system. The above description provides means for an EV to receive the supplementary power needed to maintain operation and the ability to recharge the main battery at the same time without interruption to the operation of the EV and with minimal or no downtime of operation.

[0114] It should be noted that the discharging of the Auxiliary Battery would not always be for propulsive purposes only. In areas where it is challenging to find a proper vehicle charger for the Main Battery, it should be possible for the Auxiliary Battery to be used as an electricity transfer device. This may be achieved by configuring the main electrical circuit of the EV to integrate the auxiliary battery as a power source and configuring the main battery to be a capacitor in the circuit for recharging. For example, the Electric Vehicle could be parked in an underground garage where there is no access to a Charging Station, or even a Power Outlet. In such a scenario, it should be possible to take the Auxiliary Battery home, charge it and bring it back to the Electric Vehicle to transfer the electric charge back to the Main Battery. This could be done several times until the Main Battery in the Electric Vehicle is full. This solution works particularly well if the Electric Vehicle is not driven often. In this case, the Auxiliary Battery could be charged on "trickle" each night over several nights when electricity is at a lower cost and then brought back to the Electric Vehicle to charge its Main Battery several times until it is fully charged. In this way, the Auxiliary Battery could also be used to charge any number of other compatible items.

[0115] The Auxiliary Battery could also be used as a means for owners to sell or barter with electricity. This will be described in more depth in the Subscription System, but essentially, even a person who does not own an Electric Vehicle could participate in such a program. By taking part in the Auxiliary Battery subscription system, the owner could charge up the battery at night when electricity is cheap and then sell back the electricity to someone else at a higher price during a peak time when the Auxiliary Batteries are in high demand. This type of transaction could be handled via the Auxiliary Battery system, a centralized system and a dedicated Smart-Phone App as an interface to the centralized system.

App Description

[0116] As indicated above, the application for the Auxiliary Battery may be available on a Smart-Phone, as well as directly on the on-board computer inside the electric vehicle. The operation of all other features of the Electric Vehicle could be integrated into this App. It should also be noted, that if the Auxiliary Batteries are to be featured in an Electric Vehicle that is produced by a third party, the App could also be available to operate as a separate App from the main Application required to operate that Electric Vehicle. For the purposes of this exemplary embodiment of the disclosure, the App will be treated as the integral one which operates the vehicle (whether installed on the Smart-Phone or on the on-board computer). The app on the on-board processor will act as the interface for the user to monitor and control the various features about the EV, including the power management and distribution when one or more auxiliary batteries are connected to the EV power system in addition to the main battery. Control of the various electrical features of the EV through the on-board processor's interface may be direct without the need for networked server given that the on-board processor of the EV has a wired connection to the electrical circuitry of the EV. In embodiments, where the mobile app is used as the interface to control the various features of the EV, including the power management and distribution, such operation may be feasible through the use of a networked server to which the mobile app is networked with the on-board processor of the EV directly or indirectly through the use of an external centralized processor (system). Only the Auxiliary Battery management aspects of the App will be outlined herein. It is understood that the other features that are controlled by the App in the Electric Vehicle remain a part of the App, though they are not described in this disclosure.

[0117] With reference to Fig. 9 a method is disclosed for creating auxiliary battery subscription accounts by communicating information from the user through the mobile app as the interface to a centralized processor, where such information is stored by the centralized processor in a memory storage unit and categorized as a database containing the user's collected data. The method includes the steps of a user downloading the Smart- Phone App, then opening the Smart-Phone App. A user then registers an account through e-mail, telephone number or other social identifier, selects auto log-in, registers default home location, registers payment method such as credit card or other payment system, selects a user plan, and finally the user goes on to Smart-Phone App Main Screen.

[0118] With reference to Fig. 10 a method is disclosed for connecting a smart-phone to an auxiliary battery. Such method may be started after the user has created the account per the method described in Fig. 9. In the method described in Fig. 10, a user takes the steps of opening a Smart-Phone App; the system having a presumed automatic log-in, the user going to the Smart-Phone App Main Screen. The user then selects an Auxiliary Battery connection, then selects Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, QR code, or manual connection via keyboard. By checking the information provided by the user about the auxiliary battery against a database stored by the centralized system, the system determines if the Battery is set for connecting or if it is already connected elsewhere:

[0119] Option 1 - Connected elsewhere and the setting "Share Battery" is switched off - Cannot connect Smart-Phone to Auxiliary Battery.

[0120] Option 2 - Ready for connection with App as the setting "Share Battery" is turned on - Battery is connected to Smart-Phone App. [0121] Once the auxiliary battery is paired to the account of the user, the Auxiliary Battery appears on Smart-Phone App Main Screen with new features displayed - Charge status appears, Battery Options Menu appears, Battery History appears in Battery Options Menu - the Auxiliary Battery subscriber assumes ownership and liability for the Auxiliary Battery.

[0122] With reference to Fig. 11 a method is disclosed to register the EV with the centralized system through the interface of the mobile app for the first time. A user opens the Smart-Phone App, logs in, goes to Smart-Phone App Main Screen, then goes to Settings and select "Car Information." The User then proceeds to register a personal or rental vehicle VIN (vehicle identification number) with the Smart-Phone App - personal information will be required, and then goes to car and select "open door" from the main menu. (This can be changed to "Auto Door Open" in Settings).

[0123] Once the vehicle is connected, the user enters the vehicle and turns on the On- Board Computer App Screen (EV App), selects "Connect to Car" on Smart-Phone App, or "connect to smart-phone" on EV App. A second Verification Number will be sent to Smart-Phone via SMS, and the user enters the Secondary Verification Number on either EV App or Smart-Phone App.

[0124] Smart-Phone App is registered with EV - Personal or rental EV information appears on Smart-Phone App with green connected symbol - EV information and history appears in EV Options in Account Menu - the Smart-Phone App will remember the specific EV and will remain "paired" (even if not connected) until it is manually unpaired through this process in reverse. Such information is conveyed from the mobile app to the centralized processor and/ or the on-board processor of the EV.

[0125] EV App is registered with Smart-Phone - Personal Smart-Phone Account Name appears in EV App with green connected symbol - personal information appears in EV App Account Menu - the EV App will remember the specific Smart-Phone Account and will remain "paired" (even if not connected) until it is manually unpaired through this process in reverse.

[0126] With reference to Fig. 12, a method for accessing the EV through the app is disclosed. After logging in, the user goes to the EV and opens the door to access the vehicle - presuming that "Auto-Door Open" is set up in the Smart-Phone App (fingerprint access is also available through the Smart-Phone App.) The user enters the vehicle and turns on the On-Board Computer App Screen (EV app). Assuming the Smart- Phone App and the EV are already registered together, the EV is ready to drive - options become available at this point on both the EV App and the Smart-Phone App - in the following section of the disclosure, the Main Screen options for the EV App and the Smart-Phone App will be reviewed.

[0127] With reference to Fig. 13 a smart phone app main screen is described. After logging in the user goes to the Smart-Phone App Main Screen. Presuming the Smart-Phone App and the EV App are connected, the following options and notifications will appear on the Smart-Phone App Main Page:

• App connection status - Connect / disconnect to EV App.

• Drive - Smart-Phone App closes for safety.

• Auxiliary Battery Connection - Connect / disconnect Auxiliary Battery - multiple batteries can be connected.

• Battery Info and Charge Status - Displays info on Batteries and their charge status with options. Notifications - Provides Notifications as permitted in Settings - receives and transmits communications - disabled during driving.

• Settings - Controls General Settings for EV and Battery Operation.

• Account - Controls personal and Payment Info - maintains usage history for client credit ranking.

• Map - Works with Notifications for Battery Exchanges.

[0128] With reference to Fig. 14, an EV app main screen is described. After logging in and going to the main screen, the user enters the Vehicle and turns on the On-Board Computer App Screen (EV App). Presuming the Smart-Phone App and the EV App are connected, the following Options and Notifications will Appear on the EV App Main Page:

• App Connection Status - Connect / disconnect to Smart-Phone App - disabled when driving - when Smart-Phone App is not connected to the EV App, the EV Main Computer may not power up many core features.

• Drive - When Drive Mode is engaged, a panoply of new options Appears and some close - the EV App remains active during driving.

• Auxiliary Battery Connection - Connect / disconnect Auxiliary Battery - multiple Batteries can be connected - it is not possible to edit this setting when drive mode is engaged. Batery info and charge status - Displays info on Batteries and their charge status with options - Auxiliary Batteries can be set for charging, bypass, or discharging - it is not possible to edit this setting when drive mode is engaged.

• Notifications - Provides Notifications as permitted in settings - receives and transmits Communications - some Notifications are disabled during driving but Alerts and Emergency Notices are enabled.

• Settings - Controls general settings for EV and Battery Operation - most features are disabled during driving, but some features like Climate Control or Lighting remain active.

• Account - Controls personal and Payment Info - maintains usage history for client credit ranking - disabled during driving.

• Map - Works with Notifications for Battery Exchanges - provides Active Navigation.

[0129] With reference to Fig. 15, a method for installing the auxiliary battery into the EV is disclosed. The method includes the following steps: The user inserts the rear of the auxiliary battery Positive Location Hook into the Floor Catch Trough so that the catch within the trough is raised. When the Catch is in its raised position, a signal is sent to the on-board computer or EV app, which allows same to automatically recognizes that an Auxiliary Battery is physically mounted inside the EV, but not yet plugged in. The Positive Location Catch is the mechanism that signals to the EV App, and the Smart- Phone App that the Auxiliary Battery is mounted inside the EV.

[0130] The EV App Main Screen will show an Auxiliary Battery Appearing, but it will be grayed out in an embodiment. The user lays the Auxiliary Battery flat on the Platform Floor and engages the Battery's Latch Clamps into the Floor Latch Clamp Strikes. By completing this step, the Auxiliary Battery is now physically locked in with and secured to the EV. The user opens the Power Port Door inside the EV and plugs in the Auxiliary Battery's Power Cord. The EV App Main Screen will show an Auxiliary Battery Appearing, and it will have a Green Indicator, indicating that the Battery is connected and active.

[0131] In some embodiments, the Battery needs to be connected to the Smart-Phone App - if the EV is not in Drive Mode, several options will Appear for the Battery in the Settings Section on the Smart-Phone App and on the EV App as follows. Additional Auxiliary Batteries can be mounted inside the EV on top of the first Battery or in the matching floor connection adjacent to the first Auxiliary Battery - the same steps would be followed - the Suspension System of the EV would send a signal to the EV App and Smart-Phone App notifications section indicating if too many Auxiliary Batteries are mounted inside the EV.

[0132] Automatic Auxiliary Battery management - EV App manages Auxiliary Battery usage, allowing for the ideal mix of using the Main Battery and the Auxiliary Battery as driving conditions require - the Auxiliary Battery could be used for powering the EV or Regenerative Braking. The process of configuring the electrical circuitry of the EV to manage the power source selection and power distribution when one or more auxiliary batteries are properly connected and installed in the EV in addition to the main battery is controlled by the controller in the system which could be the same or different from the on-board main processor of th EV. Different modes of operation may be automatically selected by the processor or manually chosen by the user for each auxiliary battery connected to the EV power system:

[0133] Dedicated drive Auxiliary Battery management - Under such mode, EV uses energy only from Auxiliary Battery for operating the EV. [0134] Shared drive Auxiliary Batery management - under such mode, EV uses energy from multiple Auxiliary Batteries only for operating the EV.

[0135] Siphon charge Auxiliary Batery management - under such mode, the Auxiliary Battery siphons charge from the main EV Battery - this is handy for Regenerative Braking if the Main Battery is fully charged, or if the Auxiliary Battery is to be shared with someone else.

[0136] EV charge batery management - under such mode, the Auxiliary Battery sends energy directly to the EV's Main Battery only - this is handy if the Auxiliary Battery is to be used to charge a Vehicle without transferring the actual Auxiliary Battery.

[0137] Bypass Auxiliary Batery management - under such mode, the Auxiliary Battery is plugged in and recognized by the EV App but is not configured to be actively sharing energy - this is handy when safely delivering a fully charged Auxiliary Battery to someone.

[0138] With reference to Fig. 16, a method for sharing the auxiliary battery is disclosed. If the owner has a fully charged Auxiliary Battery, at home, or in their EV, which they have through the Subscription Plan, they can choose to share it with other people who need an Auxiliary Battery through the following steps:

[0139] An auxiliary battery is connected to the Smart-Phone App - the Notification Settings on the Smart-Phone App or the EV App need to be set to "Share Battery."

[0140] When a nearby Auxiliary Battery Subscriber is in need of an Auxiliary Battery, they will select the "Find Battery" option in their notification settings on their EV App or Smart-Phone App, which is communicated to the centralized server and processor governing the subscription model. The centralized server also governs and facilitates all communications of information between the users on the network as well as dictates the sequence of operation by enabling and disabling features to the users on their interface (mobile app or on-board EV app, which are connected with and networked through the centralized server, in an exemplary embodiment, there are two levels for a Battery Request:

1. Casual Auxiliary Battery Request.

2. Emergency Auxiliary Battery Request.

[0141] In some embodiments, for anti-theft security reasons, the Auxiliary Battery Location of the Battery Requestor is shown to the Auxiliary Battery Owner as a general vicinity only - only if the Battery Owner accepts the Battery Request, (thereby positively identifying themself) will the exact location of the Requestor⁷ s location be disclosed.

[0142] The Owner of the Battery accepts the Requestor's Notification on the notification Section of the Smart-Phone App or the EV App and proceeds to drive over to the location of the Requestor to deliver and transfer the Auxiliary Battery.

[0143] When the Auxiliary Battery Requestor and the Owner meet, the Requestor proceeds to accept the Auxiliary Battery by registering it with their Smart-Phone App and physically taking the Auxiliary Battery. Such information is documented and stored on the centralized server. The Auxiliary Battery Ownership and Liability is transferred to the new Owner of the Auxiliary Battery. In case of foul play during the transaction, the identities of the Requestor and the Original Owner are known. When the Requestor accepts the Auxiliary Battery, their Account automatically makes a Payment to the Auxiliary Battery Rental Company depending on their Subscription Plan, and the Original Owner's Rental Fee is stopped at the same time. The Requestor also makes a direct payment to the Original Owner for the Electricity at its current market value at the same time. In some embodiments, If the Auxiliary Battery Transfer was an Emergency Request, the Original Owner will receive an extra reward.

[0144] With reference to Fig. 17, a method for charging the auxiliary battery is disclosed. It is presumed that the battery is paired with an account registered on the centralized server for governing subscriptions, plans and accounts of users. The method includes the following steps:

[0145] The first step is locating a Charging Device - for this step, different Charging Devices may be used in combination with any adapters required to allow charging the auxiliary battery from the charging device. When charging through a Home Power Outlet, a Secondary Dongle may be required to match the Auxiliary Battery Interface.

[0146] The second step is ensure that the Auxiliary Battery is lying flat on its bottom and plugging it into the Charging Device or Dongle Interface for Power Outlet Charging.

[0147] Following that, Charging will start automatically if Automatic Charging is selected in the Smart-Phone App Settings.

[0148] The Auxiliary Battery which is being charged goes to the top of the Fist of Batteries connected to the Smart-Phone App, and will display the charging status in green. Once the charging is complete, the charging will stop automatically, in some embodiments, where the smart phone is connected to the auxiliary battery via Bluetooth, if the connected Smart-Phone is within range, the Smart-Phone App will issue a Notification that the Auxiliary Battery is finished charging. In other embodiments, a notification may be sent to the centralized server with which the auxiliary battery is networked and the server in turn communication the status of completion of charging to the user's mobile app, which is also networked to the centralized server. - This notification Setting may be optionally turned off. Other features of the app are described below according to some embodiments.

[0149] Main screen - On the main screen, there will be seen icons for the Main Battery and the Auxiliary Battery. If only the Main Battery is on-board, the Auxiliary Battery icon will be grayed out. If the Auxiliary Battery is on board but is not installed correctly, the Auxiliary Battery icon will remain grayed out. The Auxiliary Battery icon will become active when the Auxiliary Battery is properly installed and plugged in. If multiple Auxiliary Batteries are plugged in, the Auxiliary Battery icon will appear stacked in the App. When the Electric Vehicle is not in motion, and in park, the Auxiliary Battery will be selectable on the touch screen. Selecting the Auxiliary Battery icon will open up a menu of features pertaining to that Auxiliary Battery including the individual code number of the Auxiliary Battery. The individual code number of the Auxiliary Battery will be tied to the user's account number to be able to work. This will ensure that there is no theft of the batteries. An exchange of batteries among users would entail exchanging the code numbers in their respective apps. Similar menus will appear below for subsequent Auxiliary Batteries. The menu will feature the Auxiliary Battery's individual code number, its charge status, health information, temperature, and (very importantly) its function mode. In some embodiments, the following options will be available for its function mode. It should be noted that terminology used are indicative only for describing the features and are not to be considered as limiting to the scope of the invention:

Auxiliary Battery Options screen:

[0150] Automatic Auxiliary Battery Management- This default option would allow the App to make the best decisions as to the Auxiliary Battery's operation inside the vehicle. [0151] Dedicated Drive Auxiliary Battery Management - This option would allow the Auxiliary Battery to provide electricity to the driven wheels.

[0152] EV Charge Auxiliary Battery Management - This option would allow the Auxiliary Battery to charge the main battery. This is particularly useful if multiple Auxiliary Batteries are installed and connected.

[0153] Shared Drive Auxiliary Battery Management - under this option, the EV uses energy from multiple Auxiliary Batteries only for operating the EV.

[0154] Discharge - propulsion and Main Battery charging - This option would only be available on certain Electric Vehicle types, as not all Main Batteries can be discharged and charged simultaneously. This may require separate battery partitions in the Main Battery.

[0155] Bypass Auxiliary Battery Management - This option would allow the Auxiliary Battery to be plugged in but not used.

[0156] Siphon Charge Auxiliary Battery Management - This option would allow the Auxiliary Battery to siphon electricity from the Main Battery. This is particularly handy if a "Good Samaritan" pulls over and offers to help the owner of a stranded Electric Vehicle by siphoning some of their own electricity from their Main Battery and either transferring over the Auxiliary Battery or the siphoned electricity over to the stranded Electric Vehicle. In some embodiments, the rate of power transfer my be controlled by the main processor, either by interfacing with it through the mobile app or the on-board EV app.

[0157] In one embodiment, during the driving mode, the Options Screen would revert back to the main screen, disabling the driver's ability to edit their Auxiliary Battery options settings. Also, the Smart-Phone App battery option settings would become disabled during driving. Conceivably, the entire Smart-Phone App would not go dead though as long as a passenger was sensed by the main EV on-board computer App. The passenger may wish to use the Smart-Phone App to adjust climate controls, or account settings for example, but the driver would not be able to do so through the Smart-Phone App if they were alone in the car. The Auxiliary Battery app would also have some default settings (Automatic Management) so that if it is plugged in to the Electric Vehicle it would operate based on its own best option setting, unless the owner has pre-set some alternate settings. For example, if the Auxiliary Battery is plugged in, but the main battery has a full charge, the Auxiliary Battery would automatically go to bypass mode. If the electric charge in the Main battery is depleted, the Dedicated Drive Auxiliary Battery Management option would kick in.

[0158] When driving, the main on-board EV Computer App would display on its screen, the main required information about the batteries, for example, which batteries are being used, how much charge remains on the batteries, and what sort of distance can be covered with the current charge of all batteries on board.

[0159] App Notifications - In some embodiments, an option is provided for receiving notifications on the app during driving. The type of notifications permitted would be set in the Notification permission settings. Critical notifications pertaining to the batteries (such as nearing empty charge, or battery fault) would always be able to be displayed on screen. Some of the secondary notifications, would include the following:

[0160] Emergency assistance requests - if an Electric Vehicle user with Auxiliary Battery capability is stranded nearby, they could activate a beacon asking drivers with extra electricity on their Auxiliary Batteries to help them out. Such beacon is activated by communicating to the centralized server through the user's interface. If a driver who receive a notification from the centralized server chooses to help, they would receive a reward, which take many forms. By way of non-limiting examples, the reward may be real payment for the assistance, or payment via a predetermined crypto-currency, or points that can be redeemed in the Auxiliary Battery app system. These requests will have a higher cost for the stranded user unless they are covered as part of a more advanced Auxiliary Battery subscription plan.

[0161] Auxiliary Battery requests - This would be a casual request for a quick Auxiliary Battery transfer that is not an emergency in nature. Helping out such a person would be rewarded in much the same way as for the Emergency assistance request.

[0162] Charger access locations - This would inform the driver (on a map) if charge points are nearby.

[0163] Auxiliary Battery availability locations - This would inform the driver if available Auxiliary Battery locations are nearby. A driver with fully charged Auxiliary Batteries on board can select a setting which would make their Auxiliary Batteries available to other Electric Vehicles that are part of the Auxiliary Battery system. In some embodiments, for security and anti-theft reasons, only the general vicinity of the Auxiliary Battery requestor would be visible to the driver with the fully charged Auxiliary Battery. Only if the driver selects to help the requestor would the exact location be disclosed. This method would ensure positive identification of both parties. In this way, Electric Vehicles in the vicinity with available Auxiliary Batteries would appear on screen on a map. Selecting such a vehicle would establish communications between the Requestor and the Driver so that the two vehicles are able to meet and make the exchange. This would also apply to other suppliers of Auxiliary Batteries. This could literally be anyone. There could be kiosks similar to vending machines at charging stations, gasoline stations, malls, or parking lots. Fully charged Auxiliary Batteries could also be available from AAA assistance vehicles, Uber vehicles, Food Delivery vehicles or Couriers. Even people at home could offer Auxiliary Batteries. It is an opportunity for people who do not drive, or those that do, to take part in the Auxiliary Battery subscription system to make some money. For example, someone who does not own a car could choose to join the subscription system as a charger (not a user). They would charge an Auxiliary Battery overnight on "trickle", and then they could sell the electricity in the fully charged Auxiliary Battery at a higher rate to an Electric Vehicle driver who is nearby and needs an Auxiliary Battery. This is the social dimension of the Auxiliary Battery system, whereby anyone can participate in the program. The exchange and sale of electricity by way of the Auxiliary Battery system would make it a social activity in a way that gasoline sharing was never able to happen. The more people participate, the more accessible the Auxiliary Batteries will be for people who need them, thus helping people to adopt Electric Vehicle ownership. In some embodiments, people who do not drive but rather only charge, would have a low cost subscription, or possibly a free subscription. They could also earn points towards buying their own Electric Vehicle by helping others.

Subscription system

[0164] As mentioned above, whether someone owns an Auxiliary Battery or rents it, they would automatically need to become members of the broader Auxiliary Battery subscription system. In the system one would have a Smart-Phone App (and on the app in their EV's on-board computer) and a membership that is associated with their unique online presence identified by their email and phone number, which information is store in a database and governed by a centralized processor/ server networked with the smart phone app and/or the EV's on-board computer. The subscription portion of the app would only be accessible when the vehicle is not in motion. Having a membership would allow you to pick up charged batteries at gas stations / charging stations, at convenience stores, from other EV drivers, other Auxiliary Battery subscription members, even from their home if they so permit. The owner's account would be connected to their credit card, Paypal account, Cryptocurrency account, or other method of payment, or even to the Auxiliary Battery system's own proprietary currency account. If the owner is carrying multiple batteries in their vehicle, their app would charge them accordingly. The cost of the electricity would go back towards the party which provided the Auxiliary Battery at the time it was transferred and at the relevant rate. For example, if one were to pick up an Auxiliary Battery from a convenience store, one would automatically pay the Auxiliary Battery subscription system for taking the battery, and one would automatically pay the convenience store for the electricity. If one takes the Auxiliary Battery and the electricity during a peak time when the Auxiliary Batteries are in high demand, the electricity would cost more. If one takes the Auxiliary Battery during a low demand time, the cost of the electricity would be lower. The app would manage this cost differential automatically, avoiding a situation where Auxiliary Battery sellers do not want to sell Auxiliary Batteries at night which were charged during the day. In such a scenario where the cost of electricity is higher during the day, it should maintain its value at night, or there would be no incentive for Clients to sell the Electricity in their Auxiliary Batteries to people who really need them.

[0165] Also, in some embodiments, there would conceivably be different levels of the Subscription System. There could be different monthly fees for use of the system. For people who would use the system less, they would pay a lower monthly fee and would pay more per Auxiliary Battery rental. For people who would use the system more, they could opt for a higher monthly subscription cost, with waived or lowered Auxiliary Battery rental costs. Either way, by subscribing to the Auxiliary Battery system, as long as the Electric Vehicle is part of the system, the original price of the Electric Vehicle that comes equipped with an Auxiliary Battery System would be lower. This would require the owner of the vehicle to sign a multi-year agreement with the Auxiliary Battery subscription system when purchasing the Electric Vehicle. The system would be very similar to the cell-phone system whereby when the user gets a cellular plan when they buy the cellular phone, the price of the cellular phone is lowered. [0166] Good Samaritan - in some embodiments, if a person who is in possession of an Auxiliary Battery helps someone who has set off their Emergency Beacon by giving them an Auxiliary Battery, or by transferring Electricity to them, this would earn the person special points, or a discount on their Auxiliary Battery rental. In this way, drivers would be inclined to help one another and people would be able to exchange batteries as needed. Giving a fully charged battery to someone who makes a casual request via the app would also earn the person who gives the Auxiliary Battery a reward. The reward for helping someone in an emergency would simply be higher. This incentivizes good social behavior on the road. This method will turn fellow drivers into good neighbors.

[0167] Seasonal Auxiliary Battery change - In some embodiments, there would be different Auxiliary Batteries available for the different seasons of the year. This depends on the climate where the Auxiliary Batteries are being used. For extreme northern and southern climates, where seasons change from summer to fall to winter, and spring, there should be advisories issued regarding an exchange for more appropriate Auxiliary Batteries. It is understood that (at least at this point in the state of the art) different EV battery chemistries work better for the summer or winter. To accommodate this, the Smart-Phone or EV App could issue an advisory to exchange Auxiliary Batteries. Such advisory may be communicated to the users in the networked subscription either individually to each of the users as personalized notifications, or it may be provided to the users as a link on the mobile or EV's app. Other means known in the art may be used to communicate such notifications to the users. To prevent the system from being flooded with battery returns, those people who have out-of-season Auxiliary Batteries at home could opt to store these Auxiliary Batteries at home during the off-season. Alternatively, they could return them to a central depot, or to an acceptable kiosk to facilitate an exchange. In this way, Electric Vehicles would always be equipped with Auxiliary Batteries that match the season in which they are operating. [0168] Damaging Auxiliary Bateries - Since Auxiliary Bateries are portable by hand, there is a chance that they will be dropped or otherwise damaged. The Auxiliary Batery would have a sensor that recognizes if a significant bump occurred (such as an accelerometer or Air-Bag Sensor), and also it would recognize the health of the Auxiliary Batery's cells, information about the bump or damage would be provided to and store in a database of the centralized server, which in turn is recorded in the User's profile and communicated to the user's Smart-Phone App, and it may be the responsibility of the user to replace a batery that they damaged. In this regard, it may make sense to set up a special policy with insurance companies to cover the potential damage to the Auxiliary Bateries. This policy would be similar to an auto insurance policy. If the driver keeps getting into accidents, the cost of insurance goes up or they can no longer drive. Likewise, if the user keeps damaging the Auxiliary Bateries, their insurance premiums would rise, or they would lose their membership, or they would have to pay the cost of replacing the Auxiliary Bateries.

[0169] Potential Partnerships - The Auxiliary Batery subscription system provides a significant potential for partnerships with third-party companies. The partnerships could be with the companies that actually produce Electric Vehicles. This would allow for a seamless integration of apps and a good Auxiliary Batery to Electric Vehicle interface. Also, companies like Uber™, Lyft™ and others could have their operators drive around with pre-charged Auxiliary Bateries that they could deliver to someone who needs a batery upon request. There could be a discounted delivery service through such companies. Local delivery companies, even companies that deliver food items or couriers could also participate in a partnership with the Auxiliary Batery Subscription system. These companies could deliver Auxiliary Batteries very efficiently, perhaps on a bicycle or an e-bike in crowded cities during rush hour traffic. Companies like AAA™ or CAA™ that offer roadside assistance could offer tow-trucks that come equipped with fully charged Auxiliary Batteries. Store owners, gas stations, charging stations and even employers could offer kiosks similar to vending machines that offer the Auxiliary Batteries. Even companies that produce exercise equipment could build their products in a way so that they can be used to charge the Auxiliary Batteries.

[0170] With reference to Fig. 18, a further exploded diagram of the auxiliary battery pack, according to another embodiment, is featured, showing the following components:

• 401. Head Housing (Metal Casting).

• 402. Latch Clamp Strike (Part of Housing).

• 403. Power Cord.

• 404. Power Cord Male Connector.

• 405. Auxiliary Power Outlet / Inlet.

• 406. Latch Clamp Assembly.

• 407. Head Module (Plastic Housing bolts to Head Housing - Features GPS, Bluetooth module, PCB for Battery Management, Connection to Bump Sensor, Accelerometer, I.D. and History Memory, On-Board-Computer, Thermometer, Digital Thermal Management Module, and any other relevant Electronics).

• 408. Fold-away Handle.

• 409. Main Assembly Bolts.

• 410. Power Cord Storage Area. 411. Head Housing to Main Body Seal Gasket.

• 412. Main Body (Aluminum Extrusion of varying lengths).

• 413. Battery Housing (Can be different types of batteries in terms of chemistry, size and shape. Housing is insulated, features thermal management, has bolt connections to Head Module and End Cap).

• 414. End Cap to Main Body Seal Gasket.

• 415. End Cap (Metal Casting - Features Bump Sensor like in an airbag, Positive Location Sensor, and bosses for mounting Battery Housing).

• 416. Hinged Positive Location Catch (Catch rests flush on Auxiliary Battery Pack, and raises like a piano hinge to mate with a stacked battery's Positive Location Hook. When Catch is raised, the Positive Location Sensor identifies that a stacked battery is correctly mounted (Positively Located) on top of the battery, allowing for an Electrical Connection via Power Cord).

• 417. Positive Location Hook (Flush with Auxiliary Battery Pack body connects with the Hinged Positive Location Catch to positively locate the Auxiliary Battery Pack in place).

[0171] With reference to Fig. 19, the vehicle has the following physical connection for the auxiliary battery, in an embodiment:

• 418. Floor Latch Clamp Strike (Right Side - Vehicle Floor Mounted - for Standard Battery - rests flush on EV floor for ease of luggage storage). 419. Floor Latch Clamp Strike (Left Side - Vehicle Floor Mounted - for Short Battery - rests flush on EV floor for ease of luggage storage).

• 420. Floor Catch Housing (Left Side - Vehicle Floor Mounted).

• 421. Floor Catch Housing (Right Side - Vehicle Floor Mounted).

• 422. Floor Hinged Positive Location Catch (Catch rests flush on Left Side of EV Floor for ease of luggage storage and raises like a piano hinge to mate with a stacked battery's Positive Location Hook. When Catch is raised, the EV Positive Location Sensor identifies that a stacked battery is correctly mounted (Positively Located) on top of the EV Floor, allowing for an Electrical Connection via Power Cord).

• 423. Floor Hinged Positive Location Catch (Catch rests flush on Right Side of EV Floor for ease of luggage storage and raises like a piano hinge to mate with a stacked battery's Positive Location Hook. When Catch is raised, the EV Positive Location Sensor identifies that a stacked battery is correctly mounted (Positively Located) on top of the EV Floor, allowing for an Electrical Connection via Power Cord).

[0172] With reference to Fig. 20, the power port has the following components, in an embodiment of the present invention:

• 424. Electric Vehicle Interior Wall Power Port (A Power Port built as part of the Electric Vehicle with and Auxiliary Battery System. This embodiment of the Power Port is built into a Trunk Wall inside the vehicle). • 425. Power Port Door Flap (A door Panel on the Power Port which in this embodiment is for manual operation without a locking mechanism, though an automatic door with an application-controlled lock mechanism is also envisioned.)

• 426. Power Port Female Receptacle (A uniquely shaped proprietary Female Receptacle for the Power Cord Male Connector)

[0173] The current disclosure describes an auxiliary battery for use in Electric Vehicles to supplement the main battery of the EV and to act as a temporary power module in the event the main battery of the EV is completely depleted. It is to be understood that the current invention may also be used with hybrid vehicles to supplement the electrical power management and distribution for operating such vehicles. A Auxiliary Battery may not be able to allow an Electric Vehicle to go on a 500 mile journey. But it will allow an Electric Vehicle to handle a typical daily commute. And if there are enough participants in the Auxiliary Battery system, it should be possible to drive across the country from coast to coast by exchanging Auxiliary Batteries every 40 or 80 km or so. It is a solution that will allow charging practically anywhere, speeding up the adoption of Electric Vehicles. The exchange system of Auxiliary Batteries will allow people to eliminate unplanned charge wait times. Plug in the Auxiliary Battery and go.

[0174] Thus, in accordance with the system and methods described in the present invention, the new auxiliary battery system eliminates the need for downtime of EVs to charge the main battery, minimized or eliminates downtime of operation even when the main battery of the EV is completely depleted, as well as allows for the charging of the main batter at any location regardless of the presence of any dedicated charging stations, and while the EV is in operation.

Interpretation of Terms [0175] Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout the description and the claims:

• "comprise," "comprising," and the like are to be construed in an inclusive sense, as opposed to an exclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in the sense of "including, but not limited to".

• "connected," "coupled," or any variant thereof, means any connection or coupling, either direct or indirect, between two or more elements; the coupling or connection between the elements can be physical, logical, or a combination thereof.

• "herein," "above," "below," and words of similar import, when used to describe this specification shall refer to this specification as a whole and not to any particular portions of this specification.

• "or," in reference to a list of two or more items, covers all of the following interpretations of the word: any of the items in the list, all of the items in the list, and any combination of the items in the list.

• the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" also include the meaning of any appropriate plural forms.

• "power source" and "power supply" refer to any source of electrical power in a form that is suitable for operating electronic circuits.

• Auxiliary or supplementary batteries means secondary in nature and the degree of contribution of such batteries to a system may vary depending on the mode of operation.

[0176] Words that indicate directions such as "vertical", "transverse", "horizontal", "upward", "downward", "forward", "backward", "inward", "outward", "vertical", "transverse", "left", "right" , "front", "back" , "top", "bottom", "below", "above", "under", "upper", "lower" and the like, used in this description and any accompanying claims (where present) depend on the specific orientation of the apparatus described and illustrated. The subject matter described herein may assume various alternative orientations. Accordingly, these directional terms are not strictly defined and should not be interpreted narrowly.

[0177] Where a component (e.g. a circuit, module, assembly, device, etc.) is referred to above, unless otherwise indicated, reference to that component (including a reference to a "means") should be interpreted as including as equivalents of that component any component which performs the function of the described component (i.e., that is functionally equivalent), including components which are not structurally equivalent to the disclosed structure which performs the function in the illustrated exemplary embodiments of the invention.

[0178] Specific examples of device and method have been described herein for purposes of illustration. These are only examples. The technology provided herein can be applied to device and method other than the examples described above. Many alterations, modifications, additions, omissions and permutations are possible within the practice of this invention. This invention includes variations on described embodiments that would be apparent to the skilled addressee, including variations obtained by: replacing features, elements and/or acts with equivalent features, elements and/or acts; mixing and matching of features, elements and/or acts from different embodiments; combining features, elements and/or acts from embodiments as described herein with features, elements and/ or acts of other technology; and/ or omitting combining features, elements and/ or acts from described embodiments.

[0179] It is therefore intended that the following appended claims and claims hereafter introduced are interpreted to include all such modifications, permutations, additions, omissions and sub-combinations as may reasonably be inferred. The scope of the claims should not be limited by the preferred embodiments set forth in the examples, but should be given the broadest interpretation consistent with the description as a whole.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. An auxiliary battery pack for use in and Electric Vehicle (EV) in addition to a main battery, the auxiliary battery pack comprising: a battery cell; a casing for housing the battery cell, the casing having: an output port configured for supplying electricity from the battery cell to an input port of the EV; at least one fastener configured to be removably coupled to a receptacle in the EV, such that when the at least one fastener is coupled to the EV, the casing is secure against movement in the EV; wherein the auxiliary battery pack is sized to be handled by a person, is configured to be manually removable from the EV, and wherein, when the auxiliary battery pack is installed inside and is electrically connected to the EV, the auxiliary battery pack forms an integral part of an on-board battery system of the EV, including the main battery, and is configured in a first mode of operation to perform at least one of charge the main battery and supply electricity to the EV, without interrupting electrical operation of the EV.

2. The auxiliary battery pack of claim 1 wherein, when the auxiliary battery pack is installed inside and is electrically connected to the EV, the auxiliary battery pack is configured in a second mode of operation to recharge from the main battery, without interrupting electrical operation of the EV.

3. The Auxiliary battery pack of claim 1 further having an input port, the auxiliary battery pack further configured to be electrically, removably couplable to the output port of a second auxiliary battery pack in a stacked configuration, such that when the stacked configuration is installed inside and is electrically connected to the EV, the stacked configuration is configured to deliver electricity from each auxiliary battery pack in the stacked configuration to the EV through the output port of the auxiliary battery pack.

4. The auxiliary battery pack of claim 1 further comprising sensors for measuring a level of electric charge stored in the battery cell and at least one of a Wi-Fi transmitter or a Bluetooth transmitter for transmitting the measurements from the sensors to a controller of the EV.

5. The auxiliary battery pack of claim 1 configured to supply electricity to at least one of the main battery and the EV instantaneously after being installed inside and is electrically connected to the EV.

6. The Auxiliary battery pack of claim 1, further comprising one or more of an accelerometer, a Principal Circuit Board (PCB), a battery service memory, a Global Positioning System (GPS), and an impact detector.

7. The auxiliary battery pack of claim 1, further adapted to be rechargeable from any one of a solar power cell, a hydraulic power source, a wind turbine, a dynamo, a heat to electricity conversion source, or another electrical power source.

8. The auxiliary battery pack of claim 1, wherein the casing has fins on the exterior structure of the casing for controlling heat dissipation from the auxiliary battery pack, when in use.

9. A system for providing auxiliary power to an Electric Vehicle (EV), the system comprising: at least one auxiliary battery pack, as described in claim 1; sensors for obtaining measurements from a main battery of the EV and the at least one auxiliary batter pack, when securely installed inside and is electrically connected to the EV to form an integral part of the on-board battery system of the EV; and a controller electrically connected to the EV, the controller configured to: receive the measurements from the sensors; determine a level of charge stored in the main battery and the at least one auxiliary battery pack based on the measurements received; select a mode of operation of the at least one auxiliary battery pack based on the determined level of charge store in the main battery and the at least one auxiliary battery pack; and manipulate an electrical circuit connecting the main battery and the at least one auxiliary battery pack based on the mode of operation selected.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the mode of operation specifies the mode of the main battery and the at least one auxiliary battery pack to be one of discharging or recharging.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the controller is configured to determine, based on the measurements, if the secure installation of the at least one auxiliary battery pack inside the EV is jeopardized and to electrically disconnect thereafter the at least one auxiliary battery pack from the on-board battery system of the EV.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the controller is configured to determine, based on the measurements, excessive weight placed on the at least one auxiliary battery pack inside the EV and to electrically disconnect thereafter the at least one auxiliary battery pack from the on-board battery system of the EV.

13. The system of claim 9 wherein the at least one auxiliary battery pack includes two or more auxiliary battery packs physically coupled to one another in a stacked configuration, such that the stacked configuration is securely installed inside the EV and is electrically connected to the EV, such that each auxiliary battery pack of the stacked configuration forms an integral part of the on-board battery system of the EV.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the controller is configured to receive commands wirelessly from an external interface.

15. A method of using an auxiliary battery pack in an Electric Vehicle (EV) in addition to a main battery, the method comprising: manually securing the auxiliary battery pack inside the EV; electrically connecting the auxiliary battery pack to the EV, such that the auxiliary battery pack forms an integral part of an on-board battery system of the EV; configuring, via a controller in the EV, the auxiliary battery pack to operate between a first operational mode and a second operational mode, wherein in the first operational mode, the auxiliary battery pack performs at least one of charging the main battery and supplying electricity to the EV, without interrupting electrical operation of the EV and wherein when in the second operational mode, the auxiliary battery pack operates to recharge from the main battery, without interrupting electrical operation of the EV.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprises configuring the controller to electrically disconnect the auxiliary battery pack from the on-board battery system of the EV when the auxiliary battery pack is no longer securely coupled to the EV.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprises configuring the controller to electrically disconnect the auxiliary battery pack from the on-board battery system of the EV when excess weight is detected on the auxiliary battery pack.

18. The method of claim 15, the method further comprises: (a) manually disconnecting the electrical connection between the auxiliary batter pack and the EV;

(b) manually decoupling the auxiliary battery pack from the EV;

(c) recharging the auxiliary battery pack at a location different from a location of the EV;

(d) bringing back the recharged auxiliary battery pack to the location of the EV;

(e) manually securing the recharged auxiliary battery pack inside the EV;

(f) electrically connecting the recharged auxiliary battery pack to the EV;

(g) configuring the auxiliary battery pack to operate in the first operational mode to trickle charge the main battery; and

(h) repeating steps (a) to (g) to supplement the charge of the main battery.

19. The method of claim 15, the method further comprising: continuously monitoring an electrical charge level of the main battery during operation of the EV; determining when the electrical charge level of the main battery falls below a predetermined level; configuring, vial the controller of the EV, the auxiliary battery pack to operate in the first operational mode; and configuring, vial the controller of the EV, the on-board battery system to disconnect the main batter as a power source to the EV and to maintain the auxiliary battery pack as the only electrical power source to the EV without interrupting the electrical operation of the EV.

20. The method of claim 15, the method further comprising: manually securing a second auxiliary battery pack inside the EV in a stackable configuration with the auxiliary battery pack; electrically connecting the second auxiliary battery pack to the auxiliary battery pack, such that the second auxiliary battery pack forms an integral part of an on-board battery system of the EV; configuring, via a controller in the EV, each of the auxiliary battery pack and the second auxiliary battery pack to operate between a first operational mode and a second operational mode, wherein in the first operational mode, one of the auxiliary battery pack and the second auxiliary battery pack charges the main battery, without interrupting electrical operation of the EV and wherein in the second operational mode, the other of the auxiliary battery pack and the second auxiliary battery pack supplies electricity to the EV, without interrupting electrical operation of the EV.