US Patent 10521987 Enhanced electrified vehicle charger security

A vehicle charging system includes a locking mechanism to secure a charge plug to a charge port of a vehicle. The system includes a wireless transceiver and a near field communication transceiver. The system further includes a controller programmed to, responsive to receiving a request to disengage the locking mechanism during charging, send the request to a vehicle owner via the wireless transceiver, and, responsive to receiving an unlock command via the wireless transceiver, disengage the locking mechanism.