Ford ’s first electric vehicle won’t hit the roads until sometime next year, but the Michigan automaker announced this week that it has developed a system for its electric vehicles to communicate with next-generation ‘ smart ’ power grids.
Acting as a sort of middle man between the plug-in vehicle and the electric grid, Ford’s system can communicate with the grid and determine the best time to recharge a vehicle’s battery. Plug-in owners will have several setting to choose from, including charging during the cheapest, off-peak hours. According to The Detroit News, the system can even be set to only use power from renewable energy sources, such as wind power.
Ford plans to initially test the new technology in 21 prototype plug-in hybrids, but the technology could become a standard feature on Ford’s forthcoming electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. Ford worked with 10 utility companies and the U.S. Department of Energy to develop the technology.
Ford has yet to set a specific date for the technology’s public launch, but the automaker’s first EV – an electric version of the Transit – will hit the market in 2010. A electric version of the Ford Focus will launch in 2011 — followed by a plug-in hybrid in 2012 – so it remains possible the new technology could find its way into any of those vehicles.
