Ford plans vehicles to interact with power grids

DEARBORN, Mich. Ford Motor Co. said yesterday that its future electric cars will "talk" to power grids across the country, part of an effort to drive interest in alternative energy vehicles.

The nation's second-largest automaker released details of a two-year collaboration with about a dozen utility companies as well as the U.S. Department of Energy on the design of a system that allows car owners to control when they charge vehicles and for how long.

Owners can choose to recharge at off-peak times when electricity is cheaper, or when wind, solar or renewable energy is driving the grid, said Nancy Gioia, director of Ford's sustainable mobility technologies division.

"What we're doing is developing our capability."

Ford and the utility companies are testing the system and have logged 75,000 miles on a test fleet. The goal is to have a network in place so drivers can recharge their cars at preset times at home, work or elsewhere.

Automakers are developing electric vehicles as governments press for increased fuel efficiency and reduced pollutant emissions. This vehicle-to-grid communication technology is an important step in the journey toward the widespread commercialization of electric vehicles, Executive Chairman Bill Ford said.

The system aims to develop technical standards so that a car purchased and used in Michigan can "talk" to an electric grid in New York if the driver moves or travels.

Ford's first battery electric vehicle, the Transit Connect commercial van, will be available next year. A battery electric Ford Focus compact car will go on sale in 2011.

Mark Duvall, head of the Electric Power Research Institute in Palo Alto, Calif., said that although the nation's current electric grid could handle widespread adoption of electric cars, more things can be done to use energy more efficiently.

For example, drivers could recharge a car at 3 a.m. so it doesn't tax the grid and costs less.

Ford received $92.7 million in federal grants this month for electric-vehicle projects that includes a partnership with 15 utility companies. The grants were among $2.4 billion awarded to makers of batteries and electric vehicles as part of the U.S. economic stimulus.

The automaker also is using $5.9 billion in government loans received in June to speed work on more fuel-efficient vehicles.

The aid was part of a $25 billion Department of Energy program to help automakers boost average fuel economy by about 40 percent by 2016.

-- From Wire Reports