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Ford's PHEV to Grid Communications System

The developments in the EV sector of the automotive industry were taken to the next level by American manufacturer Ford, who took it upon itself to create a smart vehicle-to-grid communications system. Why? you may ask.

It is very simple, actually. As we all enjoy being able to program the dishwasher for instance, Ford thought it would be nice to have a similar system for a car. Thanks to their system, the owner of the car may program when to recharge the vehicle, for how long and at what utility rate.

"For example, a vehicle owner could choose to accept a charge only during off-peak hours between midnight and 6 a.m. when electricity rates are cheaper, or when the grid is using only renewable energy such as wind or solar power," the company said

The first vehicle equipped with this technology has already been delivered to American Electric Power of Columbus, Ohio. Eventually, Ford plans to incorporate the system in all of its 21 plug-in hybrid vehicles

How does it work? When plugged in, the battery systems of the vehicles equipped with the system "talk" to the grid via wireless networking. The owner uses the vehicle’s touch screen navigation interface and Ford Work Solutions in-dash computer to choose when the vehicle should recharge, for how long and at what utility rate.

Electric vehicles are an important element of our strategy for improving fuel economy and reducing CO2 emissions,” Bill Ford, Ford’s executive chairman said in a release. “This vehicle-to-grid communication technology is an important step in the journey toward the widespread commercialization of electric vehicles.
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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