Ford Motor Company is collaborating with seven of the world’s largest automakers and 15 U.S. utility companies to develop technology for plug-in electric vehicles to talk to the utilities via the cloud – a move that would help manage energy use and improve the efficiency of the power grid.
Collaboration among the automakers, utility companies and Electric Power Research Institute is integral to the pilot program, which will create a standards-based communications platform for use by plug-in electric vehicles and the electric grids. This platform will enable the utilities to contact vehicle customers who have opted-in to the program, sending a request for those cars to stop charging temporarily to help manage a grid that is becoming overloaded.
This approach uses existing communications technology and standards, such as Ford’s MyFord® Mobile App, and pushes to advance those systems by enabling two-way communication between the electric grid and electric vehicles.