Talking to the Grid
Plug-in hybrids, which recharge their batteries from the utility grid, could strain that system by increasing electrical demand. Ford is getting around the problem by equipping its plug-in, the Escape, to communicate with smart meters provided by utility companies. As demand varies through the day, so does the price of electricity. The Ford system can be programmed to charge the car when that cost falls below a user-determined threshold or to charge only at certain times of day. Future versions may allow users to request electricity from renewable sources such as wind and solar. The first Escape fitted with the system has been delivered to American Electric Power in Columbus, OH, for testing.
Product: Vehicle-to-grid system
Cost: N/A
Source: www.ford.com
Companies: Ford Motor Co.
Keep Reading
Most Popular
A Roomba recorded a woman on the toilet. How did screenshots end up on Facebook?
Robot vacuum companies say your images are safe, but a sprawling global supply chain for data from our devices creates risk.
A startup says it’s begun releasing particles into the atmosphere, in an effort to tweak the climate
Make Sunsets is already attempting to earn revenue for geoengineering, a move likely to provoke widespread criticism.
10 Breakthrough Technologies 2023
These exclusive satellite images show that Saudi Arabia’s sci-fi megacity is well underway
Weirdly, any recent work on The Line doesn’t show up on Google Maps. But we got the images anyway.
Stay connected
Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review
Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.