Ford will build plug-ins with smart grid tech

Electric vehicles and the smart grid -- two of the biggest pieces of the next-generation of environmental technology. We're ridiculously excited about both of them, and what they could mean for our future. But the interaction between the smart grid and electric vehicles could also be a really big deal. Which is why we're excited that Ford is already taking the first steps to make it possible.

Today, Ford announces that they're building technology into their electric vehicles to allow the electrical grid to communicate with the vehicle.

Now, you might think, that's great, but Ford hardly even has a hybrid, let alone an electric vehicle. Well, let me point you to our post of almost a year ago in which we announce Ford's promise to have an electric transit van in 2010, an electric Focus in 2011 and a mass-produced plug-in hybrid in 2012.

The fact of the matter is, vehicles are parked for 95% of their lives. And, with plug-in vehicles, that time will be spent plugged into a wall. In more progressive parts of the country, electricity rates are already metered to go up during times of peak demand. The last thing you want to do is charge your car when electricity is four times more expensive than it is at night.

So Ford's new technology will communicate with the electric company via advanced electric meters while the vehicle is charging. The electric company will tell your car to stop charging if demand is too high, or to charge quickly if the price is low. It's even possible that, during times of peak demand, you'll be able to sell the electric company's power back to it at a hugely inflated price.

Supply and demand! The technology would also allow you, the user, to program how the car charges itself and when. So if you need the car to be charged by a certain time, the batteries would fill despite the power company's desires.

Full press release below.

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