MichiganRadio

The Grid Is Ready for Plug-In Hybrid Cars - If We Don't All Plug In At Once ANN ARBOR, MI (Michigan Radio) -

Ford Motor Company officials say the electric grid can handle large numbers of plug-in electric vehicles - if people don't plug in all at once.

Ford has been working with electric utility companies since 2007 to make sure the electric grid can handle large numbers of plug-in electric vehicles.

Utility executives say the current grid can handle 75-million plug-ins, but only if people charge car batteries between 9 p.m. and noon the next day.

Utilities have identified certain zip codes that are very likely to have so-called "early adopters."

Those are people who adopt new technology regardless of cost.

Utilities will collect data from those small clusters of early adopters once plug-in hybrids become available to the public in large numbers.

That could be as soon as late 2010, when GM's Chevy Volt is launched. Ford and other automakers plan to launch plug-in hybrids and full electric vehicles later, in 2011 and 2012.

Ford is developing "smart" technology to let people program when to recharge the vehicle, for how long, and at what rate.

Eventually, the technology will also permit electric companies to communicate with vehicles, and temporarily shut down battery charging activities if electricity demand is too high.

Bill Ford is CEO of Ford. He says automakers and utilities have to make sure all customers have immediate access to add-on technology and installation expertise if they buy a plug-in hybrid.

"At the end of the day, this has to be easy for our customers," says Ford. "This can't just be an interesting science experiment."

By the end of this year Ford will have 21 plug-in hybrid Escapes equipped with the new technology. Ford plans to offer plug-in hybrids to its customers in 2012.
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