The Ford Escape Plug-In Hybrid. Photo courtesy of jalopnik.com.
In the race for brand differentiation and who can provide the most eco-friendly fuel efficiency, Ford is letting the public take a look at its first generation ‘intelligent’ vehicle-to-grid communications and control system for its plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.
For newbies to the industry, a plug-in hybrid can be charged up like a full electric vehicle, but when the battery is depleted, it can run like a regular hybrid using gasoline.
The new communications system, according to the company, would work through the battery being able to communicate directly with the electrical grid via a “smart” meter provided by utility companies through wireless networks.
The communications would be through an antenna specific to a radio transmitter for the smart meter communications that uses the ZigBee wireless protocol, according to Jennifer Moore, a manager of corporate communications at Ford. The smart meter, if implemented, would be located in residences and buildings.
Owners would use the vehicle’s touch screen navigation interface and in-dash computer to choose when the vehicle should recharge; for how long; and at what utility rate.
The technology is currently in the development phase. “We are only testing the vehicles at this stage of the game, through our 21 vehicle demonstration fleet,” said Ms. Moore.
The first of these demonstration vehicles has already been delivered to one of Ford’s utility partners, American Electric Power of Columbus, Ohio. “The demonstration fleet vehicles will communicate directly with their smart meter technologies,” said Ms. Moore.
She further adds, the demonstration vehicles will “be deployed with our utility partners around the country. As we go forward with these demonstration testing partnerships, we will determine if this is a communications system that will work best for consumers. Our electrification strategy calls for us to produce a plug-in hybrid, but we have not yet said what specific technology and vehicle that will be in 2012.”
In other related news, Ford was recently selected for two grants from the Department of Energy under its fleet electrification program, designed to accelerate “viable commercial volumes of electrified vehicles and vehicle-to-grid infrastructure development,” according to the company.
One grant, for $30 million, will help fund Ford’s collaboration with utility partners across the nation to expand vehicle demonstrations and grid integration programs.
Ford also will receive a $62.7 million grant from the DOE for the production of an electric-drive transaxle that the company says “could be used for hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles at the company’s Van Dyke transmission manufacturing facility in Sterling Heights, Mich. This grant will be matched by Ford.”
A transaxle is the automotive part that combines the transmission and the differential, used on vehicles with front-wheel drive. The differential is an assembly of gears located between the drive axles. Its purpose is to allow the drive wheels to move at different speeds while maintaining power to both. This lessens tire wear and improves handling.
Ford also plans to invest nearly $14 billion in advanced technology vehicles in the next seven years as part of retooling its U.S. plants to increase the development and production of fuel-efficient vehicles.