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Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) has been one of the largest domestic champions of hybrid and electric vehicle technology in the past three years. Its Escape small SUV hybrid and Fusion passenger car hybrid are excellent sellers. What Ford hasn't publicly talked about is how the eventual transition to partial or full electric personal propulsion will affect the supply and demand of electric energy in the U.S.
In other words, the U.S. could not just transition from gas-powered vehicles to hundreds of thousands (or millions) of hybrid or full-electric vehicles in just a decade or so and not expect the electrical grid to be as happy as a clam. Power is cheaper to supply at night and the way we actually use electricity (washing dishes at night, as well as clothes, for example) has a huge impact on cost and other factors. Ford wants to make sure its hybrid and electric customers know this.
The automaker wants its cars to "talk" to the power grid where it is being used in order to siphon electric power as cheaply and efficiently as possible. Smart grids are all the hype in the power industry right now, although the deployment of these strategies are mostly conceptual so far. As Ford and others make and sell more and more electric-powered vehicles, energy costs can't go up much (if any) for the consumers who are early adopters without a PR nightmare ensuing.
Why save money on gasoline if some of those savings are eaten up by higher electricity costs? That's the situation Ford is thankfully thinking about right now -- and automakers may be one of the largest players in making sure energy is demanded and supplied as efficiently as possible as thousands of new electric vehicles start becoming plugged into the U.S. energy infrastructure.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
8-24-2009 @ 9:49AM
jthurmansr said...
Ford has clearly shown America that the Free Enterprize system is the most effective way to run and management businesses. Government bail outs fail to encourage innovation and creatativity. Companies best lessons are learned only during the most difficult times. Americans should consider Ford in the next purchase of a car and in their stock portfolio..........Buy the Best American Car company, support Capitalism and our Free Enterprize System...........