Savings Experiment: Snow Removal
The Money Man Behind Rick Santorum: Who Is Foster S. Friess?
The announcement came at the 2010 New York auto show that Ford Motor Co. (F) and Microsoft (MSFT) are creating a partnership to exploit the blossoming new world of plug-in electric automobiles. The team is undertaking an effort to assist power utility companies and consumers in dampening the anticipated power demand surges on the electric grid by consumers plugging in their cars for charging.
Consumer Reports indicates that the new partnership plans to employ Microsoft's Hohm software to assist in the efficient charging of plug-in automobiles. This software will use data, including the consumer's driving schedule, the affected power utility's demand cycle and the automobile's charging needs, to calculate and then enable the optimum charging times for a particular vehicle.
The plan is for Hohm technology to be used in Ford's Focus Electric automobiles next year. Ford sees this move as a needed step in assuring that infrastructure resources will be available to help electric automobiles become a viable consumer option.
In a Microsoft press release about the new partnership, Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO said: "As the market for electric vehicles expands, it will have a significant impact on home energy consumption and demand across the nation's energy grid. With Microsoft Hohm, Ford and Microsoft will deliver a solution that will make it easier for car owners to make smart decisions about the most affordable and efficient ways to recharge electric vehicles." Research shows that the charging of plug-in cars can as much as double household energy consumption.
Is the Microsoft-Ford partnership a timely idea with good chances of success? This writer would bet on it.
Goldman Earnings Sink After Buffett Dividend
Johnson & Johnson's Income Falls 23%
Burberry Shares Leap on Sales Update
