General Motors and OnStar announced a new program that will be applied to the Chevrolet Volt and which will use the car’s built-in telematics system to send data from the vehicle to the power grid.
This will enable the carmaker to track the charging habits of the vehicle’s drivers so as to better manage the car’s energy supply.
“In contrast to other OEMs who are only talking about smart grid technology, we’re moving beyond research and development projects to a program in the real world,” said Nick Pudar, OnStar vice president of planning and business development.
“Through this pilot we will see real-time results on how intelligent energy management can maximize EV charging efficiency and minimize the electric bill for EV drivers.”
The program will begin in third quarter of 2011 and initially will not be available to customers. Instead, it will include hundreds of Volts leased by General Electric to assess their drivers’ charging behavior.
This gives data in real-world situations providing GM and OnStar with valuable information for the optimization of the ATOMS (Advanced Operations Management System) utility that monitors the program.
Once available to the public, the program will be optional for Volt customers. Those who choose the service will be offered discounts or other incentives to encourage them to charge their hybrids when overall electricity demand is at its lowest levels.
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