New Ford Focus EV to Launch Microsoft Hohm System
After forming a successful partnership that has resulted in the popular SYNC in-car hands-free system, Ford Motor Company and Microsoft are teaming up once again to offer the Hohm energy management application on future Ford, Lincoln and Mercury electric vehicles, including the 2012 Ford Focus. Developed by Microsoft, the Hohm (pronounced as home) system will help electric vehicle (EV) owners save even more money and energy. The system will be equipped on battery electric vehicles (BEV) such as the 2012 Ford Focus Electric due out next year and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) like the Ford Escape PHEV due out in 2012.
In its current form, the Microsoft Hohm system is a free, Internet-based service designed to reduce consumer energy costs by analyzing usage and suggesting changes. In Ford vehicles, the system will broaden its capabilities to help determine off-peak times for vehicle recharging for better energy conservation and greater cost savings. Not only will this be a crucial tool in helping consumers save money, it will also help provide utility companies with more detailed information about how electric vehicles affect the grid and possibly point to new ways to advance the current infrastructure.
'Electric vehicles will play an important role in the global effort to improve energy efficiency and address the issues of climate change and sustainability, but 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.' said Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO. 'Microsoft Hohm and Ford Motor Company are taking the first step to help facilitate effective energy between consumers, plug-in electric vehicles and utilities. Hohm is a great application for anyone who wants to know where there energy dollars are going and gain control of their consumption.'
To give control of the consumption, Hohm system users are able to monitor and even control the charging status of their EVs via the Internet or smart phones, and give the user the opportunity to set recharging times to coincide with off-peak billing rates. Although most areas in the United States don't charge different rates yet for residential property, this could be another attractive reason to own an EV in the future. On top of that, it will even be able to allow remote control of certain home appliances using either a computer or the car through other Microsoft-developed technologies already used in Ford vehicles such as SYNC and all-new MyFord Touch.
'Ford and Microsoft both share a strong commitment to contributing to a better world. For Ford, this is a needed step in the development of the infrastructure that will make electric vehicles viable,' said Alan Mulally, Ford Motor Company president and CEO. 'Rechargeable vehicles represent a new frontier. Their commercialization will take broad-based collaboration and systems solutions. Working together, Ford and Microsoft will provide the systems solutions to help facilitate this exciting future.'
Of course this announcement was made even better by the fact that Ford introduced its fifth hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), the 2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid. In addition to this new Lincoln, Ford is planning to offer five new electric or hybrid-electric vehicles in the next two years. Later this year, Ford will launch the Ford Transit Connect Electric expected to be used initially for fleet duty, but the Focus Electric will follow next year. Other than nest the Escape PHEV, Ford will launch two new vehicles in 2012 that utilize Ford's next-generation hybrid powertrain system.