Driving for Smarter Electric Cars

By Phil LeBeau
CNBC.com

Dearborm MI August 19, 2009; A comment from Bill Ford Jr. is one that explains why I, and many other reporters, are spending so much time reporting on the latest developments with electric cars.

At an event in Dearborn, Michigan to showcase a Ford test project where it's electric vehicles will communicate with local electric companies, the Ford Chairman said, "Things are happening at warp speed in our industry." For a man who doesn't say much publicly, Mr. Ford chose a succinct way of stating why this may be the most interesting time the auto industry has seen in decades.

Between the development of electric, extended range, gas-electric hybrid, and the refinement of internal combustion engines, auto makers are dramatically altering not only how what we drive, but also how we fuel or power that vehicle. Take the electric Ford prototype where the car communicates with the utility company to determine the best time to re-charge the vehicle.

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