TechPulse 360

Ford is plugging in to “plug-ins.”

The carmaker has begun receiving an early wave of data from what could be the world’s largest test of a fleet of plug-in hybrids. The goal is to understand how cars (and drivers) interact with the smart electric grids utilities are building to manage the recharging of batteries.

It seems consumers and utilities have as much to learn as the company itself.

Ford will sell the Focus electric car in 2011 and a plug-in hybrid in 2012.

Ford has 21 plug-in electric hybrids in the hands of 12 North American utilities, including major power generators Con Edison, Progress Energy and Southern California Edison. Employees drive the cars, take them home, plug them in and come to rely on lithium ion batteries as they would a gasoline engine.

The trial is a key step in preparing the nation for what could be a flood of electric and electric hybrids over the next 10 years. As more cars hits the roads, more coordination will be needed to assure electricity is available to replenish batteries, both during the night and day.

What seems clear is that consumers have a lot to learn about electrics and plug-in hybrids. According to Greg Frenette, manager of global electrified fleets, Ford is receiving valuable field test data on its lithium ion battery, but is getting an equally important peek at driver behavior.

Perhaps the most interesting observation from the six-month-old test is that consumers aren’t yet sure when to plug-in and when not to. Some consumers pay more attention to recharging batteries at times of the day when power is cheaper to produce, such as at night. Others show less concern and plug in whenever they can, especially when someone else is picking up the bill, such as their employer.

“I’m seeing that in the behavior of those who driving the vehicles,” says Frenette. Of course, these habits could change if utilities get permission to charge higher electric rates during periods of high demand and cut them when demand is low.

But if not – at least in the short run – electric car charging may be less predictable than utilities hope.

At the same time, “range anxiety” – the fear of running out of power – is less of a concern with hybrids. That’s because gasoline motors are in place to take over when batteries run out of juice. Consumers, it seems, aren’t confused by the difference between hybrids and all electrics.

The plug-in hybrid Ford has deployed is a prototype of the car it plans to begin selling in 2012. It is the company’s first plug in and is so far unnamed.

Despite unsettled consumer habits, Frenette says the trial has taught him that the early stages of the electric car rollout out won’t dramatically tax the electric grid. The grid is robust enough to handle the first waves of cars, he says. It is only when car volumes become significant that utilities are going to need to plan for the demand surges that come when thousands of cars plug in at once (such as during the evening).

“Longer term there are some reasons to make upgrades,” Frenette says.

Still, there could be short-term problems with the grid, particularly in neighborhoods with lots of electric cars. Local lines could need new transformers and perhaps substations.

Frenette says the grand ambitions of some pundits that scores of electric cars will become giant grid batteries for storing electricity to use later are pie in the sky. “Vehicle to grid energy transfer…isn’t a near term reality,” he says. For it to be an option down the road, both car and grid will need to be re-engineered.

While Ford is getting useful lessons on electric car behavior, it is clear that the rollout of battery powered cars will require behavior changes that won’t take place over night. Utilities and drivers will need some time to adjust.