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Global Driving

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Someday "the plug-in car will be the largest appliance in the house" in terms of power consumption, according to Dan Reicher, Google's director of Climate Change and Energy Initiatives. Reicher was speaking Wednesday at the Renewable Energy Finance forum in San Francisco.

Google is experimenting with software to control car charging. Reichman foresees a day when vehicles will plug in to electric meters attached to the sides of houses. The software will manage the interaction between the house's connection to the main electicity grid and the vehicle. It will control the rate and time of charging so as to avoid overloading the grid during peak times and also manage the distribution of excess electricity from the vehicle back to the grid if necessary.

Google is joining other players in this game, such as Ford Motor Company and Gridpoint. The goal is a "Smart Grid" that can collect energy from alternative sources when it is available, channel energy to where it is needed most, price it according to demand, and inform users so they can use energy more intelligently.

Intelligent charging technology will help integrate automobiles into the Smart Grid.

Related Links:

• Drivers.com on environment

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