Electric cars will 'talk' to grid

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A future generation of electric car drivers will be able to get their vehicle to "talk" to the power grids, telling them when to charge their vehicles and for how long.

American car manufacturer Ford announced details of a two-year project with the Department of Energy and 10 utility companies on the design of the system. Ford said it was keen to spark interest among the public in alternative energy vehicles.

"At the end of the day this has to be easy for our customer," said Ford chairman Bill Ford. "This can't just be an interesting science experiment. This has to be something that makes people's lives better and easier and that is what our dialogue is all about."

The Transit Connect commercial van will be Ford's first battery electric vehicle when it is launched in the US next year. It will be followed by an electric Ford Focus in 2011.

General Motors plan to release its rechargeable electric vehicle, the Chevrolet Volt, next year. The Volt will feature an internal combustion engine that starts after driving about 40 miles, unlike the Ford Transit Connect, and get up to 230 miles per gallon.

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