Now you can use your electric car to charge your home appliances and utilities. Ford and Microsoft are on a joint venture to help manage energy demand during the peak hours. Ford is going to incorporate Microsoft Hohm electric car charging technology to optimize the battery charging process in its Focus Electric Plug-in Hybrid 2011.

What makes this system different from other electric car charging is that it has a built-in computerized system to determine the best time for charging the car battery. Usually it is your electric car that consumes the highest amount of electricity while charging than any other electrical appliances used in the household. Microsoft Hohm software will analyze the power usage in the household and adjust the system according to the rate of electricity consumption at times during the day. It will compute the best time to recharge your car to optimize the electric usage and lower the electricity cost.

And the best thing about Ford Focus electric car is that you can use it to power your home appliances in time of need as its batteries have greater capacity and more efficient in storing energy than before. If you are planning to save energy on your residential appliances, using solar pv panels could be beneficial.