Fresh off of a major milestone, Microsoft and Ford are tightening their partnership as they look to technology to help motorists keep track of how much energy their hybrid electric cars are using in an effort to ease the load on the grid. This comes just a week after Ford announced the sale of its 2 millionth car equipped with Microsoft’s Sync technology. Using Microsoft’s Hohm, Ford is hoping to give consumers a new set of tools that can help them make smarter decisions about when to recharge their car batteries, and help power companies anticipate spikes in energy demand. Datamation has the details of the joint effort.
Microsoft’s online service aimed at helping consumers manage and plan their energy usage is getting taken for a ride.
However, that’s a good thing, according to Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) and its main automotive partner, the Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F).
The two industry giants announced an expanded partnership on Wednesday that will let consumers monitor energy use for plug-in electric cars and hybrids in order to better manage demand on the power grid going forwards.