Ford Motor Co is receiving a $US10 million ($A14.1 million) grant from the US Energy Department to develop plug-in hybrid vehicles.

The funding being announced on Tuesday will help the automaker continue to develop its demonstration fleet of 20 plug-in hybrid vehicles.

The project costs $US20 million ($A28.2 million), so the government is funding half of the program.

Ford is working on a fleet of Escape plug-in hybrids in a partnership with Southern California Edison, the Electric Power Research Institute, Johnson Controls-Saft, and DTE Energy, Michigan's largest utility.

Ford is working on a three-year project to demonstrate the vehicles and understand how they will interact with utilities around the country, a key step in commercialising cars that can be recharged by plugging into a standard wall outlet.

Good news, now why cant Ford Aus develop stuff like this?

I'd say due to no funding...

phong =P~

It could be better, and it is a step closer to making more fuel efficient cars...and maybe full electric cars that have recharging capacities on the go without being plugged in all the time.

I believe the production of electricity from burning coal has less pollution then all the cars driving on the roads, so if you cut the car pollution in half, you would in the long term do more good then bad.

The thing is battery production and it's pollution...

phong =P~

the point of EV's is that when cleaner technology comes out you only need to upgrade a dozen or so power plants rather than a few million cars. its also easier to make sure the emmisions gear on a few big polloution sources is working properly

the unforseen problem is that our elec grid is unable to cope with peak demand during summer as it is, without adding a heap more load (if everone had an EV it would add up quickly)

and when there is a "black out" in the summer peak periods or storms... -"sorry boss".. couldnt get into work today... was a "blackout" and couldnt recharge my car...