Google working to make electric vehicles charge more efficiently
By Donald Melanson 
posted Sep 30th 2009 3:23PM
posted Sep 30th 2009 3:23PM
The idea to make plug-in electric vehicles charge more efficiently and reduce strain on the grid is hardly a new one, but it looks like none other than Google thinks it can do things better, and it's now reportedly doing some "preliminary work" in the area. As you might expect with all things "Google" and "preliminary," however, there's virtually a complete lack of details at the moment, with the company's director of Climate Change and Energy Initiatives, Dan Reicher, only going so far as to say that it has "done a little bit of work on the software side looking at how you would write a computer code to manage this sort of charging infrastructure." As Reuters notes, however, this isn't the first time Google has dabbled in the electric vehicle waters, with it previously forming a partnership with Toyota and Ford back in 2007 to test some gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles converted into plug-ins that run mostly on electricity, which Google says it has been testing "pretty intensely" over the last few years.
Up next: Google Car
After that: Google (country)
And then....Google Earth
That'll never happen. Oh, wait!
(beta)
I guarantee I'm not participating in the Google Car beta.
...okay maybe
^^ then i guess you'll NEVER have one
;)
Some Google ventures do come out of beta.
It simply takes five or so years to do it.
I think I might have loved Gmail more when it was still beta - but I think that once Google forms into the global government, we'll all have a respect for keeping things beta.
I laugh at you guys - this stuff is already done.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99Ly_yULxxs
It's called Better Place in their collaboration with Renault/Nissan. It's already happening around the world in limited tests right now in Hawaii, California, Denmark, Japan, Australia, and Israel. Google is late to the table (unless they want to acquire Better Place).
There's 2 types of things in the world: the ones that belongs to Google and the ones that will belong to Google - soon.
When Google is viewed the way we view McDonald's and Wal-Mart today it'll be funny
Google does everything!
Google CLAIMS to do everything!
(The fine print and beta tag tells you that they're not really gonna do it seriously though.)
I like how even their research has a PR arm throwing out press releases though. Way to show everyone you're not evil! Press releases!
No. This is mostly just PR bullshit to make them look good.
"Google does everything!"
No, that's the PS3.
@deathlemurs
It isn't a press release; read the source link. Its's a Yahoo article interviewing people involved with the project. Way to show people your an idiot.
Name one thing google is NOT working on
Windows OS
people who reply "first"
tis sad
Food?
and yeah i'm saying this in hope of someone proving me wrong :D
Yo mama. Oh, nevermind, you're right after all.
Apple's board of directors.
Let Google help you eat at GoogleFood:
http://www.grimmthething.com/other/cse/googlefood.html
Grammar checks for Engadget authors.
Teleportation devices.
@ erik.
no, i think they got that one covered. infact they even do time machines.
Oh google, one day you will save the world.
Or invade it by corporate takeovers of... well... everything.
It already saved it from MS Live Search.
Thats a pretty good start!
Maybe they should start closer to home and take a look on the software side to make my G1's battery last longer between charges.
Google really cares about us.
hmmm
*sigh* every time I see "Climate Change" I twinge...
But then again, if the media can make people afraid of the flu, surely they can brainwash them with bullshit like GlObAl WaRmInG...
So do you also cringe every time evolution is mentioned? Or 9/11 is referred to as something other than an inside job? Or when people talk about the moon landings as though they really happened?
You nutjobs crack me up.
Still trying to ignore global warming, eh?
Some of the best work, and the closest to deployment, is being done by Better Place (betterplace.com) and is worth reading about if you haven't heard of them already.
Is there anything Google is NOT working on/
My lord.
No, I'm sure they're secretly working on Google Bible, too... Oh, come on, I had to say it! :P
Ah Google, is there anything that you don't think you can do...
Hey I have a great idea, why dont we make electric cars available to the general public rather then the super rich. THEN we can work on charging them faster - crazy concept I know...
If you want your power grid go down every other day from overload! It may be worth refining further before we are all stuck with the electricy-guzzler of the future
"hey i have an idea..."
and this is why you're not the accountant of any auto company ever.
I'm a fan and happy to see those in charge still have not lost their youthful utopian zeal.
How many software companies even have a "director of Climate Change and Energy Initiatives"?
Good on them for all the great stuff they do...
And yeah I hope they do find ways to monetize it and so be able to afford to keep doing cool stuff.
Everyone likes to talk trash about 'em.
But honestly if they fail at everything they try from this moment on - then they've have already had more success than can be expected of a company.
And I'm not actually holding my breath on the "failing" thing anyway.
Google is always "working" on all of these wonderful things, yet it seems like I never hear anything more than the initial announcement.
Weird but it looks like a UK mains plug being used in the photo. I'd not heard of any significant UK work on electric vehicles.
The UK isn't the only country that uses the UK plug.