The costs for charging an electric vehicle vary based on the time that you decide to plug it in, with the highest costs being during peak times, like when drivers get home from work in the evening. To help reduce the strain on the power grid and help drivers find a more ideal time to recharge their electric cars, Honda has announced the debut the Honda SmartCharge beta program.
How does it work? The Honda SmartCharge program helps drivers find the best time to charge their electric vehicles by adjusting to electric grid conditions to reduce customer costs and CO2 emissions. Honda SmartCharge computes the best time to charge a vehicle from the electric grid, taking into account the driver’s daily schedule, the amount of renewable energy being generated, and the amount of CO2 emitted from power plants on the grid.
“Honda SmartCharge is uniquely able to shift electric vehicle charging in real-time without impacting the customer,” said Steve Center, vice president, Connected and Environmental Business Development for American Honda Motor Co., Inc. “We believe the program will be a game changer with its ability to create new value for our customers, reduce demand on the grid during peak load times, and help contribute to our company’s goal of reducing CO2 emissions.”
Right now Honda SmartCharge is only available for the Fit EV, which you might find a bit interesting, since Honda has recently introduced more up to date electrified vehicles, like the Clarity Plug-in Hybrid and Clarity Electric. Either way, during the beta program, Honda will give Fit EV drivers in California a $50 Amazon gift card for signing up and additional $50 Amazon gift cards every two months.
Honda may eventually open up the program to Clarity owners as well.
Source: Honda
