The new app, which also will compare the Volt’s energy use with the total energy consumed in their home by day, month or year, will initially be tested with and available to residents of the Pecan Street demonstration project, a smart grid living community in Austin.
OnStar is testing an app capable of telling Chevrolet Volt owners how much it costs to charge their battery (courtesy GM).
DETROIT, MI- OnStar is testing a new app that will tell Chevrolet Volt owners how much it costs to charge their battery.
The new app, which also will compare the Volt’s energy use with the total energy consumed in their home by day, month or year, will initially be tested with and available to residents of the Pecan Street demonstration project, a smart grid living community in Austin.
“For the first time we’re able to put one of our Smart Grid solutions into the hands of actual consumers, thanks in part to our partnership with Pecan Street,” said Paul Pebbles, global manager of electric vehicle and smart grid services.
Pebbles said the General Motors Co. subsidiary hopes to eventually allow all drivers to use the “EcoHub" app.
The app works by pulling overall home energy usage data, provided by an energy data source, such as a utility or smart meter company.
The energy use data is aggregated to show vehicle owners exactly how much energy is being used on a daily, monthly or yearly basis, while showing what percentage of that energy went to charging the Volt. Based on electricity rates, the data is broken down to show the cost of both total energy usage and Volt charging energy use.
“We’ve found that Volt owners love to keep track of and compare their personal driving stats, like electric miles driven for example,” said Cristi Landy, Chevrolet Volt marketing director.
In addition, the EcoHub app will include a “Ticker” screen that shows drivers the national values for Total Miles Driven, Total EV Miles Driven and Gallons of Fuel Saved.