At the CES Asia 2015 exhibition, U.S. automotive company Ford launched a strategic collaboration with industry leaders in the home appliance, solar power and power management industries to introduce MyEnergi Lifestyle to China.
According to Ford, the MyEnergi Lifestyle model shows "how combining renewable energy sources, efficient home appliances and a plug-in vehicle can significantly reduce families' energy costs and carbon footprint."
The pilot program, led by Ford in close partnership with Haier U+, Trina Solar and Delta Electronics, will begin with families in Beijing and Shanghai. Ford and the MyEnergi Lifestyle collaborators will outfit families with plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, residential solar power systems and efficient appliances in order to demonstrate the real-world impact of energy saving products. The pilot program will track participants energy use and carbon output in order to highlight the environmental and economic advantages of vehicle electrification, solar energy generation and utilizing efficient appliances in the home.
Working with researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology, Ford has created a computer model that calculates annual consumption before and after instituting the MyEnergi Lifestyle model, as they did for a similar MyEnergi Lifestyle project in the U.S. For the China project, the model predicts cumulative savings of 63% in energy costs a 40% and 69% drop in electric and gasoline bills, respectively, for a total of approximately RMB 9,400 ($1,500) in annual savings, and a 45% decrease in CO2 output, for a total reduction of 6,828 kg.
Ford has partnered with leaders in the appliance, solar power and power management industries to bring the latest in energy efficient products to participants in the pilot program. Technologies in the MyEnergi Lifestyle program include the Ford Fusion Energi Plug-In Hybrid, the Delta Electric Vehicle Charging Station, Trinas solar PV Power Generation System, and Haier U+ High efficiency smart appliances.
The companies involved in MyEnergi Lifestyle share a common vision for a more sustainable future for China. The cross-sector partnership represents an effort to connect each companys most cutting-edge environmentally friendly technologies to build holistic, energy-saving solutions for the modern Chinese family. Todays sustainable technologies are more affordable and attainable than ever before, and the MyEnergi Lifestyle project is an ideal way to showcase the power of using these technologies together in the home.
"Electric vehicles have to draw their power from somewhere, and coal-based sources pose problems when trying to create more sustainable modes of transportation," said Niu Yong, general manager, module business unit, Trina Solar. "Were excited to work with Ford to raise awareness around solar power at home, and China, which has enormous potential when it comes to solar energy, is a great fit for a project like this."
The MyEnergi Lifestyle project in China follows the successful implementation of similar pilot program in the U.S., which launched in 2013. Research has shown that as one of the most significant electrified products most consumers will ever purchase, an electric vehicle, can serve as a catalyst for greater adoption of efficient products that reduce energy costs and carbon emissions.
In the U.S., MyEnergi Lifestyle pilot projects in California and Colorado each resulted in energy cost savings of about 60% and CO2 emissions reductions of more than 55%. If every home in the U.S. were to implement these energy-saving technologies, it would be the equivalent of taking all the homes in California, New York and Texas 32 million households off the power grid.
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