OnStar, a subsidiary of General Motors (News - Alert) and a provider of connected safety and security solutions, value-added mobility services and advanced information technology, will demonstrate smart energy management technologies at an upcoming smart grid conference and exposition.

The smart energy management technologies from OnStar can help electric vehicle users and utilities plan better and save money, according to company officials.

The company’s demonstrations will focus on how OnStar can be used with smart grid technology to manage the electricity demand of electric vehicles. A Chevrolet Volt, the world's first electric vehicle with extended range capability, will be used for demonstrations.  

“Managing electricity supply and demand has always been extremely complex,” said Nick Pudar, vice president of Planning and Business Development at OnStar, in a statement. “The embedded technology of OnStar allows for accurate monitoring and controlling of the energy used by electric vehicles like the Volt. No other telematics service can offer these capabilities.”

As part of the demonstration, companies like GE and Comverge that have intelligent energy management products will demonstrate the use of OnStar solutions to monitor and manage energy usage for Volt customers who use such service. This service will help customers save money on energy costs by efficiently using the electric grid.

OnStar solutions are designed to receive dynamic time-of-use pricing from utilities and notify Volt owners of the rate plan offers via e-mail. Owners can use OnStar to load the rate plans into their vehicle and access them to schedule charging during lower-rate periods.

The company also sends and receives EV data to assist utility providers without having to interface with the vehicle's electric vehicle supply equipment.

Recently, OnStar announced an alliance with speech and imaging solutions provider Nuance (News - Alert) in order to enhance the user experience of car owners.

Want to learn more about Smart Grid technologies? Then be sure to attend the Smart Grid Summit, collocated with TMC’s (News - Alert) ITEXPO East, taking place Feb 2-4, 2011, in Miami. The Smart Grid Summit is the first event of its kind to address the unprecedented opportunity coming from the intersection of two core building blocks of our economy – utilities and communications. This unique event is based on the joint vision of TMC and Intelligent Communications Partners (News - Alert) to create a new forum for and actively engage an entire community. To register, click here.