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Tanner Foust gets eponymous hotted-up Ford Focus ST from Cobb Tuning

Racer and Top Gear USA host Tanner Foust has partnered up with Cobb Tuning to create a special-edition Ford Focus ST. The limited-edition hatches will come packing a reflashed ECU, special intercooler, tweaked intake and freer-flowing exhaust for up to 20 percent more power than the stock creation. Cobb says that the changes should push the final dyno figure to above 300 horsepower. Buyers can also expect to find special carbon fiber aerodynamic bits on board along with a new grille, graphics and wheels. Cobb hasn't released pricing on this Tanner Foust Edition Ford Focus ST as of yet, but you can bet the whole kit won't be cheap.
Fortunately, the company will sell you bits and pieces from the overall package for your Ford, and word has it engineers are also whipping up a Foust Fiesta ST. Look for Cobb's Focus ST website to go live next month, complete with accurate specs and pricing. Until then, enjoy clicking through the gallery here. You can also check out the full press release below.

8 automakers, 15 utilities collaborate on open smart-charging for EVs

We're going to lead with General Motors here. GM is one of eight automakers working with 15 utilities and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) at developing a "smart" plug-in vehicle charging system. Why did we start with GM? Because it's the first automaker whose press release we read that mentioned the other seven automakers. Points for sharing. For the record, the collaboration also includes BMW, Toyota, Mercedes-Benz, Honda, Chrysler, Mitsubishi and Ford. The utilities include DTE Energy, Duke Energy, Southern California Edison and Pacific Gas & Electric. The idea is to develop a so-called "demand charging" system in which an integrated system lets the plug-ins and utilities communicate with each other so that vehicle charging is cut back at peak hours, when energy is most expensive, and ramped up when the rates drop. Such entities say there's a sense of urgency to develop such a system because the number of plug-in vehicles on US roads totals more than 225,000 today and is climbing steadily. There's a lot of technology involved, obviously, but the goal is to have an open platform that's compatible with virtually any automaker's plug-in vehicle. No timeframe was disclosed for when such a system could go live but you can find a press release from EPRI below. EPRI, Utilities, Auto Manufacturers to Create an Open Grid Integration Platform for Plug-in Electric Vehicles PALO ALTO, Calif. (July 29, 2014) – The Electric Power Research Institute, 8 automakers and 15 utilities are working to develop and demonstrate an open platform that would integrate plug-in electric vehicles (PEV) with smart grid technologies enabling utilities to support PEV charging regardless of location. The platform will allow manufacturers to offer a customer-friendly interface through which PEV drivers can more easily participate in utility PEV programs, such as rates for off-peak or nighttime charging. The portal for the system would be a utility's communications system and an electric vehicle's telematics system. As the electric grid evolves with smarter functionality, electric vehicles can serve as a distributed energy resource to support grid reliability, stability and efficiency. With more than 225,000 plug-in vehicles on U.S. roads -- and their numbers growing -- they are likely to play a significant role in electricity demand side management.

2015 Ford Edge debuts with fresh tech inside and out

Edge will be the first Ford-badged product to come standard with EcoBoost power.
Ford officially unveiled the all-new, third-generation Edge today at its Dearborn home, announcing that the latest version of the popular crossover will ride on the same CD4 architecture that underpins the Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ. The Edge will also be the first Ford-badged product to come standard with EcoBoost power.