SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Ford Motor Co. and Microsoft Corp. announced Wednesday that they are teaming again; this time in an effort to make widespread adoption of the electric car a reality.

Ford Motor Co. assembly workers check out a made in Europe Ford Fiesta vehicle on display before the start of a news conference in Wayne, Mich. on May 6.

Ford F, +0.90% said it plans to use Microsoft's Hohm electric-car charging optimization service to help drivers determine the ideal time to charge their vehicles and how to best minimize impact on the grid.