Introducing the Electric Ford Focus

You may have been hearing about the new electric Ford Focus, so a direct interview with Ford about their all-electric car seemed appropriate. Ford’s marketing manager for the vehicle, Dave Finnegan, answered some questions for us below.

Are there federal and state rebates for people who buy an electric Ford Focus?

The Focus Electric is eligible for both federal and state rebates for fuel efficient or electric vehicles. The federal rebate is $7,500. There are several states offering additional rebates and those vary by state. A link to the list of rebates is available.

Is a home charger included in the price of the car?

The home charger is not part of the price of the Focus Electric. However, Ford is the only automobile manufacturer to partner with Best Buy to offer an exclusive charging station and installation deal. For $1499, nearly 30 percent less than competitors’ pricing for charging stations, a consumer gets Ford charging station and the Geek Squad comes out install it.

How long does it take on the home charger to fully recharge the car battery pack?

The Focus Electric will actually have best in class charging capabilities. On a 240v at home charging station, a Focus Electric will fully charge in about three hours. This is less than half the time of other all electric vehicles.

How long is the battery pack warranty?

Battery pack warranties for the Focus Electric haven’t been announced yet – but we are looking at a similar warranty as our hybrids – which is 10 yr./150,000 miles. Of course, we are building our batteries to last longer than that.

What is the expected battery pack life?

Battery pack life is one of the most common questions we receive from consumers when they are looking at an electrified vehicle. Expected battery pack life is hard to gauge but we are building a pack that is meant to last the life of your vehicle. In our hybrids, we have seen vehicles with 300,000 miles or more have batteries with more than 85 percent of their battery life still in place. Our goal is to build a battery pack that last far beyond the life of the vehicle.

Will there be a next generation electric Focus, and if so when is it planned?

Ford is committed to electrified vehicles. This includes the development of next generation hybrids as well as plug-in electric vehicles. While Ford hasn’t announced a next generation Focus Electric, we are building a vehicle that we feel consumers will want to buy and drive for years to come.

Will an electric Focus last longer, or about the same as the gas version?

We are building the Focus Electric to look like and perform like a gas powered vehicle. Just because someone wants to drive an electric vehicle doesn’t mean they should sacrifice anything from amenities inside the vehicle to expectations of durability and safety. Our goal is to build an all electric vehicle that delivers the same driving enjoyment as any of our other vehicles

What is the real-world driving range on a single charge?

EPA certification on range for the Focus Electric won’t come out until closer to launch. However, we are targeting a range of up to 100 miles per charge.

Does cold weather affect the driving range?

Focus Electric is being built with a liquid heating and cooling battery system. This helps pre-heat or pre-cool a battery before driving it, minimizing the impact extreme temperatures have on a battery and your range. Batteries are like humans – they like nice, moderate temperatures that don’t change drastically. Our liquid cooling system will help achieve this happy temperature without eating away your driving range.

Is the electric Focus available to buy or to lease?

The Focus Electric will be available for purchase and lease starting in late 2011.

Is there a waiting list currently to purchase one, like the Leaf has?

Ford will have a sign up list starting later this year. People interested in being one of our early hand raisers for the vehicle should keep an eye on our Facebook page for details over the next couple months at facebook.com/fordelectrifiedvehicles

What is the safety rating of the electric Focus?

The Focus Electric does not have a safety rating yet – it will closer to launch later this year. That being said, the Focus Electric is built off the same platform as the gas powered Focus which earned the Top Safety Pick award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

What is different about the Focus Electric?

• The new Focus Electric will offer an mpg equivalent better than Chevy Volt and competitive with other BEVs
• Focus Electric will charge in half the time of the Nissan Leaf, delivering the convenience of a 3 hour at home full charge time with a 240V outlet
• Through value charging, Focus Electric consumers can charge their vehicle at the cheapest utility rates, lowering the cost of ownership

What features will be standard on the Focus Electric?

Like its gas-powered twin, the car features an array of standard power-operated accessories including Hands-free SYNC® telephone connectivity, Electronic traction control, MyKey®, AM/FM/CD/MP3 Sony audio with nine speakers, SIRIUS® Satellite Radio, HD Radio™ and Voice-activated Navigation System

How will consumers manage the Focus Electric’s range?

Through an implementation of MyFord Touch, Focus Electric owners will have access to a suite of driver information systems – on-board and off-board – designed to help manage the recharge process, plan the most eco-friendly route, monitor battery state of charge and maximize energy efficiency to extend range. Brake Coach helps coach drivers to optimize their use of the vehicle’s regenerative brakes to recapture kinetic energy and send it back to the battery.

What is MyFord Mobile?

Focus Electric owners can get instant vehicle status information and perform key functions remotely using MyFord Mobile. The feature also enables access to a secure Ford website and smartphone app to monitor their vehicle’s state of charge and current range, get alerts when it requires charging, remotely program charge settings and download vehicle data for analysis.

Will Focus Electric be available nationwide?

Focus Electric will be launched in 19 initial markets. The first markets selected for Ford Focus Electric: Atlanta, Austin and Houston, Texas; Boston, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, New York, Orlando, Fla., Phoenix and Tucson, Ariz.; Portland, Ore.; Raleigh Durham, N.C.; Richmond, Va., Seattle, and Washington, D.C.

Image Credit: Mario Roberto Duran Ortiz

Read more: Conscious Consumer, Do Good, Life, Transportation

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Past Member .

2:21AM PDT on Sep 11, 2011

send a green star

KrassiAWAY B.

1:15AM PDT on Aug 9, 2011

Noted with interest.

Raj S.

3:20AM PDT on Aug 5, 2011

For those who know nothing about the type of batteries and the safe guards built into them I say don't bother writing if you do not know what you are talking about. I am tired of the bull that comes from the know nothings. The 2012 Focus is more safe than any other car ever built!

http://www.toptrucksonline.com

Guy K.

11:30PM PDT on Jul 31, 2011

The United States Goverment should do more to make Transportaion companies to switch to EV. That would put a lot of strain off the growing gas prices.

Reiki S.

10:38PM PDT on Jul 30, 2011

100 miles is better than older attempts, but not quite far enough. If I have to drive 70 miles to work each day, it's just not going to cut it. It needs to be able to handle more driving per charge.

Thomas H.

11:25AM PDT on Jul 29, 2011

Where are they made? In Amerika by Amerikans, or by 8-year-olds in foreign sweat factories?

Jeff R.

1:07PM PDT on Jul 28, 2011

They all have 110V charging, the chargers are built into the cars, it's just that 110V is really slow.

Lori D.

3:48AM PDT on Jul 28, 2011

I saw an ad, not long ago, about an electric car that touted it plugged in to your nearest outlet - no charging station required!

6:23PM PDT on Jul 27, 2011

I agree that charging at home is preferable, but when Ford says their EV has the fastest charging capability, that's misleading. Nissan Leaf can charge up to 80% via an L3 fast charger in 30 minutes. That is much faster than the Focus EV's L2 only charge limitation.

When I'm charging at home via a timer at midnight, it makes little difference to me if the charge time is 3 hours or 6 hours.

For many, the Nissan Leaf has become their primary car, just as a Ford Focus can be. The second ICE car is only used occasionally and if one doesn't have a second car, renting a car for a long vacation is a much better financial choice than an ICE car sitting around 90% or more of the time. In the last few months of Leaf ownership, we've only needed our gas car a couple of times.

Tom S.

2:52PM PDT on Jul 27, 2011

My wife and I have been driving all-electric vehicles since 2008. We have driven over 40,000 miles, and have sold our gas cars. That won't work for everyone, but it works for us.

Electric vehicles are awesome for local driving. If your local driving is met by the single-charge range of an EV, then you'll find it much easier and more convenient to charge overnight than it is to fill up at gas stations.

If you're charging overnight, it doesn't matter whether it takes 3 hours or 8 hours for a full charge. Also realize that you shouldn't need to drive it all the way to empty very often, so your charge times will typically be shorter than the full charge time. (If you do need to drive it all the way to empty on a regular basis: don't buy it, you won't be happy.)

If you need to drive farther than the single-charge range, then don't buy an EV as your only car. If you don't have a second vehicle for the longer drives, don't get an EV (instead, consider a plug-in hybrid like the Chevy Volt).

60% of American households have multiple cars and a garage where they can charge an EV. 78% of Americans have a round-trip daily commute of under 40 miles. If you're in both categories, then you're a candidate for having on of your cars be a 100-mile EV. If you're not, then consider other options.

No one wants to wait 8 hours, or even 3 hours, for a charge. For the occasional long trip, either would be terrible. A DC Quick Charge in 25 minutes would be much better.