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After nearly a year of waiting, the first passenger electric vehicle wearing the Blue Oval as a logo broke cover this week in Las Vegas, where Ford is attending the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show. The Ford Focus electric, a Focus in nature but not in spirit, will become available in 2011 in North America and Europe, well after the first EVs would have paved the way for a bright new future.
The flagship of green cars manufactured by Ford features a Ford-engineered lithium-ion battery pack (developed with LG Chem, the supplier of the batteries for the Chevy Volt) which supports recharging from both 120V and 240V sockets. The batteries will give the model “enough range to cover the majority of daily driving habits of Americans” and, what more important in light of the future green wars, “a mile-per-gallon equivalent better than Chevrolet Volt,“ as Ford says.
Recharging the model will take the average Joe much less than the models currently on the market. Ford says that, when using a 240V power supply, the batteries will be back to full in three to four hours.
The combination of an all-electric powertrain and a single-speed transmission will give the car, as is the case with pretty much all EVs, immediate responsiveness. The top speed of the car is estimated at 84 mph (136 km/h).
As standard, the Focus electric will come equipped with six airbags and electronic traction control, hands-free SYNC telephone connectivity, MyKey, 15-spoke 17-inch aluminum wheels, push button start, Sony Audio with nine speakers, Sirius Satellite Radio with Travel Link, HD Radio and voice-activated Navigation System.
The pricing for the model has not yet been announced. For the US, the EV will be manufactured alongside its ICE-powered peers at the Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, while for Europe a decision is yet to be made.
2012 focus electric promotional video
