Ford Focus Electric News

2013 Ford Focus Electric Earns Top Safety Award

Eric Loveday — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 13:52:01 +0000

The electric version of the 2013 Ford Focus was tested by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and it received the top rating of five stars.

The five-star rating is noteworthy, especially considering that the electric version of the Focus beat the gas-fueled Focus in two of the three safety tests. The 2013 Focus Electric earned five stars in frontal, side-impact and rollover resistance, but the gas-fueled version only got the top five-star rating in side-impact, while receiving four stars in the remaining two categories. Both versions received an overall rating of five stars.

The Focus Electric features intelligent airbags that tailor deployment to individual occupants.

Ford Expands EV Offering by Certifying 900 Dealers

Eric Loveday — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 14:13:00 +0000

When the Ford Focus Electric launched last summer, only 67 Ford dealers across the nation were certified to sell the company's plug-in vehicle. By November, that number surpassed 200. Ford now says the number of EV Certified dealers will exceed 900 by Spring.

Ford has been repeatedly criticized for promoting the availability of its plug-in cars, but not supporting its EV efforts at the dealership level. Local dealerships, even in markets where EVs are popular, have not been informed about plug-in cars. Sales staff has not been ready to demonstrate and sell the vehicles. This announcement from Ford about the growth of certified dealers suggest that the company is getting better prepared.

Ford Joins Competition in EV Price Reductions

Eric Loveday — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 13:30:49 +0000

It's Economics 101. Sell more widgets by lowering the price. In the case of electric cars, Ford is the latest car company to drop the price of its EV, but reducing the lease price of the Focus Electric by more than $10,000.

The details of Ford's new Red Carpet lease deal work out as follows:

Focus Electric lessees can get a 36-month lease with 10,500 miles a year for $285 per month (nearly 20 percent below last year's Focus Electric lease price).
$930 is due at signing. Or $249 per month with $2,138 due at signing.
The incentives reduce the net price of the Focus Electric from $39,995 to $29,249.

Not interested in leasing? That's okay because Ford is offering incentives on purchases as well. Ford slashed the Focus Electric's base price by $2,000 for "cash" sales, and is offering finance incentives that include a $2,000 discount and zero-percent financing for 36, 48 or 60 months or 1.9 percent financing for 72 months.

Ford Plug-ins Force Choice Between Electric Drive and Storage Space

Zach McDonald — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 16:20:34 +0000

The C-Max Energi plug-in loses almost 10 cubic feet of cargo space compared to the C-Max Hybrid. (Photo via darrelld3).

Ford's plug-in vehicle lineup currently consists of two vehicles: the limited-volume Ford Focus Electric, and the new Ford C-Max Energi plug-in hybrid. Both cars have their advantages, with the Focus boasting the highest range of any EV in its class and an active thermal management system—and the C-Max Energi as the both the most efficient and least expensive plug-in hybrid on the market.

Ford's Electric Cars: Starting Slow, and Waiting for the Market

Jim Motavalli — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 19:26:10 +0000

The C-MAX Energi: just hitting the dealer floor. (Ford photo)

Ford’s early sales results are in: Focus Electric, 112; C-MAX Energi, 5. The Focus EV has been on the American market since last summer, and the Energi plug-in hybrid just two weeks—only a few have reached dealers so far.

It’s not surprising, given these less-than-stellar numbers, that Ford would choose to focus on another, more newsworthy result: The larger-volume C-MAX Hybrid, in its first full month on the market, outsold the Prius V, 3,182 to 2,769. Of course, the V is only approximately 20 percent of total Prius sales, which overall swamps the C-MAX. But Ford sees the versatile V as C-MAX Hybrid’s best surrogate in the marketplace.

Ford Boosts EV Marketing with Lincoln Exec

Nick Kurczewski — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 16:21:53 +0000

The Focus Electric has zero emissions and a driving range of roughly 76 miles between charges.

There's good news for Ford Motor Company’s effort to promote a growing lineup of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. C.J. O’Donnell, previously the marketing chief of the Lincoln brand, is now tasked with promoting Ford’s range of hybrids and electric vehicles. These include plug-in hybrids, such as the Ford C-Max Energi and upcoming Fusion Energi, along with dedicated EVs like the Focus Electric. Despite a highly anticipated launch, the Focus EV has been a particularly low seller since its limited release earlier this year.

Lithium Ion Batteries Can’t Stand the Heat

John Gartner — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 18:10:55 +0000

Lithium ion batteries are truly fair weather friends – just like people, they fare best in a comfortable climate. Lately, we at Pike Research have been delving deep into how environmental factors, such as temperature, affect battery performance and the rates at which vehicles are charged or discharged. Our discussions with automotive companies and battery pack assembly companies have revealed numerous approaches for optimizing performance and extending a battery’s life – comparable to the many ways people dress to beat extreme heat.

According to our research, lithium ion batteries perform optimally, and will last longer, if they are kept at temperatures between -10°C and +30°C. This range is consistent with findings by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE).

It's Official: Ford Now Shipping Focus Electric to US Dealerships

Eric Loveday — Mon, 21 May 2012 13:43:42 +0000

Ford is now shipping its Focus Electric vehicles to dealerships in three US states.

Ford Focus Electric Rollout Continues to Crawl

Brad Berman — Thu, 10 May 2012 18:31:41 +0000

67 Ford dealerships are now certified to sell the Focus Electric. However, the electric vehicles won't arrive until June.

In March, we questioned the slow rollout of the Ford Focus Electric. That’s why it was gratifying to see Ford announce last week that 67 dealers had been certified to begin selling the EV in the next few weeks. The certification includes things like installing charging stations and making sure that “80 percent of the sales and service staff at each location must meet specific electric vehicle training certification requirements,” according to Ford's press release.

How Does Ford Measure Sales Success of 2012 Focus Electric?

Brad Berman — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 12:41:46 +0000

Ford's CEO Alan Mulally revealed that the automaker's first-year sales target for the 2012 Focus Electric is roughly 5,000 units.