Ford unveils electric Focus with 75-mile range, 85mph top speed

[daniel]

While I disagree that we should be overly concerned about 220 v, nothing can completely eliminate the chance of a shock. A frayed or cut cord can deliver a shock regardless of the plug type. It's odd that code does not require a ground-fault interrupter on all 220-v circuits. But 220 volts is certainly safer than gasoline. And 220 is used all over Europe, and civilization has survived there.

Hey, I've been hit by a million volts! Back in junior high school they had a Vandegraff generator. Spectacularly high voltage, but very little current. The thing could really make you jump if you were not ready for it, but it was harmless. Once we made a human chain all the way into the next classroom and touched girls. As a teen-ager I found that terribly amusing.

[lys]

For a living being in an 230v country, I've survived pretty well many electric shocks. It's only a matter of time to learn not to touch bare lines.



Back to the topic:

The Focus is a well seller in Europe.
A BEV will be a hit.

But...

Is Ford ready to deliver a car that doesn't need (almost) maintenance?
They'll need to price really expensive, and not only because the batteries.

[Rybold]

Originally Posted by fjpod

perfect for the city??,...except where are you going to plug it in? A city dweller would have no option but to rent a space in a high priced parking garage, ...and then pay extra to plug into one of their outlets, assuming they had one.

The vehicle has a 75 mile range. I've been to many major cities while traveling, and a 75 mile range should be able to get most city dwellers from their residence to work and back without needing to be charged. And keep in mind that this is only the first generation of the vehicle. Battery capacity is likely to expand as time goes on.

[Rybold]

Originally Posted by yardman 49

can you imagine having something unexpected come up during your commute? Such as your spouse calling to tell you that your child unexpectedly needs to be picked up at school. You then have to respond "sorry honey, I don't have enough charge left"! Or how about getting stuck in a traffic jam for a few hours

That's when a backup generator will come in handy (like the Volt).
"stuck in a traffic jam" - the nice thing about EVs (unlike gasoline engines) is that if you aren't moving, neither is your battery capacity.

[DaveinOlyWA]

Originally Posted by fjpod

perfect for the city??,...except where are you going to plug it in? A city dweller would have no option but to rent a space in a high priced parking garage, ...and then pay extra to plug into one of their outlets, assuming they had one.

And the 6 to 8 hour charge time is just a lot of down time.

There is just "something wrong" with a car that you can't just get in and go.

I'm all for cleaner vehicles...and I know we've got to start somewhere. Hybrids make sense right now. Plug-ins do also for someone who can recharge in their driveway or garage. A pure electric car? This will be a niche product for quite some time.

I am now 55 years old. since I was a kid of about 12, I would read magazines like Popular Mechanics, Road and Track, and other news magazines. Every so often, I would read a story that went like this, "We will all be driving electric cars within 5 years". It will come, but probably when I am dead.

all valid concerns for YESTERDAY. sorry but all this pissing and moaning about how it does not work for today means we take all progress, all innovations and toss em because they aint a 100% perfect fricking solution.

i suppose $4 gas is a perfect solution for ya??

sorry to case on you, but you really bring nothing to the post but the obvious. so tell me what, in your opinion is the perfect car for EVERYONE?? cause this will not work for everyone which is a good thing, because Ford does not have the resources to sell this car to everyone in the market for a vehicle

as far as ground fault interupters, they are generally required for any plug that may come in contact with water.

[daniel]

Originally Posted by fjpod

There is just "something wrong" with a car that you can't just get in and go.

I think there is just "something wrong" with a car that requires you to squander a non-renewable resource that comes from countries that hate us, and that give al Qaeda a percentage of their profits from fuel sales to us.

Or to put it another way, I think there is "something wrong" with a car that forces you to pay a tax to terrorists in order to drive it.

It would not be all that hard to install coin-operated electrical outlets where people park. And it would be a lot cheaper than fighting wars over oil. And our kids wouldn't have to die fighting the people we're sending our gas dollars to.

As for the 6 - 8 hour refuelling time, my EVs both recharge in 4 hours, though that only gives them 40 and 80 miles range respectively. But I spend 8 hours sleeping, and probably at least 15 hours between getting home and going out again, overnight. With a different charging system, my batteries could charge faster (I don't need the faster charging) and newer batteries can be charged even faster yet.

But the bottom line is that gasoline is just not going to be an option all that much longer. Adam Smith will see to that as demand rises and supply diminishes.

[SageBrush]

I wonder if fjpod has any reservations over the decline of the US as a major country due to his inability (shared by many others) to insert a plug.

[a_gray_prius]

Originally Posted by lys

The Focus is a well seller in Europe.
A BEV will be a hit.

There seems to be this fundamental misunderstanding among many Americans: the Fords taht they get in the UK are NOT THE SAME cars. "Their" Focus is awesome - it handles wonderfully and has really nice dynamics. It's not the same Focus as you see rolling around in the US.

[lys]

Well, actually I live in Spain and I'm pretty sure the Focus here is almost identical to the UK version.

But the base concept is clear to me:
a BEV Focus -american or european- will be a hit. The market is hungry for a conceptual change and, as Daniel points well, just now we have no chance to choose.

[ShellyT]

Originally Posted by a_gray_prius

There seems to be this fundamental misunderstanding among many Americans: the Fords taht they get in the UK are NOT THE SAME cars. "Their" Focus is awesome - it handles wonderfully and has really nice dynamics. It's not the same Focus as you see rolling around in the US.

The next Focus, 2010/11, is going back to a global platform. Hopefully, Ford will keep it that way, and not diverge. Of course, being global doesn't mean they won't soften up the suspension for the American driving public. I don't get how people can complain about Toyotas being driving appliances when, apparently, that's what they want.