Ford Focus EV photos and write up

Elegant looks!!

I like the plug-in location, this will help me not to pull my garage with me (plug-in is in the front looks nicer with build in safety switch).

 

That is a great looking car. Go Ford! I can't wait to drive an EV.

 

I really like it over the Leaf.

 

Looks: check

drag cd: ??
cost: ??
kWh pack ??
battery chemestry ??
warranty ??
air/liquid cooled ??
0-60 ??
options ??

So . . . . we know it looks good.

 

That is exactly what I thought when I saw it too. Nice!

But looks aside the Leaf will be more efficient.

 

Ford Focus Electric Wins Green Car Vision Award - Christian Wolan - The Green Machine - Forbes

Electric Ford Focus to go on sale next year | ETA

 

see this link for comments v. the Leaf:
Ford Unveils Focus Electric, Claims Better Driving Dynamics Than Other Electric Cars | PluginCars.com

Excerpt: Much like its closest competition, the Nissan LEAF, the Focus Electric will offer around 100 miles of range (depending on driving conditions) packaged into a five-door hatchback, as well as all the other benefits of driving electric cars including a near silent ride, incredible efficiency, a high degree of internet connectivity, and extremely low per-mile operating costs. But the Focus Electric will offer several features that the LEAF doesn't offer—and has been criticized for lacking—including:

• A higher speed on-board charger (6.6 kW) allowing it to be charged from standard "Level 2" 240 V home charging docks in half the time of a first generation LEAF—adding about 30 miles of driving range per hour of charging.
• An actively liquid cooled and heated battery pack allowing for stable battery operation over a wide range of temperatures and lower temperature-related swings in driving range.
• Highly customizable gauge cluster and center stack displays allowing drivers to make the information displayed work for them in whatever detail they desire—including battery state-of-charge and calculated driving range

 

I couldn't agree more... I'm on my second Prius and it will probaly be my last. The offering next year looks unimaginative and dated. The EV competition is getting much better, and the technology that Ford has put into this car has me actually considering purchasing one. The panel video in the links below shows what a real work of technology should look like.

Meanwhile, in the Prius community we get a hideous looking SUV, a compact that looks like something sat on it, and a PHEV system that's a year too late to the market. Add in the lackluster dealers we get to deal with here and the horror is complete.

 

Careful there.
I'm shocked you haven't been slammed by the regulars here for that.
But I agree, Toyota is sitting on its laurels as the market passes them.

 

nice...makes me almost regret my Leaf purchase....then again, i guess that feeling passed after a few seconds

 

That's one high tech golf cart!

 

After looking over the links, this is a nice looking vehicle, but I have to wonder... If Ford ditched all the flashy high tech, gee whiz gadgetry and built a base Focus EV with roll up windows, manual door locks, a distance to empty gauge that worked accurately, and sold it for between $12K - $14K, where the average commuter could actually afford it, they would probably sell a ton of them!

Take it a step further, how about a solar panel roof that will trickle charge the battery while parked at work or rolling down the road? Add a couple high effency wind turbine generators behind that huge grill (that apparently isn't needed for cooling) and add low resistance generators to each axle (along with the regenerative braking) all controlled by a computer management system and you could probably extend the range to at least 250 miles between charges! Talk about not having to depend on fossil fuels!

 

1) stripping the electronics might lower the cost of the vehicle by a grand at most. i think we need to get away from high tech being expensive to produce. new high tech is, but wrinkles on the same old stuff which is what Ford has here is not.

2)wind generators adds expensive (see #1) unnecessarily and also adds drag lowering range. on an EV, every inch counts. it is unlikely that the Focus EV will have an open grill. the electric motor will probably be water cooled, but unlike a gas engine, the cooling needs will be very modest and outside cooling to the radiator to dissipate heat will not be necessary

so therefore you cannot extend range unless you extend charge capacity which adds a lot of expense and weight. this "charge on the go" technology we are decades away from anything useful

 

A nice car and lot of toys.
Just notice how these marketing materials are not talking about the performance and technical details. we don't know max speed, acceleration....
The most crucial point from my point of view is a HEATING. I need a heater for about 8 months a year. In EV you have to discharge battery to produce heat and it will be reasonable eater.

 

What you're describing sounds dangerously close to perpetual motion. Getting more energy out of the wind turbine than it takes to turn the blades isn't possible so it would reduce range. Same thing for generators.