Electric Ford Focus | Northside Ford | San Antonio, TX

2012 Ford Focus Electric Online

SEATTLE, WA., Nov. 2, 2011 – Starting today, drivers that want to go completely gasoline-free will be able to configure the all-new 2012 Ford Focus Electric online at Ford.com and place their orders with a Certified Electric Vehicle (EV) dealer.

 

“Today is an historic day, as Ford opens up the order banks for the company’s first full production, all-electric passenger vehicle – the Focus Electric,” said Chad D’Arcy, Focus Electric Marketing Manager, Ford Motor Company. “The all-new Focus Electric is an important part of Ford’s overall strategy, bringing still another option to customers who want a car that is fun-to-drive, easy to own and fully electric.” 

 

Drivers interested in learning more about the 2012 Focus Electric will be able to see detailed product specs and virtually build and price one at a dedicated online website: http://www.ford.com/electric/focuselectric/2012/ starting Wednesday.

 

Focus Electric comes standard with: MyFord Touch with 8-inch touchscreen; two driver-configurable 4.2-inch color LCD displays in cluster for unique EV driving screens; MyFord™ Mobile App (for remotely monitoring and scheduling battery charging with owners’ smartphone as well as remote start); HID Headlamps; 17-inch aluminum wheels, ambient lighting, seats made from 100-percent recycled material; Rear Camera with Rear Parking Sensor; Intelligent Access with Push-Button Start; MyKey®; voice-activated Navigation System; Particulate Air Filter; hands-free SYNC® Bluetooth telephone connectivity with Traffic, Direction and Information Services; electronic traction control; Sony®-Branded audio with nine speakers; SIRIUS® Satellite Radio and HD Radio™.

 

The only options on well-equipped Focus Electrics are leather seats and two paint colors.

 

“Ford believes driving electric doesn’t mean consumers should have to sacrifice on driving experience or vehicle quality,” said D’Arcy. “The Focus Electric comes with more standard features than any other comparable all-electric vehicle.”

 

In addition to silently cruising past gas stations, Focus Electric drivers will never need oil changes or any of the other service required on gasoline engines. Focus Electric exclusively stores energy in an advanced lithium-ion battery pack. The battery pack uses liquid-cooling to help ensure a long-life and optimal performance under all weather and driving conditions.

 

The Focus Electric’s battery can be recharged in just over three hours using a 240-volt charging station, about half the charging time of the 2012 Nissan Leaf. Drivers also can top off the battery any standard 120-volt outlet using the included charging cord.

 

The online site also provides potential customers the ability to find the location of their nearest Ford Certified EV dealer so they can place their order.

 

A limited number of Focus Electrics will first be available in California and the New York/New Jersey regions. Availability of the Focus Electric will expand next year to the remaining 15 launch markets as production ramps up. 

 

The 19 launch markets include: 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.

 

Markets were chosen based on several criteria, including commuting patterns, existing hybrid purchase trends, utility company collaboration and local government commitment to electrification.

 

Power of choice

Electrification is an important piece of Ford’s overall product sustainability strategy, which includes the launch of five electrified vehicles in North America by 2012 and in Europe by 2013. Ford launched the Transit Connect Electric small commercial van in 2010 and will launch the all-new Focus Electric later this year. In 2012, these models will be joined in North America by the new C-MAX Hybrid, a second next-generation lithium-ion battery hybrid and C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid. This diverse range of electrified vehicles allows Ford to meet a variety of consumer driving needs.

 

 

Ford Focus EV to use Liquid Battery Coolant

Ford Motor Company announced today that the Ford Focus EV will use a liquid battery coolant instead of air to regulate the temperature of its lithium-ion battery.  You can read an excerpt of the press release below or click here for the full version.

"The all-new Ford Focus Electric, which debuts in late 2011 in the U.S. and 2012 in Europe, will be powered by a lithium-ion battery system that utilizes cooled and heated liquid to regulate battery temperature, extend battery life and maximize driving range.  The innovative thermal management technology helps the Focus Electric operate efficiently in a range of ambient temperatures.  Focus Electric is one of five new electrified vehicles Ford will deliver over the next three years in North America and Europe. The Focus Electric will be built at Ford's retooled Michigan Assembly Plant."

Ford Invests $135 Million In Michigan Plants

Ford Motor Company plans to invest $135 million in two Michigan plants to assemble battery packs and transaxles for new hybrid vehicles in 2012, adding around 170 jobs. 

The automaker further plans to hire more than 50 electric vehicle engineers in Dearborn and Livonia, Michigan, to develop battery packs and electric-drive transaxles for new lithium-ion battery powered hybrids planned for production in 2012. 

Ford plans to launch an electric Transit Connect small van in North America this year and electric Ford Focus compact car in 2011. The Focus will be built at its Michigan assembly plant that had produced sport-utility vehicles.

Ford Focus Electric Coming Soon

Ford Motor Company is a-buzz with electrified vehicle development. An all-electric version of the Ford Transit Connect commercial van is coming in late 2010, followed by the Ford Focus Electric in 2011. Focus Electric is an exciting spin on the next-generation gas-powered Ford Focus, which was revealed at the 2010 North American International Auto Show and is hitting the streets later this year. The electrified Focus will be powered purely by batteries, which means it will never use a drop of gas and will produce zero emissions. Goodbye gas tank. Sayonara tailpipe. Focus Electric will be rechargeable through wall outlets and is targeted to get up to 100 miles per charge, making it ideal for daily commuters and others who drive predictable “around town” routes. Charging the car’s lithium-ion batteries will take between six to eight hours using a 220V wall outlet or longer using a 110V outlet. Focus Electric will also feature a user-friendly interface similar to the Ford Fusion Hybrid’s award-winning SmartGauge™ display to provide the driver with information on vehicle range and battery charge. “Ford is committed to help lead the way to find creative solutions to ensure that electrified vehicles can deliver benefits to our customers, the environment and our business around the globe in a sustainable way,” said Nancy Gioia, Ford director of Global Electrification. Ford also is developing a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle and a next-generation hybrid electric vehicle for 2012.

 

Source:  www.thefordstory.com

Ford Focus Electric...Coming Soon

The Ford Focus Electric is coming soon and Ford is looking for your opinion on Electric vehicles.  You can click here to take Ford's survey and voice your opinion.

LA 2009: Ford Focus BEV update

 

The Ford Focus BEV is getting a lot of action. Versions of the all-electric sedan are spending time on the Jay Leno Show smashing into (cardboard cut outs) of Al Gore and Ed Begley, Jr. It's also making the rounds of auto shows and promotional events around the country. Starting next year, the car will also be available to a small number of drivers in the UK. We got our first drive in the BEV when it made it's important debut last January at the Detroit Auto Show, and caught up with it again out in LA last week. As a reminder, the Focus EV uses a 23.8 kWh battery pack and uses 19 kWh of that to get a range of 100 miles. When we drove around the LA Convention Center, the car had gone 43 miles that day and still had 40 percent charge left in the tank.

Complete Article

Would You Buy a Battery Electric Vehicle?

Ford has BEV's (Battery Electic Vehicle) in the works, the first will be an electric version of the Transit Connect and the next will be the Focus BEV which has been featured on the Jay Leno show.

The question I have, would you buy a battery electric vehicle? 

The Electric Challenge - Ford Motor Company

Confronting the business and technical challenges, Ford is committed to an electrification strategy that foresees a future which has different types of electrified vehicles, depending on customers’ needs and usage requirements.  There will not be a one-size-fits-all approach, but a more diverse, smart application of different types of electrified vehicle technology.

Ford recognizes that the challenge of vehicle electrification is anything but simple:

• Future technologies, such as battery electric vehicle (BEV) and Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) systems, are still in their development stage. New-generation electric vehicles will depend on making lithium-ion battery technology, commonly used in consumer electronics from laptops to mobile phones, viable for the more intensive requirements of the automotive environment. And lithium-ion battery packs for automobiles are still too expensive for mass-market cars.
• Pursuing a new technological direction for the automobile is an expensive process, requiring investment levels conservatively forecast in the billions of dollars.
• Electrification also brings with it new stakeholders who are key to the successful transformation of our personal vehicles from their dependence on traditional internal combustion engines to more sophisticated, fuel saving, reduced-emission powerplants of the future. Electrical utilities are foremost among these stakeholders, as new-generation electrical vehicles will need to be charged from the power grid.

How will Ford overcome these challenges?

• Ford is incorporating electrified powertrains into two major new global product platforms on the horizon – one a new Focus-size C-car platform and another for Fusion-size, CD segment vehicles. Because the product platforms are global, they offer tremendous production economies of scale to Ford, a key factor in enabling lower component prices.
• Ford’s plan calls for strategic partnering with key suppliers who bring the technical expertise, financial solidity and collaborative spirit. It also has begun collaborations with other stakeholders, like electrical utility companies, who will also be central to the electrified vehicle experience of the future.

Quotes

“Our electrification plan is about executing a key piece of the Ford Blueprint for Sustainability. That’s the strategic engine driving our approach to advanced technology vehicles. We’re building on our near-term momentum with technologies such as EcoBoost, increased hybrid production and now electrification. These are all actions that will make a difference, and doing it globally – leveraging platforms, organizations and talent – demonstrates the true power of the ‘One Ford’ approach..”
- Derrick Kuzak, Ford Group Vice President, Product Development

“We’ve explored and tested many different technologies for the future and we’re convinced that electrification is the next major shift in the light-duty transport sector. That’s why we’re making this a significant part of our Blueprint for Sustainability.”
- Nancy Gioia, Director of Sustained Mobility Technology for Ford Motor Company

 
 
 Information obtained from Ford Motor Company.

Jay Leno and the Electric Ford Focus

 

Battery - Powered Focus Revealed

Ford revealed the Focus EV in Frankfurt, Germany today.  The first of a fleet of Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) prototypes based on the Focus is displayed on the Ford stand in Frankfurt.

The Focus BEV prototype is based on the current European Focus and will use a new all-electric powertrain, provided by the strategic supplier Magna. This technology is based on that being developed for Ford's new-generation C-sized global vehicle architecture and which will be launched in North America in 2011.

Under the skin of the Ford Focus prototypes is a state-of-the-art lithium-ion battery pack with the capacity of 23kWh and a chassis-mounted 100-kilowatt permanent-magnet electric traction motor. The BEV will have a range of up to 120 km (75 miles) and a top speed of up to 136 km/h (85 mph). Charging the batteries will take between 6-8 hours using a common 230 volt grid.

The prototype incorporates key components from Ford’s proven North American hybrid technology, including the electric climate control system. The high-voltage air-conditioning compressor is a key feature of the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid, recently introduced in the North American market.

Information from Ford Motor Company.