Official Ford Focus Electric Thread

[cwerdna]

I just got back from CES. The Focus Electric has almost no cargo room due to the battery packaging. It's back seat is quite tight as well. Battery capacity is only 23kWh. They said the motor power was increased from 90kW to 107kW; but no mention of torque. I expect range to be less than LEAF. Here are some photos I snapped. I hope they loaded OK.

There is almost no cargo room. There is a cargo organizer; that is what the lid is for.

Tiny compartment under the cargo lid.

Storage for level 1 EVSE under the floor once you take the cargo organizer out.

This car would be useless for me. We couldn't even go grocery shopping with it.

Your image links don't work. I had to reply to the your message in order to copy and paste the URLs to see them.

At least you had more access to poke around. As I posted at http://priuschat.com/forums/local-clubs-events-road-trips/101816-2012-silicon-valley-auto-show-2.html#post1446421" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; when I visited the San Jose Auto Show:

The Ford Focus Electric was there but I couldn't open the trunk (hatch). I asked if they could open it. Their reps said no and gave me an excuse of "fire marshal regulations". :roll: (Right... trunks and hatches are open on tons of other cars there, including theirs.) I asked them how much of the trunk area was taken up by the battery and their reply was "a lot". I was able to fold down the rear seat and confirm that. I do wonder how these FFEs are going to sell when people look at the cargo area and price vs. a Leaf.

Also, for whatever reason, it seemed like the hood cable was disconnected so I couldn't pop the hood.

Not sure what was up with the above since an FFE had already been delivered to Google by that point and Ford had some pics up on their web site of the cargo area.

 

[IBELEAF]

When Smyrna comes on line at the end of this year, Nissan will be making that many Leafs at that factory every 30 minutes...
:lol:

Unless they increase the range and reduce charging on the newer ones they will be dealing with a lot of surplus with such production rate.

 

[coolfilmaker]

When Smyrna comes on line at the end of this year, Nissan will be making that many Leafs at that factory every 30 minutes...
:lol:

Unless they increase the range and reduce charging on the newer ones they will be dealing with a lot of surplus with such production rate.

I doubt it. I keep seeing more on the road.

 

[TurboFroggy]

When Smyrna comes on line at the end of this year, Nissan will be making that many Leafs at that factory every 30 minutes...
:lol:

Unless they increase the range and reduce charging on the newer ones they will be dealing with a lot of surplus with such production rate.

Eh with the data that Nissan has from Carwings/DOE, with people only needing to charge less than 3 hours per night and driving around 40 miles per day or less, I don't see a lot of incentive for Nissan to want to do that anytime soon. I think if they left the Leaf the way it is they could still sell all they could make. The Leafs that will be built in Smyrna are not going to be only sold here in the US, they will be shipped all over Northamerica as well as exported overseas.

 

[ENIAC]

When Smyrna comes on line at the end of this year, Nissan will be making that many Leafs at that factory every 30 minutes...
:lol:

Unless they increase the range and reduce charging on the newer ones they will be dealing with a lot of surplus with such production rate.

Eh with the data that Nissan has from Carwings/DOE, with people only needing to charge less than 3 hours per night and driving around 40 miles per day or less, I don't see a lot of incentive for Nissan to want to do that anytime soon. I think if they left the Leaf the way it is they could still sell all they could make. The Leafs that will be built in Smyrna are not going to be only sold here in the US, they will be shipped all over Northamerica as well as exported overseas.

The data shows the Nissan charger choice was technically correct. However from a marketing perspective, it was an error not to offer a choice for a 6.6kW charger as an option for an additional price. With cars, consumers tend to purchase what they might need, rather than what they actually need. For example, how many "trail rated" jeeps have ever seen an actual trail? How many 7 passenger SUVs do you see with a single individual commuting to work?

 

[lpickup]

When Smyrna comes on line at the end of this year, Nissan will be making that many Leafs at that factory every 30 minutes...
:lol:

Unless they increase the range and reduce charging on the newer ones they will be dealing with a lot of surplus with such production rate.

Taking ENIAC's perfectly valid point a few posts down about people buying what they think they need vs. what they actually need into account, I still stand behind my belief that there are still WAY more people for which the current LEAF specs will be sufficient than actual LEAFs built. If we do a good job educating the public about true range and charging needs and people honestly evaluate what they really need, I do think the LEAF would be an easy sell.

That's not to say that Nissan and other manufacturers shouldn't continue to explore other body styles, range and charging options. It's not that there isn't a need for alternatives. But I am afraid that people unfamiliar with how charging works in real life will get stuck in the gas station paradigm and wait until they can be a 300-400 mile range EV and then be carting around 200% more battery weight than they really need.

 

[lpickup]

I'm not here to knock Ford at all. In fact when I first considered getting an EV, the FFE was the first car I started researching. I really love the 2-door Focus, but when I saw the FFE was going to be based on the 4-door model (which I find pretty boring/ugly) combined with the later availability date (at the time I figured that the FFE would be hitting the streets in late 2011) and uncertainty about the cost, I went with the LEAF.

Wow, based on what I've read here I'm glad I did. Sounds like in most respects (cost, range, availability date, cargo room), going with the LEAF turned out to be the right call. I do think the FFE will probably have much better in-cabin electronics and the climate control will probably be easier to run

I would like to see the US auto manufacturers come up with a solid EV product though to really cement the future of the EV. I think it's great that Nissan has the LEAF, appears completely committed to it and has really put out a fantastic car. But in the eyes of many Americans until the big 3 have an offering that's at least competitive, EVs may not be taken seriously enough.

 

[Volusiano]

When Smyrna comes on line at the end of this year, Nissan will be making that many Leafs at that factory every 30 minutes...
:lol:

Unless they increase the range and reduce charging on the newer ones they will be dealing with a lot of surplus with such production rate.

The key factor for continued good sales for the Leaf is not going to be increased range or reduced charging time. It's going to be the pricing. If the mass production from Smyrna allows the price to be lowered significantly, people will snap it up. Otherwise, if they increase the price again in 2013, Nissan may see more stagnant sales. Hopefully they will be able to reduce the price due to larger production volume.

 

[adric22]

With cars, consumers tend to purchase what they might need, rather than what they actually need. For example, how many "trail rated" jeeps have ever seen an actual trail? How many 7 passenger SUVs do you see with a single individual commuting to work?

Yep - A perfect example even with the Leaf is to look at the number of people who have purchased the SL model with the quick-charge port, even though most knew at the time that there were no chargers to make use of. i suspect if Nissan offered the vehicle with two different onboard chargers, a more expensive one that could charge in 4 hours vs. the regular one that takes 8 hours... probably 75% or more of buyers would opt for the higher end charger, even though most wouldn't actually need it. But it would still be good business to offer the lower priced charger in order to keep the advertised starting MSRP lower.

I am actually very curious to see how Nissan will handle such things once it gets to the point that there are Leafs sitting at dealer lots waiting to be sold (Just like any other car such as an Altima, Camry, or Tahoe, etc.) Each car will have slightly different equipment. I'm curious how that will affect the different offerings of the Leaf at that point.

 

[ENIAC]

I contacted the EPA to find out why the Ford Focus EV EPA label hasn't been published. They said that typically a vehicle must be certified prior to any sales but there are exceptions for low volume and limited release vehicles. For example, Tesla Roadster doesn't have an EPA label and that's why it's not in the www.fueleconomy.gov database. The Focus EV label won't be complete until mid to late Feb 2012. The Focus EV is scheduled to be introduced into commerce very early March and the EPA label will be made public shortly before the introduction. EPA allows the OEMs to make the certifications available to the press and public rather than releasing it themselves.

 

[lpickup]

Unless they increase the range and reduce charging on the newer ones they will be dealing with a lot of surplus with such production rate.

The key factor for continued good sales for the Leaf is not going to be increased range or reduced charging time. It's going to be the pricing. If the mass production from Smyrna allows the price to be lowered significantly, people will snap it up. Otherwise, if they increase the price again in 2013, Nissan may see more stagnant sales. Hopefully they will be able to reduce the price due to larger production volume.[/quote]

I think you are absolutely right here.

 

[TimeHorse]

Not a day goes by when I don't post a hate on the Nissan LEAF because I really need a 6.6kW charger!

 

[edatoakrun]

Not exactly on-topic, but I sure wish We had the same ICEV engine options as the rest of the world, in "American" cars.

That's 49 miles per US gallon, though I don't know what that would translate to on our test cycles.

Ford has opened the order books in Europe for its new Focus 1.0-litre EcoBoost that is offered in two guises with 100PS (99HP) and 125PS (123HP).

The Blue Oval says that the three-cylinder turbocharged engine is its most fuel efficient petrol engine ever delivering a fuel economy of 4.8lt/100km (58.9mpg UK)and CO2 emissions of 109g/km and 5.0lt/100km (56.5mpg UK) with CO2 of 114g/km, for the 100PS and 125PS versions respectively.

“Developing an engine this small and fuel efficient that still delivers good power and driving fun in a Focus-sized car would have seemed impossible just a few years ago,” said Ford of Europe Chairman and CEO Stephen Odell.

The 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engine, which uses both turbocharging and direct fuel injection technologies, will also be offered this year in the C-MAX minivan, the all-new B-MAX that will debut in production trim at next month's Geneva Salon, as well other models.

http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2012/02/new-ford-focus-with-10-liter-turbo.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[evnow]

I heard a FFE ad on NPR today. First time I heard it. Wonder why they have it - since they aren't producing them anytime soon. May be just a bit of green washing (It was on Prairie Home Companion).

 

[edatoakrun]

"...a total of precisely 10 Focus Electrics were sold in December, January, and February: 7 of the cars squeaked into December sales, then 3 in January, but none at all were delivered last month..."

http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1073894_2012-ford-focus-electric-105-mpge-76-mile-range-10-sales" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[N1ghtrider]

There was an interesting and lengthy Ford infomercial on TV today about all their "green" ways (vehicles and production techniques), including a segment on Focus EV, which falsely stated that it would be the first production vehicle to exceed 100 mpg equivalent. I have exceeded 145.5 mpg equivalent over the first 3 months and 2,450 miles in my Leaf (using my Carwings 5.2 m/kWh and gas at $3.85/gal).

 

[coolfilmaker]

There was an interesting and lengthy Ford infomercial on TV today about all their "green" ways (vehicles and production techniques), including a segment on Focus EV, which falsely stated that it would be the first production vehicle to exceed 100 mpg equivalent. I have exceeded 145.5 mpg equivalent over the first 3 months and 2,450 miles in my Leaf.

Obviously they are talking about EPA measurements which give the leaf 99 mpge. The FFE is a more efficient car.

 

[evnow]

Obviously they are talking about EPA measurements which give the leaf 99 mpge. The FFE is a more efficient car.

But it is not a production car :lol:

 

[LTLFTcomposite]

But it is not a production car :lol:

Any recent stats on how many they have delivered? Last I heard it was some ridiculous number like six.

Seems Ford is more "focused" on Energi.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

the Ford Focus SFE (Super Fuel Efficiency) is supposed to get better mileage than a Fiesta and if you live in colder climates, you will like the electronic controlled louvered system that shuts the grill to maintain optimum temps on radiator. means less cold air blowing in during winter, also less drag, etc.

pretty cool. been talking the same options at Priuschat for years (i currently stuff foam pipe insulation in the grill)