Ford has opened the US order book for first all-electric passenger car, the Focus Electric. Set to roll out initially in New York, New Jersey and California, the car kicks off a five-model EV lineup to arrive in Ford’s US showrooms over the next three years.
After the US, Ford will introduce the car into Europe. Eventually, it might make it to Australia, but not for several years.
Asked about the prospect of seeing the Focus Electric out here, Ford Australia spokeswoman Sinead Phipps told motoring.com.au Aussies shouldn’t hold their breath.
“No definite plans at this point,” she said. “We’re looking at future opportunities for it here, but realistically you’re looking at several years yet, I’d think. Australians haven't yet embraced electric vehicles. And without the infrastructure to support them, we don't don’t see it happening any time soon. It’s why we’re concentrating on EcoBoost [high-efficiency petrol engines] and the new Falcon EcoLPi – they’re the things Australian consumers are telling us they are looking for right now.”
The Focus Electric is a sophisticated package to be carrying a mass brand badge. With a 23kWh Li-ion battery pack giving its 130kW electric motor an instantaneous 245Nm, Ford claims it extracts up to 160km from a charge at speeds of up to 135km/h. Hardly groundbreaking, but the kit list is the stuff of dreams for conventionally IC-powered Focus buyers. Past the 17-inch alloys, HID headlamps, enhanced ambient lighting and reversing camera you’ll find voice activated satnav and full Bluetooth smartphone connectivity extending to links with traffic, direction and information infrastructure. It’s all hitched up to a nine speaker Sony sound system with satellite/digital radio, and all controlled via an 8-inch centre-mounted touchscreen.
Ford also offers a mobile app called MyFord for remote monitoring and scheduling of charging to help owners reap the cost benefits of off-peak electricity. MyFord can also direct drivers along the best route to nearby charging stations. A technology called MyKey technology allows owners to set different operating parameters for different drivers – as examples, Ford suggests parents can impose speed and music volume restrictions on teenage drivers.
An active thermal management system helps extend battery life by stabilising its temperature.
Ford also points out the maintenance benefits accompanying an electric powertrain. An electric motor hitched up to a single-speed gearbox is mechanically much simpler than its IC and hybrid counterparts, dispensing with more than two dozen moving and load-bearing parts subject to wear and tear that therefore need regular maintenance and replacement – components such as filters, pumps, injectors, alternator, spark plugs and numerous bearings.
But with prices starting at US$39,200, the Focus Electric doesn’t come cheap, even after federal tax credits of up to $7,500. A conventionally powered Focus sets American buyers back from US$17,295 to $23,495.
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