Forbes: Why I Didn't Buy A Ford Focus Electric:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/toddwoody/2012/08/14/why-i-didnt-buy-a-ford-focus-electric/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
I'm pretty annoyed by this article. The author is apparently in the Bay Area. He considers an FFE and balks over the high lease monthy payments when the Leaf can be a lot less than the FFE (http://www.choosenissan.com/san-francisco-oakland-san-jose-area/leaf/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false
.
But I wasn’t prepared to take the technology risk of buying an electric car that could turn into the automotive version of an iPhone 3gs in five years if, say, Tesla comes out with a $30,000 car or startups like Envia make good on efforts to create a 200-mile range battery.
Leasing seemed the way to go and Ford’s site quoted a $439 a month rate for a three-year lease. Kinda high but not outrageous. Until I started contacting dealers and got quotes ranging from $550 with a $2,500 down payment to around $600 a month with no down payment to lower the capitalized cost of the car. (You have to read the small print on the Ford site to learn that $439 doesn’t include, tax, title and other charges.)
Out of curiosity I asked what the lease would be on a fairly loaded gasoline Ford Focus hatchback. The answer: $275 a month.
And then he says "The Nissan Leaf’s space-age design didn’t do it for me and the car takes twice as long to charge as the Focus". Uhh, I guess he's never heard of CHAdeMO.
In the end, he ends up buying a Focus ICEV.