Official Ford Focus Electric Thread

[evnow]

They would find it far more cheaper to buy some credits from Tesla/Nissan.

I would have thought that Tesla will have committed (all?) theirs to Toyota. Unless Toyota is going to generate their own with the RAV4EV? Do you think it likely that Nissan would sell theirs to a near competitor? I'm having a hard time imagining that. Unless by then they've got more than they'd ever know what to do with?

I think Toyota will have plenty by selling RAV4EV & iQ EV (apart from plugin prius).

So, I think Tesla will be the ones most likely selling credits. Nissan may sell to others they have some arrangements with - like Merc or Mazda. In anycase, from what I remember only top 6 auto majors need to comply with these rules.

edit :

Only large-volume manufacturers (now defined as those with passenger car plus LDT1
sales exceeding 60,0006) are subject to the ZEV and ATPZEV portions of the program. There are
currently six large-volume manufacturers (the so-called Big 6): DaimlerChrysler, Ford, General
Motors, Honda, Nissan, and Toyota. Intermediate-volume manufacturers can meet the entire
program requirement with PZEVs, and small-volume manufacturers and independent low-volume
manufacturers (those with annual sales of 4,500 or fewer and between 4,501 and 10,000,
respectively) are not subject to the program.

 

[Herm]

I would have thought that Tesla will have committed (all?) theirs to Toyota. Unless Toyota is going to generate their own with the RAV4EV? Do you think it likely that Nissan would sell theirs to a near competitor? I'm having a hard time imagining that. Unless by then they've got more than they'd ever know what to do with?

http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2010/06/07/daily4.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

"Tesla Motors Inc. has sold $13.8 million in environmental credits, mostly to Honda Motor Corp, since 2008 according to SEC filings and first reported by Bloomberg.

Carmakers need zero-emission vehicle credits to meet California air pollution requirements. Under 2008 rules, five major automakers — Honda, Toyota Motor Corp., General Motors Co., Ford Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Co. — must sell 60,000 plug-in hybrid or all-electric vehicles in a three-year period. If they can’t, they have an option to buy credits from other companies that are producing them. "

 

[aqn]

Overpriced...

Wait, I can never get this straight: are you the pot, or the kettle?

 

[Sasparilla]

Wow, obviously Ford isn't going after the Leaf, which is too bad as it has nice looks - just getting their feet wet I suppose.

The Focus Electric was actually thought up, designed and pitched to Ford management by a very smart Canadian supplier (Magna) who knew there would be vehicle manufacturers that didn't have an EV program but would need one (as GM and Nissan moved forward). Ford management was smart enough to grab and run with it since they didn't have an internal EV program.

Several results of this gestation are that the Magna team designed an EV platform that could fit into most small car designs (since they didn't know who might buy it) and this is why the trunk is full of some batteries but mostly inverter instead of space. Another legacy was that the basic architecture was designed without a quick charger.

Much of the vehicle is built by that supplier Magna and because of this Ford won't have the option of making many (until generation 2 and an internal Ford design perhaps) as neither Magna nor Ford has a big battery factory ready for this vehicle.

Guessing the execs could see there would be some demand for the vehicle (which they wouldn't be able to satisfy) and went with a Volt price.

The creation of the vehicle is a great read: http://money.cnn.com/2009/03/20/autos/ford_electric/index.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[rainnw]

I am a bit surprised over all the negativity over the Ford Focus. This looks like a great car -- and its a real EV, not some plug in hybrid. A $40k Ford Focus is a bit tough to swallow though, and will probably be initially laughed at. At least give it a different name, just like how we pretend we are not actually driving $35k Nissan Versa's.

You are right, they might not be going for the LEAF..they drove past it. The car also has quite a few features I wish the LEAF had, and they may have actually got the EV telematics system right. Wouldn't that be something? Water cooled/heated batteries (something I wish I had this november). Also, it looks like Ford's focus studies concluded that EV consumers are not all liberal, tree hugging, vegan hippies ... and some of us actually want a leather option.

 

[TomT]

+1

Also, it looks like Ford's focus studies concluded that EV consumers are not all liberal, tree hugging, vegan hippies ... and some of us actually want a leather option.

 

[evnow]

Also, it looks like Ford's focus studies concluded that EV consumers are not all liberal, tree hugging, vegan hippies ... and some of us actually want a leather option.

You, Rush Limbaugh ?

Funny thing is - they have recycled seat covers - but leather steering wheel as std. How stupid is that ?

BTW, I actually think Nissan should offer Leather & leatherette option. Better than people getting after market leather.

 

[TomT]

Toyota sells a lot of gas guzzlers like the LX450, Sequoia, Highlander, Tundra and the like so they may need them for themselves...

I would have thought that Tesla will have committed (all?) theirs to Toyota. Unless Toyota is going to generate their own with the RAV4EV?

 

[camasleaf]

http://www.kplu.org/post/ford-unveiling-all-new-focus-electric-car-seattle" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; click listen

Ford Focus EV production numbers will depend on the number of orders.

 

[palmermd]

has anyone ordered one of these? I did a quick search for focus electric forums and I have not found any posting of anybody ordering one. Most of the forums seemed dead. Was not there a sister forum to this one? Is it one of the dead ones I found? This car may be DOA if there are not any orders by now.

 

[EVDrive]

Makes me glad I bought the Leaf. They did some things better like having a premium stereo but it is a lot more than we paid for the 2011 Leaf. I wish them luck but I'm not sure how this will turn out. A 23 kwh battery for a 100 mile range seems a stretch. I like the bigger on board charger but I have the Leaf QC port which I hope to use someday otherwise I will be jealous of their bigger onboard charger. I really want a 10 kwh charger option and a QC port. That would be the best of both worlds.

Good luck Ford. I would like to buy an American car someday and this is one of only two American made cars that has ever tempted me (the model s is the other).

 

[evnow]

http://www.kplu.org/post/ford-unveiling-all-new-focus-electric-car-seattle click listen

Ford Focus EV production numbers will depend on the number of orders.

Hmmm ... are they saying it will remain a "by special order only" car ? They won't make them to be on the dealer lots to be bought at all ?

 

[LeafinThePark]

has anyone ordered one of these? I did a quick search for focus electric forums and I have not found any posting of anybody ordering one. Most of the forums seemed dead. Was not there a sister forum to this one? Is it one of the dead ones I found? This car may be DOA if there are not any orders by now.

Here are a couple somewhat active forums....no one reported ordering in either one....

http://www.myfocuselectric.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=2&sid=83991165fca276cc0250cb3f153fe985" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://fordfocuselectric.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=8&sid=7f246d57911c765a3d38fc326905c8c0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[EVDrive]

I wonder if/when they will release reservation numbers like Nissan did.

I think at this price point, their best hope is fleet sales to companies like GE and PG&E (which have extra money to burn as they have been avoiding federal taxes recently on their profits), plus government fleet sales should be in the mix hopefully.

 

[Herm]

The app that would sell thousands and thousands of BEVs will be the on-board inverter that can power your home in an emergency.. even BEVs at $40k

The Focus gets 100 miles of range with a 23kWh pack the same way that the Leaf gets 100 miles with a 24kWh pack, using the LA-4 cycle.

 

[evnow]

http://www.tomsguide.com/us/ford-focus-electric-car-ev,news-13072.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

$40,000 is a hefty price tag, but a source at Ford, which requested to remain anonymous, said that the car is priced aggressively and that Focus takes a loss of more than $2000 per car sold. The hope is to scale the technology and make it more affordable in future vehicles. "It surprises me that we can even sell the car at that price," the source told us.

 

[Herm]

so even at $40k you are getting a bargain

 

[Smidge204]

so even at $40k you are getting a bargain

If the manufacturer has to take a loss to sell you a product, that means the product isn't even worth what it cost to make. That's pretty much the exact opposite of a bargain.
=Smidge=

 

[Herm]

what about the bragging greencredits?.. or vaporware, how many people postponed buying a Leaf/Volt waiting for the Focus?, plus they fulfill their CARB requirements.

Its been a while the price of the Leaf was announced, its still sucking the oxygen out of the room.

 

[kmp647]

I would like to see a report of anyone actually placing an ordr sucessfully with a Ford dealer in a launch market!

we should be seeing reports in the Focus forum of orders


shouldnt we? :|