Ford goes green with all-electric Focus

We’ve just seen Ford’s keynote presentation at the world’s most important motor show – the NAIAS in Detroit, the motor city. The American car industry has long been associated with massive gas guzzlers, but this year’s big news was the announcement of an all-electric Ford Focus.

Traditional combustion engine versions of the Focus made it the UK’s third best-selling car last year – with over 77,000 new cars registered. This makes the release of an electric version a very high-profile event, providing a car that car buyers are very familiar with, but without the reliance on fossil fuels and the ever increasing prices associated with them. Electric cars aren’t anything new of course, as a fellow UK attendant noted we all used to get our milk delivered by them. However, a five-door family car with a top speed of 84mph is a totally diiferent proposition.

The new all-electric Focus has a range of around 100 miles on a single charge, and will take 3-4 hours to recharge from a 240V socket – not a problem for us in the UK, though most US consumers will need to have charging stations installed. The charging point is on the front left wing of the car (though we imagine this will be switched for the UK right-hand drive version). It’s surrounded by a blue-illuminated ring which shows the current charge level.

In terms of range and performance, the Focus is very similar to Nissan’s Leaf electric car, though the Detroit based company feels it has a competitive edge in two key areas.

The Focus is part of a three-vehicle strategy, all based on the same basic chassis and technology. The other two cars are both C-Max models, one is a traditional Hybrid (like the Prius) which charges its battery using a petrol engine, while the Plug-in Hybrid adds the capability to be charged from a wall socket. This range, Ford says, gives consumers a choice of sustainably-powered vehicles depending on their needs. It’s a persuasive argument too, as many car buyers will balk at the idea of buying a car with a limited 100 mile range.

Ford also feels that its interface design is superior to that of its competitors, and here it’s hard to argue. Paul Mascarenas, Ford’s Chief Technical Officer, talked us through MyFord Touch – a capacitative touch screen display which lets you control the charging and check the battery level. This latest version of Ford’s in-car interface, on which it worked with Microsoft, also controls more traditional functions such as GPS and air-con.

Before the car’s release, their will also be a MyFord Mobile app for iPhone and Android smartphones. This will let owners find charging points nearby, and then check up on their car’s charging status from their phones, or any internet connection. This control extends to other functions, so you could heat up your car before getting in on a cold morning, or transfer planned journey’s from your PC to the in-car GPS system.

Another first is the integration of the Pandora internet radio service. You’ll be able to stream internet radio from a smartphone via Bluetooth to the car’s stereo system, and be able to control playback via voice-activated commands.

Mascarenas went to predict that 20-25% of vehicles on our roads will be electrified by 2025. It’s a bold claim and one he admits depends on getting a recharging infrastructure in place and of course, the availability and pricing of fossil fuels.

The electric Focus will be available in US this year and in the UK in 2012. It’s the same car for both territories, unlike many Ford models, which follows the companies new global strategy. We asked whether Ford thought Americans were becoming more European, or vice-versa, but they didn’t want to comment.

We’re big supporters of more sustainable means to power our cars, and electric cars have lot going for them, but we’re still a little sceptical of this upcoming generation of all-electric models. The higher purchase price is easily offset by far lower running costs. Instead it’s practical details that bother us. In the Focus, for example, a large chunk of the boot is taken up by the 23kwh lithium ion battery – so much in fact that we’re not sure you could fit a pushchair in.

Charging is the key issue, though. With off-street parking not available to many in the UK, it’s hard to know how urbanites (to whom the 100-mile range isn’t an issue) would charge their cars – cables dangling out of flat windows and across pavements certainly isn’t on. The solutions for such problems will likely have to come from government before many of us will be in a position to buy into the electric dream of cheaper, cleaner motoring.