Test driving the Ford Focus Electric

Ford Focus Electric in New York / Jerry Edgerton

(MoneyWatch) I hit the accelerator hard and the car jumps ahead, but there is no roar of the engine. This is the new Ford Focus Electric with only a silent electric motor and the tremendous torque that provides for takeoff.

Ford's entry in the electric car derby goes on sale next month to compete with the Nissan Leaf and the Chevrolet Volt (which also has a backup gasoline engine). Originally it will be sold only in green-car hotbeds of California, New York and New Jersey but will expand to another 16 markets by the end of 2012. I got a chance to test drive the Focus Electric at an event in New York last week.

The kind of lead-foot acceleration I was trying out is not, however, how Ford or the car itself encourages you to drive. By driving gently and braking carefully, you help preserve and slightly increase the charge you need to get where you are going and back. Executives say the car has a range of 77 miles before needing a plug-in charge. On this day, that would have been no problem. A couple of taps on the navigation screen showed five Manhattan charging stations within a one-mile radius, mostly in parking garages. Here are some other impressions:

Why electrics cost so much

The big issue in selling the Focus, as with all current electric cars, is the high cost. The list price is $39,200 plus $1,499 for the necessary home charger. Against that, you can get a $7,500 federal tax credit and additional tax breaks in some states. One big reason why the price is so high became clearer last week. Ford CEO Alan Mulally said in a California speech that the batteries for the Focus Electric cost between $12,000 and $15,000, a figure not previously released.

The Focus Electric MPG figures are impressive. In a formula the EPA has developed to show numbers equivalent to gas mileage for electrics (expressed as MPGe), the Focus gets ratings of 110 MPGe in city driving, 99 on the highway and 105 MPGe combined. With similar high numbers, a recent study by the Union of Concerned Scientists says that an electric car owner could save between $750 and $1,200 a year compared with buying gas at $3.50 a gallon depending on electricity costs where the owner lived.

But that would take a very, very long time to make up the difference between the cost of a Focus Electric and the well-reviewed gasoline Focus selling for between $17,300 and $24,000, depending on the equipment. Some regular Focus models are rated for 40 MPG in highway driving.

How green are they?

Even the environmental advantage for electrics of emitting fewer climate-changing greenhouse gases isn't always clear depending on how the electricity for your car's charge is generated. The same Union of Concerned Scientists study sets out a map of where electrics have an advantage. In Seattle, which has lots of hydroelectric power, an electric car is responsible for only as much carbon dioxide emissions as a hypothetical, not yet in existence gasoline car with combined MPG ratings of 73. But in Colorado, with mostly coal-fired generation, an electric is responsible for more emissions - the equivalent of a gas car with a combined rating of 33 MPG like the current compact Mazda 3.

With Chevrolet Volt just now resuming production after a hiatus because of slow sales, the market for electric cars is unlikely to take off despite government incentives. Michael Omotoso, power train forecaster for LMC Automotive, projects that even by 2017, market share will be only 1.6% for a combination of all-electric cars and plug-ins with a gasoline motor (where he classifies the Volt).

But if you are a well-to-do, environmentally-minded buyer who does mostly short-run commuting and doesn't mind monitoring your car constantly to make sure your battery is well-charged, the Focus Electric seems like a choice worth considering.

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[FarmerDB]

The volt goes 101 mph on electric easily. If the battery is depleated, and the gas engine is running, then above 70 mph, the gas motor is locked to the transmission rather than just being used as a generator since it is more effeceint to do that.

[sarterfish]

100,000 miles at 25 mpg is 4000 gallons of gas. At $5/gallon, that's $20,000. (think it will go DOWN over the next 5 years?). I pay less than $2 per 100 miles in my EV equaling less than $2000 in electricity. My truck that i use rarely now gets 15 mpg, so the numbers for me are even more dramatic; 6667 gallons X $5= $33,335. My LEAF cost me $23,000 after rebates and incentives.... Hmmm, did my purchase make sense? What will gas prices be in and over the next 5 years? Am I doing something GOOD for the environment, having FUN driving, AND making money here? In 5 years or less my LEAF will literally PAY for itself in gas savings alone. Whatever it is worth then will be PROFIT! When was the last time you or anyone you know bought a new car, put 100k on it, and made a profit? What will gas prices be in 5 years?... Any less you think? What will people pay then for a nice, quiet, clean, well maintained, extremely low maintenance, and reliable used car that doesn't use expensive gasoline for their normal commute and around town?? I am betting they will pay a PREMIUM for a car like that! :-) What do you think gas priceswill be in and over the next 5 years? Am I doing something GOOD for the environment, having FUN driving, AND making money here? You bet I am! ;-) Yesterday, I drove my EV over 120 miles, mostly on the freeway at 65mph. I charged it less than 3 hrs. while I was back home between trips. My total cost for this was under $3... Tell me what you think of these numbers. This is actual, real time experience in my Nissan LEAF. I feel it is ECELLENT and extremely important that US automakers get involved and on the ball with this, or they will be left in the dust! KUDOS to Ford and GM for picking up the ball, now RUN WITH IT!!

[robbyr2]

The Volt is nothing like a LEAF or the Focus or the Tesla. It is a plug-in hybrid. Its internal combustion engine is needed to exceed 50 mph

[hey19]

This is not correct for the Volt. The Volt operates in 100% electric mode -- all the way to its top speed of 100 mph -- when there is battery power available. The gas generator will not kick in until the battery is depleted. (There are exceptions to this, but these are extremely rare and not related to how the vehicle is being driven.)

[sjc_1]

Not true, over 80 mph the engine is used as part of the propulsion, climbing the engine is used also.