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The Ford Focus Electric has been rated by the EPA at 105 MPGe combined (99 MPGe on the highway and 110 MPGe in the city), with a range of 76 miles.
Ford claims that the Leaf, by contrast, has a range of 73 miles – our own Alex Dykes found that a 75 mile range was perfectly attainable without making any serious sacrifices. The Focus Electric is $4,795 more than the Leaf, at $39,995. A $7,500 tax credit will be available from the federal government as well.
40 Comments on “Ford Focus Electric: 105 MPGe, 76 Mile Range...”
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I note from the Edmunds article that the Focus is between 4 and 7 MPGe more efficient in the city and on the highway. Will be interesting to see a head to head fuel economy test since real world experience can differ.
Is the equipment comparable or does that explain some of the difference in price? The Focus has a little bit more rear legroom (2 inches) going of the specs so should be a little more livable with in that respect. Will be interesting to see how it sells, since the Leaf has demonstrated their is a niche for these type of vehicles.
http://www.insideline.com/ford/focus/2012/2012-ford-focus-electric-to-get-110-mpge-rating-beating-nissan-leaf.html
Ford has packed every tech gadget from the regular Focus into the eFocus as standard. I believe that is the cause for the difference in price. I also believe these are high-margin items and that Ford is using them to recoup losses on the rest of the car.
However, I don’t believe the eFocus is worth $5k more than the Leaf, even with (or because of?) all the gadgets. One of the most glaring flaws of the eFocus is the intrusion of the battery into the cargo area behind the rear seats. It makes putting the seat down to increase storage almost pointless. The Leaf doesn’t have this problem.
I would actually consider an eFocus if the price (after rebate) were comparable to the Ti trim ($25k-27k). I don’t need MFT, nav, back-up camera, self-parking, auto lights/wipers, etc. IIRC, the ‘premium’ sound system had the subwoofer removed to save power, and if that’s the case, I opt for just the standard speaker package. All that adds up to at least $2500 on its own.
I am also disappointed in the lack of color options for the eFocus compared to the regular one.
Howe can it get 99 mpg if it only has a range of 76 miles?
Simple: you plug it in for 8 hours to re-charge, then resume driving until you have used up a whole gallon of electricty.
From now in, electricity will be discussed as a liquid.
Can you average 30 mpg on a trip that was only 15 miles? Yep.
an MPGe is the number of miles an electric vehicle can go on the energy that is stored in a single gallon of gasoline (~34kWh). If it had a battery with 1 gallon of gas equivalent, it would go 105 miles. It has a smaller battery (~23kWh), so it doesn’t go as far.
MPGe generates a huge number and creates an overly favorable impression. This is probably part of selling EVs to the public; apparently tax credits, use of HOV lanes and not having to pay road tax on the “fuel” is not quite enough. In the spirit of being fair and balanced I suggest we rate the battery capacity in Ge…gallon equivalents. Using the above numbers the Focus has a battery size of 2/3 Ge…how’s that sound?
“MPGe generates a huge number and creates an overly favorable impression.”
As noted above, MPGe is simply comparing the kilowatts used by an EV with the equivalent kilowatts (BTUs) contained in a gallon of gasoline. That may rub you the wrong way, but it’s accurate.
@pch101: “As noted above, MPGe is simply comparing the kilowatts used by an EV with the equivalent kilowatts (BTUs) contained in a gallon of gasoline. That may rub you the wrong way, but it’s accurate.”
It’s accurate, because it reflects the amount of energy the driver buys.
But, I would like to describe for the audience why this number would rub an engineer the wrong way. The MPGe number is not a fair comparison between a gasoline-powered car, because the Carnot energy conversion (from heat in to motion) happens in the gasoline car. The same heat->motion conversion cycle happens in the coal / natural gas /nuclear power plants that provide most of our electrical power, but the customer only pays for the energy AFTER the conversion losses. So, if you’re calculating the environmental impact, MPGe is not really a fair comparison.
BUT, hydro, wind, and PV-generated electricity don’t employ the Carnot cycle, so MPGe *IS* a fair comparison if the power comes from one of these sources.
I’m happy to let the marketing people tout the MPGe numbers (it’s very relevant to the customer’s wallet), but it doesn’t really describe the vehicle’s environmental impact very well.
One of the things that I really like about EVs, though, is that they’re agnostic about where the electricity comes from. That’s just cool. :-)
Anyway, I’m basically agreeing with pch101’s comment, but injecting some of the engineering complexity in to the discussion.
“I’m happy to let the marketing people tout the MPGe numbers (it’s very relevant to the customer’s wallet), but it doesn’t really describe the vehicle’s environmental impact very well.”
That isn’t what MPG does, either.
MPG is a measure of how far a vehicle can travel with a gallon of whatever fuel it uses.
MPGe tells you how far that a car can travel on about 34 kilowatts, which is equivalent to about 116,000 BTUs, which is roughly the amount of energy contained in a gallon of gas.
MPGe is doing exactly what MPG does. It isn’t a measure of environmental impact, as it is a consumption rate. Since people don’t really understand kilowatts, they opted to compare it to gasoline. You can use or ignore that information however you like.
MPGe number is really stupid, because it includes the efficiency of the charger.. I could care less, I want to know the efficiency from the battery to the wheels.. or the EPA range that it gets.
It would be like calculating your gasoline MPG by including the electricity used by the fuel pump at the gas station..true it affects your pocket but it is a stupid number.. all I care about is range from the given kWh stored or gallons of gasoline in my tank!
@pch101: “MPG is a measure of how far a vehicle can travel with a gallon of whatever fuel it uses.”
MPG is misleading, too. Not only will your mileage vary, but going from 5mpg to 10mpg saves a LOT more fuel (100% improvement) than going from 50mpg to 55mpg (10% improvement).
Gallons per 100miles (100/mpg) would be a far better measure of fuel efficiency. It would have even helped sell Tahoe Hybrids, because going from 16mpg to 21mpg on that monstrosity would save a lot more fuel than going from 42mpg (Cruze Eco) to 50mpg (the 2nd-gen Prius in my driveway).
The difference between the regular and Hybryd Tahoe is 16mpg to 21mpg is +5mpg, which is the difference between 6.25 gallons/100mi and 4.76 gal/100mi — or 1.40 gallons. Whereas the difference between the Cruze Eco to the Prius is 8mpg, which translates between 2.38 gal/100mi and 2.00 gal/100mi. The actual difference in consumption over a 100mi course is 0.38 gallons.
At $4 gas, the difference between the Cruze Eco and the Prius works out to about <$0.61/day for 80% of American commuters, while the difference between the Tahoe and the Tahoe Hybrid works out to <$2.24 for 80% of American commuters.
In other words, the difference between the Cruze and the Prius is less than 2/3rds of a dollar per day, while the difference between the Tahoe and Tahoe hybrid is 3.67 times as much.
Kinda puts that +5mpg and +8mpg in perspective, eh?
And, yes, you could use this kind of math to sell GM vehicles. The Cruze Eco isn't as good as the Prius, but the difference is pocket change ($178/year). (I'm not sure what it takes to sell a Tahoe under any circumstances -- I'm just not in the demographic.)
Of course, as a card-carrying Prius driver, I have to point out that the thing is super-reliable, and very efficient in its use of interior space, and that the Cruze Eco (or any other serious small car from an American nameplate) wasn't available in 2004 when my wife bought ours -- so it's been a great deal for us. But, still, gal/100mi would be a more fair way to compare these vehicles than MPG.
So, MPG is misleading because it unfairly emphasizes small differences between economy cars. MPGe is more misleading, too, since it has all of the problems of MPG -- AND it ignores the thermodynamic reality of the situation (while still being useful to the customer).
A few points.
kW is a SI unit of power, 1kW=1.36hp
kWh is a unit of energy, 1kWh=3 410btu
kJ is a SI unit of energy, 1kJ=0.95btu
1 gallon gas contains 131MJ, 125 000btu
The Carnot cycle is the most efficient possible conversion of energy to work and is completely theoretical. All large scale thermal power plants use a modified Rankin cycle.
Any measure of fuel efficacy is only useful because it allows the running cost to be calculated. MPGe says nothing about running costs because that electricity can be bought over the grid very cheaply, it can be generated by the cars engine at some unknown efficiency or generated through regenerative braking.
One of the things that turns me off of the Leaf is the goofy look, even the Prius isn’t that strange. It seems that Nissan made it different to stand out for the green crowd maybe? I like that this car looks the same as a regular Focus. And appears to be available with a dark grey or black interior, which I also insist on. I have always hated cream and beige interiors, but “greenie” cars seem to always come with those light interiors. Maybe it feels more efficient??
You must not live in a Southern state. If you did, you would understand the price of a black interior — a burned butt when you get into a car which has been sitting outside for a few hours.
Just a wild ass guess that the “greenie cars” as you call them are, among other things, trying to reduce the load on the a/c (or trying to reduce passenger discomfort from an undersized a/c system) which is why they have cream or beige interiors.
I live in Florida, and I drive a black car with a black interior, so I understand the theory. I just don’t agree with it. Black leather burns you, not cloth. And in the sun and heat we get here, all color interiors get crazy hot, even the white leather in my dads old M3.
But you are right, it prob uses less energy to cool a lighter interior. I just don’t like the tradeoff.
I definitely like the look of the Focus-EV over the Leaf. Still a five door but not nearly the styling standout though.
If this thing was 20K, it would make a great commuter car. But its not and the Prius C is so I would advise Ford not to anticipate much in the way of demand.
Agreed. When I heard that the Prius c was going to sell for 20K I thought that’s the end of the Leaf. At 40k the electric Focus doesn’t stand a chance.
I don’t think they expect much in the way of demand. Their own Fusion Hybrid is considerably cheaper, for starters. I think this is mostly a matter of being able to say that they’ve tossed their corporate hat into the EV ring, and a way to have people working on the technology a bit while they wait for battery prices to come down.
@John
Absolutely right on simply wanting to have engineers working on electric drive. It provides real-world experience with the technology, even if it is mostly used to give out parking tickets in affluent urban areas.
Ford and Nissan are taking reasonable steps not to be disrupted out of business when battery capability (per dollar, weight, volume) improves by a factor of two to four in 10 or 15 years.
The risk is that electric cars could go the way of diesel cars in the U.S. market. Early, half baked models could give the technology a black eye, so that hardly anyone buys even when it would be the best choice for them.
There are two hybrids that cost less than 20k when new. CR-Z and Prius C. The battery capacity on both is itty bitty when compared to the energy in any plug in hybrid or full EV. The focus by itself is barely less than 20k, so keep dreaming.
this doesn’t make any sense at all
if you can make do with 76 miles of range, then you probably don’t accrue that many miles on your car.
if you don’t accrue that many miles then Focus Titanium + lifetime of gas < Focus Electric
…
76 miles x 365 days in a year = 27k miles per year.. about twice what normal people do.
fine, assuming someone drives it every single day, and has 0 range anxiety so they’re able to go exactly, 76 miles, that is 27000 miles per year.
let’s say you got the Focus Titanium, which gets a combined 33. that’s (27000/33) = ~820 gallons per year. at $4 a gallon, that’s about $3300 per year in gas costs. the price premium of the electric is about $17000 more than a titanium. that’s about 5 years it would take to break even assuming electricity is free. it isn’t though, and will cost about $1.50 per day, assuming it’s similar to charge as a volt. so $500 a year give or take. this pushes the time to break even up to about 6 years.
now, after 6 years, which car would you rather have: a top of the line focus with 162000 miles, or a focus electric with 162000 and a battery of the same age?
when you crunch the numbers, electric cars just don’t make sense at this point.
this neglects any of the inconveniences of remembering to charge every single night for 6 years straight, as well as having a vehicle more expensive to insure that can never drive more than 76 miles in 6 hours.
You cycle the battery pack to 100% daily like that and you will kill it 5-10 times as fast as someone who only goes to 30-50% depth of discharge. The other huge unknown is the expected lifespan and cost of a replacement battery.
I figure EVs are at least one product cycle away from being ready for the Big Show. Right now they are still in the goverment supported farm system hothouse. A decade ago the 1st Gen Prius and Insight were also overpriced punchlines.
“now, after 6 years, which car would you rather have: a top of the line focus with 162000 miles, or a focus electric with 162000 and a battery of the same age?
when you crunch the numbers, electric cars just don’t make sense at this point.”
you forgot that the electric car requires far less in the way of maintenance; it’s got about 2 moving parts, no need for regular fluid changes, plugs, et. And at 160k miles on a regular ford, you’re into it for at least 1 timing belt + water pump. So these are factors too.
Focus vs Leaf?
Using truedelta the price difference is $6845.. that includes the Federal tax credit but not state incentives. If you dont qualify for the credit then lease the car and buy out the lease ASAP, you will get most of the tax credit benefit that way.
Assuming 56 miles per day, for 312 days that works out to 17k miles per year.. why 56 miles?.. we think it will give you the maximum battery life, perhaps 150-300k miles.
Per the EPA the Leaf requires $693 yearly for fuel costs, the Focus $1916.. a difference of $1223. So a total of 5.6 years to break even.. not counting the maintenance your Focus may need.
By 150k miles you will likely need a new battery in the Leaf, and a new transmission, water pump, fuel pump and alternator in the Focus.. probably a wash… and that is at todays gas prices. Perhaps the reduced range Leaf can be passed down to a kid that has reduced range needs, saving you the cost of replacing the battery.
Granted the Leaf looks like a slug compared to a Focus :)
Which car would I rather have – the Focus EV or Focus Titanium? The EV version of course. I would easily do 95% of my driving and the ability to thumb my nose at the oil industry would be an added bonus. And yes – I do recognize that my food and gadget arrives by diesel (oil) powered trucks… ;)
No I still think EVs are a right step in the right direction for those who can afford the initial price.
Use distance for your calcs, not time. For example, if we assume:
High-end Focus: $24k + 30 mpg ave + $4/gal gas
eFocus: $33k (includes rebate) + 76 mi/27 kWh electricity (it takes more than 23 kWh to ‘fill’ a 23 kWh battery) + $0.10/kWh
then the break-even (fuel only) occurs at ~92k mi. It makes no difference how much you drive per day or year, you will hit the break-even point when the odometer reaches that number.
Since cars last longer than 90k miles, it is reasonable for the eFocus’ costs to be comparible to a regular Focus’.
“And at 160k miles on a regular ford, you’re into it for at least 1 timing belt + water pump.”
I think Focus have had timing chains since the 2005 Duratecs.
Some maintaince costs will be similar – like Brakes, tires.
Oil changes, plugs, filters, etc, will add up to be less than an EV battery swap.
you could be right about the chain, i was looking at a different trim level (“ecoboost”) with a different engine. figured it would be similar performance-wise. According to ford, it has a “camshaft drive belt” and an “auxiliary drive belts” that have to be replaced at 125k.
I didn’t realize it,but they also consider the exhaust system to be a ‘wear and tear’ item. I’ve never seen that on a maintenance schedule before. Do Ford mufflers rot or something??
Wait a minute and let me catch my breath……..
I don’t know about you but I live in a country with over 10% real unemployment and a deficit that is partially caused by giving$7500.00 tax credits on $40,000.00 cars……that get a 76 mile range???
This is so crazy its actually (not) funny!
Who the hell can afford these things????
Not in my neighborhood,that’s for sure!
You can buy a Nissan Versa for a little over 25% as much but..no ,wait,let me think about it…….Ill buy a car that goes 76 miles..jacks up utility rates…requires me to have an electrician(cheap labor for sure) to install a 240 outlet in my garage..and an unproven battery life………
get a F_ _ _ ing grip here…
Mass production is the only way prices are going to come down.
Interestingly, the same model is being touted for SpaceX and their rocket system — they explicitly state in their business plan that the only way their system will ever become affordable is if they do -lots- of launches and continuously produce -lots- of rockets, and not follow the NASA model of infrequent launches. It will take years (decades?) but if they survive their infancy, they just might have the formula for low-cost space access.
The government is doing the same here — getting electric cars out of their infancy. Right now there is only 1 real, reasonable mainstream model (the Leaf). The addition of competitors like the Focus will only help bring prices down for the rest of us, and advance these cars until they are clearly competitive. I suspect that by the time you have 3, 4, or 5 legitimate alternatives in the marketplace the tech will evolve much more rapidly and the government will back off. We’re just not there yet.
Anyway, I’d rather have my government give credits for this than Ethanol subsidies or a trillion-dollar military that exists primarily to defend access to oil. It seemed to me I had no choice in the matter.
fozone = spot on!!!!
The Focus Electric IS a stunner (looks-wise) compared to the (somewhat homely) Leaf — but, the cargo space behind the rear seat of the Focus is extremely limited due to the intrusion of the battery pack. The Focus is heavier as well, so the range in hilly terrain is likely to be less than the Leaf under similar circumstances. But I certainly would consider buying one (of either) if I had that kind of cash for a small car (BMW 1-series territory, I suppose).
Volt comes out – starting price was $41K – wails that it is over priced and the competition will kill it. Price reduced to $39,995 (and coming soon to a dealer near you – likely incentives to goose sales)
Comparably equipped Prius Plug-In Advanced, with an 11 mile electric range if you drive under 62 MPH – $39,525. At least the Prius Plug-In Advanced has brand equity (yes, you can get the decontented cheaper version but the equipment level doesn’t line up with the rest of the class – the true value falls somewhere between the two but the Prius has the price advantage, at the sacrifice of any meaningful electric range – the “plug-in” part is borderline marketing bullet versus practical engineering solution)
Ford Focus electric – $39,995.
See a trend here yet?
I’m concluding the electric car market isn’t even niche – it falls somewhere in and around, “what are all these car maker thinking.” Clearly the cost of batteries is too prohibitive to be competitive.
In the case of the Volt, just get a Cruze Eco with every option and buy a lifetime supply of gas with the cash you saved.
In the case of the Focus electric, get a Focus Titantium and buy a lifetime supply of gas with the cash you saved.
In the case of the Prius Plug-In Advanced, get a Prius V and buy a lifetime…well you get the idea.
Wake me up when gasoline is $10 a gallon – then these cars will start to make sense. Cars like the electric Focus and Leaf if you do short hauls and don’t do any cross country driving, and live in an area where chargers are readily available. The Prius Plug-In and Volt if you need to do mixed driving of short and long haul – given you’re not tethered to an electrical cord to go as far as you need/want.
Nothing buy toys for bragging rights on how green you are; all of them.
“Wake me up when gasoline is $10 a gallon – then these cars will start to make sense.”
Coming to a gas pump near you – $10 gasoline! – If the politicians don’t quit taunting Iran and vice-versa. Not eager for the Iranian govt to have a nuke but I still think Israel and the US govts are aggravating the situation as much as the Iranian govt.
Funny how the rest of the world isn’t as up in arms as the US and Israeli govts.
yeah, it’s Israel’s fault that Iran has a leader than can’t stop talking about wiping Israel off the map while simultaneously working on developing nuclear weapons that would make that threat real.