2012 Ford Focus Electric

According to its EPA certification data, the Ford Focus Electricachieves the equivalent of 110 mpg in the city, 99 mpg on the highway and 105 mpg combined. Applying the government’s adjustment factor of 0.70, this and the car’s 23-kWh battery pack give Ford’s EV compact an EPA-estimated range of 76 miles.

By contrast, the Nissan Leaf’s corresponding figures aren’t quite as high, 106/92/99, city/highway/combined, respectively; the Leaf’s
slightly larger 24-kWh battery pack and EPA figuring yield a Leaf range of 73 miles. The diminutive Mitsubishi i’s values are 126/99/112, city/highway/combined, respectively. However, its smaller 16-kWh pack yields an EPA-estimated range of 62 miles.

To put these in perspective, we were seeing an enthusiastically piloted but confident 80 miles with our Long-Term Leaf. It’s a bit early to estimate, but we appear to be beating the EPA estimate for the Mitsubishi i as well. In any event, based on comparative EPA analyses, we wouldn’t be surprised to see the Ford Focus Electric do even better than its posted figures.

Quicker Charge

The charge time advantage is relatively straightforward engineering: On-board systems of the Leaf and i are configured to accept charge at a rate of 3.3 kW; the Ford is configured for 6.6 kW, thus essentially reducing charge time by half. By the way, don’t confuse this with “Quick Charging,” 80-percent refills in 30 minutes using 440-volt DC hardware, which many say is detrimental to battery life. Apart from hardware cost, the 6.6-kW charger is said to have no such tradeoff.

At 220 volts, Ford says a typical full charge would come in four hours. The company is marketing a 220-volt home charging station developed jointly by Leviton for $1499. This price includes what may be termed normal installation (albeit in a home already sufficiently wired for its voltage and amperage). Best Buy Geek Squads are involved in the process.

Mechanical/Electrical Bits

Built on the same production line as its gasoline-fueled counterpart, the Focus Electric shares lots of elements with its sibling. Among these are its front-drive configuration, MacPherson-strut front suspension and multilink rear. Unique, of course, is its 105-kW/141-hp permanent magnet motor gaining energy from its LG Chem Ltd.-supplied lithium-ion battery pack. This pack resides behind the rear seat, low though still compromising the aft cargo area a bit. Curb weight of the Focus Electric is a reported 3624 lb.

To put this in perspective, our Nissan Leaf tested in February 2011 weighed 3415 lb. By EPA measurements the Focus is a compact car; the Leaf, a midsize. This is confirmed by Simanaitis-larger-than-the-average-bear calibration: Both are adequately sized up front, though the Leaf rear seat is rather more useful.