Competition in the growing battery-electric vehicle (BEV) market took a big step up last week, as Ford Motor Co. announced that it has launched production of the Focus Electric.
The Focus Electric, which carries no gasoline onboard, will go head-to-head with the Nissan Leaf and will be the only other high-volume BEV to be marketed by a major automaker. In many respects, it will be similar to the Leaf, offering a miles-per-gallon-equivalent figure of around 100 and an all-electric range between 70 and 100 miles. The new vehicle's major differences are that it will charge in about half the time, will cost slightly more than the Leaf, and will be built in a flexible setting that can handle large or small production volumes .
Click the image of the Ford Focus Electric below to view a slideshow of the five-passenger vehicle:
Ford's five-passenger Focus Electric will compete head-to-head with Nissan's Leaf.
Source: Ford Motor Co.
"If the Ford Focus EV starts selling like gangbusters, they'll be ready," says Dave Hurst, senior analyst for Pike Research, in an interview with Design News. "Ford will be building the gasoline Focus, the Hybrid C-Max, and the Focus EV in the same plant, and they can shift from one vehicle to another depending on demand."
Up to now, no BEV has turned in big sales numbers. The Leaf is expected to hit about 10,000 in 2011, accounting for nearly all the industry's BEV sales. Pike Research predicts overall BEV sales will hit about 30,000 in 2012, out of an expected total of 13 million vehicles sold in the US. Other battery-electric vehicles will vie for their share of these 30,000 sales, however. Honda, Toyota Scion, Tesla, and BYD Motors will roll out pure electric cars in 2012, and GM is expected to follow with its Spark EV in 2013.
The Chevy Volt, which is referred to as an electric car, doesn't fall in the BEV category, because it carries gasoline onboard.
Ford says the Focus Electric is the first pure electric car to offer fast-recharging technology. At 240V, it can be recharged in three to four hours -- about half the time the Nissan Leaf takes. The difference is Ford's use of a 6.7kW onboard charger, as opposed to the Leaf's 3.3kW charger. At 120V, the Focus battery will "fill up" in approximately 18 to 20 hours.
In a press release, Ford declared that its fast-charging capability will translate to greater range. "Faster charging with 240 volts also can extend range as drivers can more quickly recharge between stops," the release states.
Ford was not forthcoming with its miles-per-gallon-equivalent figures or single-charge range numbers, however. It said only that its MPGe will be more than 100mpg, and its range on a single charge will be "competitive with other comparable all-electric vehicles." The Nissan Leaf clocks in at 99 MPGe and the Volt offers 93 MPGe.
Ford's new EV will employ a 23kWh lithium-ion battery supplied by LG Chem Ltd. and manufactured by Compact Power Inc. In terms of capacity, the battery is very similar to the Leaf's 24kWh unit and almost 50 percent larger than Chevy Volt's 16kWh product.
Ford has priced the Focus Electric at $39,995, making it identical to the Chevy Volt, and more costly than the Leaf, which has an MSRP of $35,200.
Hurst says that most electric vehicle makers are as yet treading lightly and not expecting huge sales numbers for the Leaf, Focus, or any other BEV in 2012. "These companies aren't looking for big numbers right out of the gate," he says. "We're still seeing questions because there are a lot of new technologies here, and everyone wants to be sure they're ready."
To keep up with our Chevy Volt coverage, go to Drive for Innovation and follow the cross-country journey of EE Life editorial director Brian Fuller. On his trip, sponsored by Avnet Express, Fuller is driving a Volt across America to interview engineers.
My background is not in portable power, but I would think that if someone could design a speciallized battery or quick-tranfer device, you could have a mechanical safety interlock to cover the connections. Even today's gas power vehicles aren't 100% safe for the emergency restarts. You can send yourself to the hospital if you don't know what your doing on a jump start and I don't know too many people that would want to carry a spare gas can in their car all the time.
Thanks for the link, Charles, I didn't see that story. That's just what I was afaid of - there is currently no good fix for what could be a common problem. At least gas mileage is fairly consistent over the environmental range. I would hope that at least someone could come up with a "quick charge" that would allow you to obtain enough charge to get a few miles to the nearest gas station (electron station?).
I think one underestimated aspect of this launch is that it's taking a mainstream, well-known and accepted vehicle, and in essence porting it over to the electric platform side. I think this augers well for market acceptance, and may go part way towards breaking through the consumer resistance barrier Chuck has written about so eloquently. Of course, the proof will be in the sales figures.
This has always been the issue with BEVs. Many years ago, spurred by oil price hikes and supply problems, the idea of a switchable battery pack was the solution. The idea was that, instead of charging at home (which I guess you could do as well), you would pull into a "station" and the battery pack would be switched out. The "station" would have a large number of packs and fast chargers. At that time the batteries were not as capable, expensive or comples as the current ones. My understanding is that the battery in the Tesla (which is arguably a much more capable device) is several hunderd pounds and costs about $25K. I am not sure that these are the current figures, but they give the order of magnitude.
The real answer is that the BEV is relegated to a second car for local driving. That wil limprove over time, but it does limit the market at the current price.
Good points, Jack. The heart of your argument is that the EVs can't replace a conventional vehicle. That makes EVs the vacation house of the auto world, primarily a luxury vehicle for those who are not seeking value as a primary quality of their auto purchase.
Just wondering, with these pure EV's coming out what is there for emergency power? If you aren't paying attention to your gas powered car, you walk to the nearest gas station, get a gas can and walk back with enough "power" to get back to the station for a complete fill-up. What happens when your stranded with an electric vehicle - especially since it seems that the miles-per-charge vary a lot more than mile-per-gallon such as due to temperature?
Rob - I think they are targeting the higher end markets because of the lack of penetration. The base cost of ownership has not yet come down to a competitive level, so the majority of people who are buying them are the early adopter - those that want something cool, are willing to pay for the environmetal benefits, have another car for long trips or hauling. The people that would mostly want the "cheap" version would also be looking at it as a replacement for their sole car, and these aren't there yet.
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