I don't believe that they will sell many at that price. One thing I wish car companies would do is have the option for a smaller capacity battery. Call it the "city range option". This would lower the price and improve the performance (like acceleration) of the vehicle. I guess I am unusual in that I do not have "range anxiety". My commute is about 6.5 miles each way and even if I run an errand on the way home, and, or go out for lunch I could easily make do with a 20 mile total range. So I really only need half the battery capacity that they are putting in cars like the Leaf and Focus. If I needed to make a longer drive for some reason I could trade vehicles with one of the other members of my household (we are a four car family and we all have relatively short daily commutes) for the day.
At a trade show this summer, Ford had vaious components of the Focus EV on display. I was puzzled by the fact that the motor only turns one direction, and relies on a mechanical transmission to reverse. What about four-quadrant motor controllers? Wouldn't that be more efficient then gears?
I was particularly surprised to see Leno on this collection of photos. The second-to-last slide with the cutaway was a good shot of the differences between internal combustion and electric cars. From you earlier articles pointing to difficulties with EV batteries -- and from the price tags -- it seems we still have a ways to go before EVs are fully arrived.
I was also a bit taken aback by the price tag on this car. But, like everything, just wait long enough and the price will come down. Of course, by then, we will want the newer, potentially better thing that is replacing it.
This is a very gutsy and welcome move by Ford. They have done a very nice job in both weathering the economic 'downturn' and a very nice job with their new product offerings. Their plans for the new Focus Electric are really nicely structured as a production item.
I am a bit offput by the price but, hey, it is what it is. And I think that the flexibility that Ford appears to have built into their production planning is superb.
Nice addition to the portfolio of pure electrics that exist on the market today. Interesting that Ford is emphasizing its scalable manufacturing infrastructure upon delivery of the vehicle to production. I'm curious whether manufacturing capabilities are a key concern as more of these electric vehicles roll out. Is it that people are worried that the OEMs have built up too much dedicated production capabilities, i.e., potential inventory for pure electrics or that there's concern enough vehicles can't be built if demand escalates?
By experimenting with the photovoltaic reaction in solar cells, researchers at MIT have made a breakthrough in energy efficiency that significantly pushes the boundaries of current commercial cells on the market.
In a world that's going green, industrial operations have a problem: Their processes involve materials that are potentially toxic, flammable, corrosive, or reactive. If improperly managed, this can precipitate dangerous health and environmental consequences.
With LEDs dropping in price virtually every year, automakers have begun employing them, not only on luxury vehicles, but on entry-level models, as well.
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A quick look into the merger of two powerhouse 3D printing OEMs and the new leader in rapid prototyping solutions, Stratasys. The industrial revolution is now led by 3D printing and engineers are given the opportunity to fully maximize their design capabilities, reduce their time-to-market and functionally test prototypes cheaper, faster and easier. Bruce Bradshaw, Director of Marketing in North America, will explore the large product offering and variety of materials that will help CAD designers articulate their product design with actual, physical prototypes. This broadcast will dive deep into technical information including application specific stories from real world customers and their experiences with 3D printing. 3D Printing is
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