Ford EV Technologies Will Help Drivers Deal With Range Anxiety

Ford Motor Co. said todayit is packing its Focus Electric vehicle with a suite of informationtechnologies that will transform the driving experience for its owners.

The forthcoming EV, on display at the North American International Auto Show,will use electronics to keep drivers in touch with its remaining driving rangein virtually every conceivable situation. Unique electronic features for thecar include a MyFord Touch driver connect system tailored for EVs, a chargingfeature powered by Microsoft

software and a smart phone application calledMyFord Mobile that helps drivers control their electric vehicles remotely.

"Ford wants to make driving and living with electricvehicles as seamless as possible," noted David Finnegan, marketing manager forFord electric vehicles.

The vehicle, which will have an all-electric driving rangeof about 100 miles, will provide drivers with a multitude of ways to checktheir remaining charge. The MyFord Touch feature provides a dashboard iconshowing the battery state of charge, and even works with GPS to determinewhether drivers can make it to their remaining destinations.

Similarly, the MyFord Mobile provides charge information tosmart phone screens and computer displays, and even employs a Microsoftsoftware app to work with owners to re-charge their vehicles in the middle ofthe night, when electricity rates are lower. MyFord Mobile even includes an appthat memorizes a person's driving habits (classifying them in categoriesranging from "zippy" to "zen") and then uses that information to make rangecalculations. It also alerts drivers to the presence of the nearest chargingstations.

Ford said today that it has also teamed with Best Buy's GeekSquad to work with owners to install home chargers for the electric vehicles.

Such features are considered critical for EV owners becauseof concerns over the lack of range in existing EVs. Nissan's Leaf, for example,claimed a 100-mile range before the EPA re-calculated it at 73 miles. And in arecent Wall Street Journal test, the Leaf began running out of charge at 49.5miles when the driver was running the heater.

EV manufacturers, however, contend that a prescribed nicheof drivers don't need large amounts of range, and can be happy with pureelectrics as long as they have a good understanding of the battery's remainingstate of charge.

Ford said that the Focus Electric, due out late in 2011,will employ a 23-kWh battery capable of fully charging in about three to fourhours using a 240V station. Ford says the Focus Electric's charging time isabout half that of the Nissan Leaf, which came out late last year.

Ford did not offer cost information about the battery. "Thetechnology and pricing of electric car batteries is moving quite quickly rightnow," says Finnegan.

Ford representatives said that the Focus Electric is part ofthe company's larger electrification plan, which also includes an electric van,a plug-in hybrid and a conventional hybrid. "Different customers will havedifferent needs," says Finnegan. "Ford's strategy is to offer all thesedifferent types of technologies and create a broad base of vehicles."