ELECTRIC: Vehicle landmark for Ford
Ford have begun production of the zero-emission Focus Electric in Germany, their first full-electric vehicle to be built in Europe.
The 145PS Focus Electric is spearheading Ford’s lineup of electrified and highly fuel-efficient vehicles, with units reaching customers from next month.
It will be joined in Europe by the Ford C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid electric vehicle next year, with the all-new Ford Mondeo Hybrid soon after.
Ford have integrated its production directly into the established Focus production line at Saalouis, Germany.
Barb Samardzich, Product Development Vice President at Ford of Europe, said: “Focus Electric marks the dawn of an exciting new age of full-electric Ford passenger vehicles in Europe, and demonstrates the success of the One Ford strategy in making this sophisticated vehicle available to our European customers.”
Developed as a ‘One-Ford’ global vehicle, the Focus Electric features an advanced electric motor and lithium-ion battery powertrain that achieves a top speed of 84mph.
Each vehicle is equipped with a 6.6kW fully-integrated onboard charger, achieving a driving range of around 60 miles with 2-3 hours charging from a 32 A power supply.
A full charge of the Focus Electric battery in 3-4 hours will deliver a 100-mile range.
The vehicle features a new user interface called SmartGauge which calculates and displays driving range based several factors.
These factors are: remaining energy; the driver’s unique braking and acceleration inputs; and the use of accessories such as climate control and audio systems.
The Focus Electric’s sophisticated powertrain uses regenerative braking to capture up to 95% of kinetic energy normally lost during the braking process.
Meanwhile, an innovative Brake Coach feature encourages gradual braking to help return more energy to the battery.
