January 10, 2011 - CES 2011: Ford Unveils the All-New Focus Electric

After teasing the vehicle earlier this week, Ford has just unveiled its first all-electric passenger car at the 2011 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas!

The model is a zero-emissions, all-electric version of the company's most popular small car, the Focus. Exact numbers are not yet available for fuel economy and driving range, but the performance of the Focus Electric will be comparative to that of the Chevy Volt and the Nissan Leaf

Ford says the vehicle is designed to cover enough range to meet the daily driving requirements for most Americans (previously, a Ford spokesperson said the driving range would be around 100 miles). The car will get a better mile-per-gallon equivalent than the Chevy Volt, which averages 93 mpg when running all-electric, and a full recharge of the lithium-ion battery pack is expected to take three to four hours at home with the 240-volt charge station — that’s about half the time required by the Nissan Leaf. Car owners can also charge the car with the 120-volt convenience cord, which could require up to 20 hours for a full charge.

To help owners achieve the lowest possible utility rates, Ford teamed up with Microsoft to offer value charging through Hohm, an internet-based energy management system. Ford is the first automaker to use Hohm, which will help drivers determine when and how to most efficiently charge the Focus Electric.

http://inhabitat.com/ces-2011-ford-unveils-the-all-new-focus-electric/