Ford Focus Electric production begins

Ford has begun European production of its Focus Electric – which becomes the first all-electric vehicle to be built by Ford of Europe, and goes on sale in the UK in late summer.

Ford is still working on prices, but a spokesman for the firm said, “Ford aims to be competitive in every segment it sells cars in.” This implies that the car will be priced close to the Nissan Leaf, which starts at £23,490, including the government plug-in car grant.

Ford’s spokesman also said that he expects the Focus Electric to be a hit with fleet buyers, who snap up a number of vehicles at a reduced rate in order to boost their eco credentials.

The Focus Electric has been designed as a One Ford product, like the rest of the Focus range, and is built on exactly the same production line in Saarlouis, Germany as the regular Focus.

The all-electric Focus features an electric motor that develops the equivalent of 143bhp and has a lithium-ion battery that gives a range of around 100 miles on a full charge.

The Focus includes a 6.6kW charger built in to the car, and this car recharge the battery from empty in 3-4 hours. Top speed is 84mph.

Other features include Ford’s new interface called called SmartGauge, which calculates and displays driving range based on remaining battery power. The system also includes a Brake Coach feature, which instructs the driver on how to brake so as to maximise regenerative braking energy.

The Focus Electric will be boosted by the arrival of the Ford C MAX Energi plug-in hybrid and all-new Ford Mondeo Hybrid – both of which are due here in 2014.