Skip to main content

Ford Focus Electric pictures – a plug-in EV that charges twice as fast as the Chevy Volt

Today, Ford is holding an event in New York City to show off its eco-friendly vehicle lineup and the centerpiece of the show is the new Ford Focus Electric. According to Ford, the new Focus has a better mile-per-gallon equivalent than the Chevrolet Volt and will be competitive with any other vehicle. As a completely gas-less, electric plug-in car, the Focus Electric has benefits and limitations. It comes with a charge inverter that can charge the car twice as fast as any other electric vehicle we’ve seen. Using the charging station, you can charge the car in 3-4 hours. More specifically, it can charge up to 6.6 Kilowatts per hour. The lithium ion battery pack holds about 23 Kilowatts of power, which should get you about 100 miles on a charge.

Most of the high-end Ford features come standard on the Electric due to its high price (about $40,000, though there’s a $7,500 government rebate for buying an electric car). MyFord Touch with Microsoft Sync, fancy seats made of recycled pop bottles, and a cool MyFord Mobile app that lets you monitor your charging and car from anywhere, are all included. Check out our hands-on video of the MyFord Mobile app

The Focus Electric will hit shelves before the end of the year (sounds like December) and is the first of five Ford electric vehicles coming by 2013.

Jeffrey Van Camp
Former Digital Trends Contributor
As DT's Deputy Editor, Jeff helps oversee editorial operations at Digital Trends. Previously, he ran the site's…
Watch this famous musician fly in a car with wings
watch this famous musician fly in a car with wings aircar

Jean-Michel Jarre is world’s first passenger to take off in KleinVision’s flying AirCar

The legendary French synth musician Jean-Michel Jarre has become the first passenger to take to the skies in Klein Vision’s incredible flying car.

Read more
The Tesla Model Y is at its lowest price yet — but should you buy one?
Tesla Model Y

Despite increased competition in the space, the Tesla Model Y is still one of the best EVs out there. It has access to the best charging network, plus it offers among the best software experiences, as well as a solid range, especially in the longer-range models. And the Model Y is now down to its lowest price yet, meaning that if you were considering getting one, now is probably the time to buy.

The base price of the Tesla Model Y is down to $42,990 at the time of this writing, which represents a pretty huge price cut. That's before any tax incentives too -- and considering the car is eligible for the full $7,500 tax credit, that means you could get it for as low as $35,490.

Read more
Here’s how EVs charge as they drive on a stretch of Michigan road
Tech of the Week Electreon

Charging remains one of the biggest hurdles for mass EV adoption. Public charging infrastructure still isn’t extensive enough to merit driver confidence, and even the fastest chargers still require lengthy stops compared to refueling a gasoline car. But the State of Michigan and Israeli startup Electreon hope to prove that EVs can charge as they drive.

As detailed in a recent CleanTechnica explainer, the Michigan Department of Transportation is demonstrating in-road wireless charging hardware from Electreon on a quarter-mile stretch of 14th Street in Detroit. It’s being billed as the first such roadway in the U.S.

Read more