2012 Ford Focus EV

The biggest issue with electric vehicles is there range. Anyone who wants to buy an EV always worries about this range anxiety and it actually scares potential customers away. However the 2012 Ford Focus Electric has taken a giant step toward alleviating the issue. It not only delivers 76 miles of easily achievable range, it also offers a battery recharge time that’s roughly half of the Nissan Leaf, its closest competitor.

The 2012 Ford Focus charger is rated at 6.6 kilowatts, so it can cram twice the juice into its liquid-cooled and heated lithium-ion battery in a given time. Its competitors the Nissan Leaf, Mitsubishi i MiEV, Mini E all are rated at 3.3 kilowatts.  The full recharge time is 4 hours for the Focus Electric’s 23-kWh battery versus 7 hours for the 24-kWh battery in the Leaf.

Efficient regenerative braking is key to the efficiency of the Focus, enabled in part by the Ford’s larger electric motor-generator 107 kW. It takes 9.6 seconds for a 2012 Ford Focus Electric to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph; a petrol-powered Focus with an automatic transmission does it in 8.9 seconds. The 2012 Ford Focus Electric is a compelling choice that combines solid Focus driving manners and the attraction of the EV driving experience with a usable range and efficiency.