It looks like the only thing quieter than the electric motor of the Ford Focus EV is the Blue Oval's approach to promoting the electric vehicle's longer range. For the 2017 model year, Ford is upping the car's single-charge range to 115 miles, courtesy of a 33.5-kilowatt-hour battery pack. Thankfully, the sharp-eyed folks at Electrek and Green Car Reports figured it out at the Los Angeles Auto Show.
Ford disclosed the longer range on the window sticker of a Focus Electric that was on display at the show. The range jump is impressive, as it represents a 51-percent increase from the current Focus EV's 76 miles. In fact, the Focus EV's range is slightly longer than that of the Nissan Leaf (which is way overdue for a new-generation version), about the same as the current BMW i3, and a little shorter than the Volkswagen e-Golf's. Other changes to the 2017 Focus EV include the use of the combined charging system (CCS) platform and a larger door to the charging port. A Ford representative didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from AutoblogGreen.
Never robust to begin with, Ford Focus EV sales have slowed to a relative trickle recently, so the bump in range should help things. Through October, Focus EV sales in the US were down 48 percent from a year earlier to 705 units. Ford sold just 44 Focus EVs last month.
Granted, the 2017 Focus EV's range still falls well short of the 200-plus-mile range that EV shoppers will soon get from the Chevrolet Bolt and (later) the Tesla Model 3. Still, the electric Ford's 2017 model-year range was previously expected to be about 110 miles, so there's a small victory there. And a quiet one.
Related Video:
Ford disclosed the longer range on the window sticker of a Focus Electric that was on display at the show. The range jump is impressive, as it represents a 51-percent increase from the current Focus EV's 76 miles. In fact, the Focus EV's range is slightly longer than that of the Nissan Leaf (which is way overdue for a new-generation version), about the same as the current BMW i3, and a little shorter than the Volkswagen e-Golf's. Other changes to the 2017 Focus EV include the use of the combined charging system (CCS) platform and a larger door to the charging port. A Ford representative didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from AutoblogGreen.
Never robust to begin with, Ford Focus EV sales have slowed to a relative trickle recently, so the bump in range should help things. Through October, Focus EV sales in the US were down 48 percent from a year earlier to 705 units. Ford sold just 44 Focus EVs last month.
Granted, the 2017 Focus EV's range still falls well short of the 200-plus-mile range that EV shoppers will soon get from the Chevrolet Bolt and (later) the Tesla Model 3. Still, the electric Ford's 2017 model-year range was previously expected to be about 110 miles, so there's a small victory there. And a quiet one.
Related Video:
Sign in to post
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Continue