Yesterday, Ford Motor Company’s CEO Alan Mulally revealed Ford’s 2012 Focus Electric at the Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Simultaneously, there was a press event in New York City featuring Bill Ford, Executive Chairman of Ford Motor Company who spoke about the future of Ford’s electric vehicles.
Ford Motor Company is aware that customers are shopping around and educating themselves when deciding which vehicle to purchase. In order to differentiate the brand from competitors, Ford realizes that they need to give their customers a variety of options and choices. Because of this, Ford has plans to manufacture 5 different electric vehicles by 2012 in North American markets as well as European. (The first Ford electric vehicle was the Transit Connect Electric.) *
The company wants to be “a leader in fuel economy in every segment”, not just targeting demographically those who can afford expensive high-end vehicles. In order to accomplish their goal of becoming a leader in the electric vehicle market, Ford plans to house the assembly of these vehicles in one Plant in Wayne, Michigan. About this move, Bill Ford remarked, “We are investing more dollars to design, develop, and build electrified vehicles…we are working to create a center of electrification, bringing much of the work in-house.”*
Here is a summary of what you can expect from the 2012 Ford Focus Electric:
• Entirely powered by a 23kWh lithium-ion battery pack
• Little if not any C02 emissions
• 100 miles on a full charge
• Will be able to be charged within 3 to 4 hours (1/2 the time of competitors)
• Will use a 240v at home charging station as well as have the option of charging stations on the road
• Top speed of about 84 mph
• Instant torque
• The interior of the car, more specifically the seats, are made from 100% sustainable materials. Actual recycled blue jean fabric will be used for insulation.
• Ford will be partnering with Best Buy and the Geek Squad to make an set up of the charging station easy
• Convenient and removable charging unit
Ford also unveiled My Ford Mobile. This is an application for smart-phones which will be free for users for the first 5 years of vehicle ownership. What you can expect from this application:
• The ability to access controls and settings of your vehicle with the touch of a button
• Be able to see how many gallons of gasoline and lbs of C02 you have saved
• The application will learn your driving style and apply the information to help the driver make more calculated decisions
• The owner will be able to start charging their vehicle at home just by using their phone
• MapQuest will work with SYNC to map out charging stations and you will be able to save your favorites on the app
• Reward features such as receiving Foursquare badges and Xbox live credit
This is the future of the automotive industry. The consumers are ready for a change and Ford is stepping up to the plate and giving them what they are asking for. Mulally predicts that in 10 years,1/4 of global auto sales will be from electric vehicles.** The Focus Electric will be in dealerships later this year. For now I will leave you with this last quote from Mulally:
“Drive a Ford, feel the difference”- Alan Mulally
* Press Coverage of Event
** Automotive News
