Ford Partners with SunPower for Focus Electric Green Initiative

Recently it has been announced that Ford Motor Company and SunPower Corp have partnered together to help further Ford’s ‘Drive Green for Life’ program. As we have previously reported, Ford has created an electrification strategy that involves introducing five electric vehicles to the North American market by 2013. Ford’s partnership with SunPower important for future Focus Electric owners.

By teaming up with SunPower, Ford will be able to offer Focus Electric owners a solution for energy consumed while charging their vehicle. SunPower Corp. specializes in designing and manufacturing solar panels systems. SunPower has developed a solar panel rooftop system specifically for Ford Focus Electric owners that will generate over 3,000 kilowatt hours of electricity every year (accommodating owners who drive roughly 12,000 miles per year). This will provide owners with “enough renewable energy production to offset the energy used for charging.” This will then reduce the total cost incurred to a Ford Electric owner.



When the Focus Electric is introduced to the first 19 test markets in North America later this year, SunPower will be ready. SunPower has over 400 qualified dealers that are hand picked and trained to sell and install the solar panel systems. Car dealerships will notify local SunPower dealers to set up the installation process with customers.

Customers looking forward to the C-Max Energi’s release will be happy to know that the plug-in hybrid will be compatible with the solar panels.

What do you think of this partnership? Do you think many Focus Electric owners will take advantage of this technology?

This Ford Motor Company update has been provided by Murphy Ford Lincoln

2012 Ford Focus Electric Pilot Launch Markets

In our previous posts, we have talked about how Ford Motor Company plans to implement their electrification strategy for the future. Part of this plan involves the release of the 2012 Ford Focus Electric. This completely battery-powered vehicle will be released later this year. The Focus Electric will be introduced to 19 key markets in the pilot launch. These locations were chosen because of certain criteria such as:

-Zero emissions vehicle states
-Urban and heavy commuter areas
-High-household income markets
-Areas with government efforts that support the electrification infrastructure

The 19 pilot markets include Los Angeles, New York, Houston, and Washington, D.C. Below are all 19 areas chosen carefully by Ford.



The Ford Focus Electric is one of five cars that Ford Motor Company plans to have in its Electrified Vehicle line by 2012.

What Does a Hybrid Vehicle Mean?

With Ford's electric plans for the future, I thought it would be a good idea to break down some terminology that you may have already heard and will be hearing about in the upcoming months. Many people are probably already familiar with the phrase “hybrid vehicles”, but may not really understand what that really means. Ford currently has three different categories of electric vehicles which are hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and all-electric.

Hybrid Vehicles:

- A Hybrid vehicle combines the power of a traditional gasoline engine with the efficiency of a battery-powered electric motor. This helps to improve fuel economy because the vehicle is using a smaller, more efficient gasoline motor because of the electric motor.
- The battery of the electric motor is powered by regenerative braking. What this means is that when a vehicle is braking, kinetic energy is generated and then converted into electricity. Regenerative braking “captures over 90% of braking energy normally lost to heat due to friction” (Ford).
- The battery is also powered by the gasoline engine.
- An example of this kind of vehicle is the Ford Fusion Hybrid

Plug-In Hybrid Vehicles:

- A Plug-In Hybrid vehicle is very similar to how a hybrid vehicle runs and is designed. What makes the plug-in different is that it has a larger battery than a hybrid, which can then by re-charged by plugging into a normal household current. A plug-in hybrid also has the same capabilities of a regular hybrid in that it has on-board charging capabilities from regenerative braking and from the gasoline engine.
- The plug-in hybrid has a “greater range in full electric mode than a full hybrid, which helps reduce fuel consumption” (Ford).
- An example of this vehicle will be the all new Ford C-Max Energi .

All-Electric Vehicles:

- An All-Electric vehicle does not have a gasoline engine and is solely battery powered by an electric motor.
- These vehicles have a high voltage lithium-ion battery pack and can be recharged in a household current. However, separate vehicle charging stations are available to enable a faster charge.
- An example of this vehicle will be the all new 2012 Ford Focus Electric . “The powertrain provides 100% CO2-free driving, and will give Focus Electric an mpg equivalent competitive with other electric vehicles in the market” (Ford).

Ford plans to have five electric vehicles in the market by 2012. These vehicles are the Ford Focus Electric, Ford C-Max Hybrid, Ford C-Max Energi, Ford Transit Connect Electric, and one other vehicle that has yet to be revealed.

The Electric Future of Ford

“Electrification is now a core competency for Ford”- Bill Ford





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

First News on the Launch of Ford’s First Electric Car

It has arrived. Ford Motor Company’s first all-electric passenger car will be released in 2011. No official date has been confirmed yet, but Ford has publicized that the vehicle will first be launched in select U.S. markets. These markets include Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York and Orlando, just to name a few. Ford stated that this is merely the first stage in their plan for rolling out the Focus Electric and that as demand increase, it will be made available in more cities.

The Focus Electric will be the first of its kind for Ford and it is promising capabilities of “up to 100 miles of zero C02-emissions, gas-free driving on a full charge” *. The motor will powered by a lithium-ion battery. The life of the battery is prolonged by a cooling and liquid heating system. Ford has stated that the price of the new vehicle will start around $16,995 **.

It is also worth mentioning that Ford chose the initial markets because of cooperation and collaboration with local government authorities. One of Ford’s goals is to educate consumers about electric cars and they said that working with the local authorities is the key to making that happen.

For more information about Ford’s Focus Electric follow the links below.



* http://media.fordvehicles.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=33570

** http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-11-15/ford-to-start-selling-focus-electric-in-19-cities-in-late-2011.html