I want pure electric is the Focus for me?

Hello,
New to this forum because I'm interested in the Ford Focus Electric. I currently own a 2012 Chevrolet Volt and absolutely love it!!! I want to purchase another electric vehicle in addition to my Volt but this time I want the challenge of pure electric. I was interested in the Nissan Leaf but decided against it. I was going to wait for the all electric Chevrolet Spark in late 2013 but I don't want to wait that long. I stopped at the Ford dealer inquiring about the Focus and they told me the electric range was 75 - 100 miles. I live in upstate New York and with the cold weather I know the range will go down as it is with my Volt. In the summer when I first purchased my Volt my electric range was 38 - 42 miles on electric before the gas generator kicked on. Now with the cold weather it's about 32. My question is with the Focus in the cold weather would I be able to achieve at least 60 miles EV range???

gmarcucio said:

Hello,
New to this forum because I'm interested in the Ford Focus Electric. I currently own a 2012 Chevrolet Volt and absolutely love it!!! I want to purchase another electric vehicle in addition to my Volt but this time I want the challenge of pure electric. I was interested in the Nissan Leaf but decided against it. I was going to wait for the all electric Chevrolet Spark in late 2013 but I don't want to wait that long. I stopped at the Ford dealer inquiring about the Focus and they told me the electric range was 75 - 100 miles. I live in upstate New York and with the cold weather I know the range will go down as it is with my Volt. In the summer when I first purchased my Volt my electric range was 38 - 42 miles on electric before the gas generator kicked on. Now with the cold weather it's about 32. My question is with the Focus in the cold weather would I be able to achieve at least 60 miles EV range???

Click to expand...

Quoted range is accurate, leaning to 75 miles if you want to drive in comfort too. With respect to range in weather, the Ford will easily outperform your Volt in the area of battery efficiency. It uses a liquified active thermal management system that stabilizes battery temps in all conditions. I would advise you to consider terrain, highway/city mix (for regen), and how much comfort you need as well, but you probably already have a good idea of how those factors influence range based on your having owned the Volt already. Don't think you will regret the Focus a bit as a dedicated electric. Plus you get a bit more mainstream styling and seating for 5 as well - paradoxically storage blows so your passengers better pack lightly.

BTW, I like the Volt a lot, I would've been an owner but the current incentives were just not as attractive and I missed the $200/mo lease deal on the Chevy. That, and I really needed room for 5. Good luck, let us know how it works out for you.

I'm in Rochester - one never knows what "Upstate NY" means - when I went to school in Troy (near Albany) students from NYC called it upstate and thought they were at the ends of the earth

In any case there is a loss of mileage as the weather cools. We haven't had any real cold weather but mileage has dropped into the 60s. Of course a big factor in mileage is how you drive. After initial careful driving to maximize the range I realized that driving around Rochester I rarely have a round trip of more than 30 miles so I now drive to maximize the fun of having an electric car and don't worry about miles.

I have had my focus EV since June - over 5000 miles - and love it. You do lose cargo space over the gas focus but this is really a drive around town car - plenty of room for groceries and other purchases. The rear seats fold down for when you buy something big.

Love my Focus

On the coldest days of the year so far, I have seen the range indicator drop into the 60s - since then I have learned more about the climate control and what settings are the most friendly for maximum range. If you crank the heated seats, and keep the climate control between 65 and 70 the range impact is lessened. Also, the preconditioning ability allows the car to be warmed and ready before unplugging in the AM (though the range does seem to take a small hit even while plugged in during preconditioning). Based on the 1000 miles driven so far, I would not be worried about driving 60 miles a day, even in the cold. In fact, right now the estimated full range is showing 94 miles. Its important to note that the car will pull range aggressively if you hit it with lots of climate control or poor driving, but will give it back later in the drive when the temp normalizes and you drive it like an EV.

I pulled out the cargo cover and the charge cable cubby to open up tons of extra room - anyone else do the same?

danholl said:

I'm in Rochester - one never knows what "Upstate NY" means - when I went to school in Troy (near Albany) students from NYC called it upstate and thought they were at the ends of the earth

I have had my focus EV since June - over 5000 miles - and love it. You do lose cargo space over the gas focus but this is really a drive around town car - plenty of room for groceries and other purchases. The rear seats fold down for when you buy something big.

Love my Focus

Click to expand...

gmarcucio said:

Hello,
New to this forum because I'm interested in the Ford Focus Electric. I currently own a 2012 Chevrolet Volt and absolutely love it!!! I want to purchase another electric vehicle in addition to my Volt but this time I want the challenge of pure electric. I was interested in the Nissan Leaf but decided against it. I was going to wait for the all electric Chevrolet Spark in late 2013 but I don't want to wait that long. I stopped at the Ford dealer inquiring about the Focus and they told me the electric range was 75 - 100 miles. I live in upstate New York and with the cold weather I know the range will go down as it is with my Volt. In the summer when I first purchased my Volt my electric range was 38 - 42 miles on electric before the gas generator kicked on. Now with the cold weather it's about 32. My question is with the Focus in the cold weather would I be able to achieve at least 60 miles EV range???

Click to expand...

My experience has been that you will be able to achieve a 60 mile range, but it won't be a no-brainer. You'll have to be careful. 50 miles is a better bet.

I couldn't do 88km on the cold days last week.

GTOGreg said:

...the Ford will easily outperform your Volt in the area of battery efficiency. It uses a liquified active thermal management system that stabilizes battery temps in all conditions.

Click to expand...

I may be interpreting incorrectly, but this almost makes it sound as if the Volt does not have liquified active thermal management (which it most certainly does). Is Ford's that much better than Chevy's or something?
http://www.myperfectautomobile.com/general-motors/chevy-volt-thermal-management-system.html

I am quite sure the Volt as a temperature controlled battery. The Leaf does not