TOWING A FOCUS ELECTRIC WITH A TOW DOLLY

WILL A FOCUS ELECTRIC TOW ON A TOW DOLLY WITH FRONT WHEELS ON DOLLY?? IF SO WHAT ARE THE PRECAUTIONS?? TOWING FROM NEW YORK TO GEORGIA

It's front wheel drive, just make sure the parking brake is off.

Oh my goodness, that far, read the owner's manual about what to do. They tell you exactly how far the car can be towed and how. The owner's manual is available on line.

Page 254 of the 2013 Focus Electric Owner's Manual -
Under the section titled: Recreational Towing.
Follow these guidelines if you have a need for recreational (RV) towing. An example of recreational towing woudl be towing your vehicle behind a motor home.

DO NOT TOW YOUR VEHICLE WITH ANY WHEELS ON THE GROUND, AS VEHICLE OR TRANSMISSION DAMAGE MAY OCCUR. IT IS RECOMMENDED TO TOW YOUR VEHICLE WITH ALL FOUR (4) WHEELS OFF THE GROUND SUCH AS WHEN USING A CAR-HAULING TRAILER. OTHERWISE, NO RECREATIONAL TOWING IS PERMITTED.

EVA said:

DO NOT TOW YOUR VEHICLE WITH ANY WHEELS ON THE GROUND, AS VEHICLE OR TRANSMISSION DAMAGE MAY OCCUR. IT IS RECOMMENDED TO TOW YOUR VEHICLE WITH ALL FOUR (4) WHEELS OFF THE GROUND SUCH AS WHEN USING A CAR-HAULING TRAILER. OTHERWISE, NO RECREATIONAL TOWING IS PERMITTED.

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In an emergency, the FFE can be towed with its front wheels lifted and the back wheels on the ground, with these limits:

• Vehicle is facing forward so that it is being towed in a forward
direction.
• Place the transmission in N (Neutral). Refer to Brake-shift interlock
in the Driving chapter for specific instructions if you cannot move the
gear shift lever into N (Neutral).
• Maximum speed is not to exceed 35 mph (56 km/h).
• Maximum distance is 50 miles (80 km).

There is no explanation as to why the rear wheels shouldn't touch the ground when towed. The only thing I can think of is the regenerative brakes and assorted hardware on each wheel. In any case, I wouldn't even risk it in an emergency.

The FFE manual is available from the MFM website, just click from the main page on the "Vehicle Info" tab and at the bottom is the link "View Your Owners Manual Online". The pdf version is better than the paper version because you can use the search function. Search "towing" and you get the info almost immediately. Or click here: https://owner.ford.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Owner/Page/OwnerGuidePage&year=2012&make=Ford&model=Focus%20Electric

unplugged said:

There is no explanation as to why the rear wheels shouldn't touch the ground when towed. The only thing I can think of is the regenerative brakes and assorted hardware on each wheel. In any case, I wouldn't even risk it in an emergency.

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"Regenerative braking" is just terminology, and occurs through the motor being turned as a generator (driven by the car's forward motion). It has nothing to do with the mechanical friction brakes, which are on all four wheels.

The rear wheels are not connected to the motor, so I cannot think of a good technical reason why the car could not be towed, even long distances, on the rear wheels. It should just be like any other front-wheel drive car... if all the friction brakes are disengaged, then the rear wheels are free-turning.

WattsUp said:

I cannot think of a good technical reason why the car could not be towed, even long distances, on the rear wheels. It should just be like any other front-wheel drive car... if all the friction brakes are disengaged, then the rear wheels are free-turning.

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Okay, I can think of a few reasons...

Perhaps, tilted at an angle for towing in a sling, the rear suspension is exposed to stresses that it doesn't normally need to endure. Prolonged stressing in this manner could lead to failure.

Tilting the car for prolonged periods (versus keeping it level on a flatbed tow truck) may interfere with battery cooling? (But then the same limitation would seem to apply to parking on a hill.)

Long-distance towing would unevenly wear the rear tires versus the front. (Maybe? But seems this would take quite a bit of towing.)

How about:
With the front wheels not turning and the rear wheels turning may confuse the ABS controller (which presumably has wheel-speed sensors on all four wheels) and cause it to do something strange--like clamp down on the rear brake pads?

If I were to try it I think I would disconnect the 12V negative terminal so that the entire system was powered down.

WattsUp said:

The rear wheels are not connected to the motor, so I cannot think of a good technical reason why the car could not be towed, even long distances, on the rear wheels. It should just be like any other front-wheel drive car... if all the friction brakes are disengaged, then the rear wheels are free-turning.

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I have tried to learn a bit about regenerative brakes, and I don't think the answer is quite as simple as you describe. http://auto.howstuffworks.com/auto-parts/brakes/brake-types/regenerative-braking.htm (Which really doesn't answer the physical mechanical part of the equation.) Here is an article a bit more descriptive on the mechanics needed, http://alternativefuels.about.com/od/hybridvehicles/a/regenbraking.htm

There has to be some type of motor or mechanical connection from the wheels to the motor in order to charge the battery. I'm am really a novice on this, but to me common sense would dictate that the rear (and front) wheel hubs have to be designed differently in order to transfer energy to the motor. As an article explaining regenerative brakes stated: "No matter the vehicle design, there must be a mechanical connection between the Motor/Generator and the drivetrain."
On the front wheels, this mechanical connection is taken care of through the transmission connected to the motor/geneerator. On the back wheels, I imagine there is a generator on each wheel?

I need an expert to step in here, because I really am making my point from just enough info to get myself into trouble.

unplugged said:

WattsUp said:

The rear wheels are not connected to the motor, so I cannot think of a good technical reason why the car could not be towed, even long distances, on the rear wheels. It should just be like any other front-wheel drive car... if all the friction brakes are disengaged, then the rear wheels are free-turning.

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There has to be some type of motor or mechanical connection from the wheels to the motor in order to charge the battery. I'm am really a novice on this, but to me common sense would dictate that the rear (and front) wheel hubs have to be designed differently in order to transfer energy to the motor.

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The information you read is generally correct. But, in the FFE, only the front wheels are connected to the drive-train. The rear wheels are not connected to the drive-train in any way and, as such, they do not participate in regenerative braking.

There are no special "regeneration devices" in the any of the wheels on the FFE. They are all normal wheels with normal brakes. But, the front wheels, which are connected to the motor through the drive-train (really not unlike any front-wheel drive car) can drive the electric motor to achieve regenerative braking (with the motor both acting as a generator and providing mechanical resistance, which slows the car). That's all regenerative braking is... the motor providing resistance.

Regenerative braking is an aspect of the drive-train, not the brakes or wheels. The FFE is a two-wheel drive car, and a two-wheel regenerative braking EV.

WattsUp said:

Regenerative braking is an aspect of the drive-train, not the brakes or wheels. The FFE is a two-wheel drive car, and a two-wheel regenerative braking EV.

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Yes, I finally figured it out before I went back to here: There is no regen on the rear. The front motor does all the work.

I actually think it has something to do with how much weight could be handled by the axles. From what i have read, if you look at the drivers door there should be a label for weight ratings. Look at the one labeled GAWR or gross axle weight rating. With the car's front wheels on a dolly and the batteries being basically on top of the rear axle, loading could be increased and may exceed the loading limit of the rear axle.