MY FORD FOCUS ELECTRIC VS MY CHEVY VOLT

[Old Sparkie]

MY VOLT VS MY FORD FOCUS ELECTRIC
I just got my Ford Focus Electric two days ago and will be providing a more detailed comparison as the miles build, however I have a few initial comparative points as follows:
RIDE:score one for my Volt. The Volt ride is softer and more relaxed than the FFE and I have run flats on my Volt. The FFE appears to have a more direct ride but nothing offensive. The Volt is more sedan like. The FFE is sportier.
HANDLING: steering, turn in, lane change,general responsiveness are sharper and quicker in the FFE. I am detecting a bit of tracking by the wider cross section of the FFE tires which can be felt as feedback through the steering wheel. The Volt will handle as well, it's just a bigger vehicle and more weight that you have to deal with.
EV MILES ONLY: hands down winner the Ford Focus Electric. I put a full charge in last evening and began my commute this morning starting out with 92 EV miles. I drove a total of 51 miles and returned with 43 miles left. This is due to brake regen. Most of my driving was cruise controlled 55 miles per hour. There are FFEs that are getting 105 EV miles. But I'm not trying for the fences, I just drive the car as I normally would. Interestingly, Ford does not recommend use of low. It operates just like the Volt, but indicates that EV miles will drop if used in place of Drive.
Now, I know the Volt has greater over all range. But, with close to 100 miles of electric use, I had zero range anxiety, and even drove less conscious of electric use as I would in the Volt as the the electric range is much beyond my commuting needs. So, when asked on this forum what change would you most want to see on the next Volt, I can tell you that EV range really is the game changer. The large supply really relaxes your driving and thinking regarding the energy use. It's comforting to know that I had almost twice the amount of battery use available than my commuted miles. I think I have the best of both worlds between the two vehicles. The build quality for both are equivalent. My volt is roomier. Both are equally quiet. The volt has more options on climate use, no eco in the FFE. The trunk space goes to my Volt. I love both styles, each looks like a non-hybrid vehicle. The FFE has an electric Drivers seat which is miles above the head pump style arrangement of my Volt. The Volt has the built in garage opener, the FFE doesn't and that is inconvenient. I still have not fully explored MyFordTouch vs Onstar to make a fair comparison. But I can tell you this, electric is the future. Gas prices?....what's that?

 

[WattsUp]

... starting out with 92 EV miles. I drove a total of 51 miles and returned with 43 miles left. This is due to brake regen.

Maybe, maybe not.

You can easily extend your range by simply lowering your average Wh/mile, without doing any regen at all. The car will respond by increasing the range estimate. Doing this, you could easily end up with "more" total miles estimated at the end of your trip then at the beginning (in your case, 51 + 43 = 94, being greater than the original 92). (Psst, this is what a positive "status" number, like +2, tells you.)

That said, your status of "+2" could have indeed been to "due to brake regen", but it is difficuilt to attribute precisely an increase in the range estimate as being due to regen (versus a change in the average energy consumption).

 

[jmueller065]

In addition to WattsUp's excellent explanation: When you turn the car off the trip summary screen on the left will show you a "number of miles from regen" value.

 

[michael]

And, like the FFE, the Volt has regeneration when slowing or braking.

I find the Volt's AER to be a little on the low side...I often do missions in my FFE that in the Volt would require gas consumption.

I also find the much-hated Ford interactive controls (mytouch or whatever they call it) to be much easier to use than the Volt's. But there are missions the Volt can do with ease (longer trips) that are impossible in the FFE.

In summary, they are both very, very good cars, with different applications. The ideal is to have one or more of each in the family and share them as necessary.

And perhaps the Volt's greatest contribution is that it enables people who would otherwise not consider an electric car to get their feet wet and become converts.

 

[Old Sparkie]

Well, I promised to continue to provide a comparison between my two cars. Last night I drove at speeds from 10 to 70mph with the windows down. First the two front, then closed them. I then lowered both rears. Then I lowered all four. Guess what the FFE doesn't have that the Volt has to great annoyance? I am aware of the "fix" from Chevy dealers for the mirrors to reduce buffering. But if Ford could get the car's aerodynamics right from the factory, why couldn't GM?