This is addressed to people who are considering buying or leasing a new fully electric car. I have had my Ford Focus Electric since early May, and it does not disappoint! It is a well thought out, practical, and substantial car. Compared to its rivals, it is MUCH better looking, which is important to me. It is really the only EV that is a tasteful mainstream car.
My case for getting a Focus Electric sometime soon is mainly based on two observations about the Ford Motor Company:
First, you will have noticed that Ford is not promoting the Focus Electric at all. That doesn’t mean that it isn’t a very, very good car. Regardless of Ford’s corporate strategies, this car appears to have been developed by a small and dedicated team of engineers who believed in what they were doing and produced an excellent product, probably with very little corporate oversight. Others have speculated that the Focus Electric is merely a “niche car”, a “halo car”, or a “compliance car” in Ford’s product strategy, and they may all be right, especially when you look at the huge and thirsty vehicles Ford does promote and produce in quantity. It is very likely that Ford is not prepared to produce the Focus Electric in large numbers, and when demand does exceed the supply, you may not be able to get one !
Second, the Focus Electric really is a nice car. Sensible size, nice stance, clean design, useful features. Whenever Ford has produced a gem like this in the past, it has been an accident. (Think of the original Thunderbirds and Mustangs.) When Ford stumbles on a winner that then attracts corporate attention, they waste no time in ruining it. The next iteration will be bigger and heavier, with lots of pointless embellishments. The clean and tasteful original will instantly become a “classic”, but you won’t be able to get one anymore! You can count on this.
You might also be procrastinating on your EV purchase in expectation of dramatically improved batteries just around the corner. I have talked with several dedicated battery researchers who are working on just such technologies. They all tell me that big breakthroughs are many years away, and that “incremental improvements” in the lithium ion battery are all that can be expected on the market for the foreseeable future.
Right now, Ford is trying to move these cars, and they have recently reduced the MSRP by $4000. They have been offering various financial incentives, and there are government rebates. I found that I could get a 36 month lease arrangement that actually worked out cheaper than outright purchase. Lease comparisons are not easy, but I came up with about $12K for the first 36 months, and another $18K to buy the car after that. This was only about $2K more than a comparably equipped Nissan Leaf. You may do even better.
Bottom line: Get your classic Ford Focus Electric now, and start enjoying it. You can probably hedge your bet with a lease arrangement at no extra cost.
My case for getting a Focus Electric sometime soon is mainly based on two observations about the Ford Motor Company:
First, you will have noticed that Ford is not promoting the Focus Electric at all. That doesn’t mean that it isn’t a very, very good car. Regardless of Ford’s corporate strategies, this car appears to have been developed by a small and dedicated team of engineers who believed in what they were doing and produced an excellent product, probably with very little corporate oversight. Others have speculated that the Focus Electric is merely a “niche car”, a “halo car”, or a “compliance car” in Ford’s product strategy, and they may all be right, especially when you look at the huge and thirsty vehicles Ford does promote and produce in quantity. It is very likely that Ford is not prepared to produce the Focus Electric in large numbers, and when demand does exceed the supply, you may not be able to get one !
Second, the Focus Electric really is a nice car. Sensible size, nice stance, clean design, useful features. Whenever Ford has produced a gem like this in the past, it has been an accident. (Think of the original Thunderbirds and Mustangs.) When Ford stumbles on a winner that then attracts corporate attention, they waste no time in ruining it. The next iteration will be bigger and heavier, with lots of pointless embellishments. The clean and tasteful original will instantly become a “classic”, but you won’t be able to get one anymore! You can count on this.
You might also be procrastinating on your EV purchase in expectation of dramatically improved batteries just around the corner. I have talked with several dedicated battery researchers who are working on just such technologies. They all tell me that big breakthroughs are many years away, and that “incremental improvements” in the lithium ion battery are all that can be expected on the market for the foreseeable future.
Right now, Ford is trying to move these cars, and they have recently reduced the MSRP by $4000. They have been offering various financial incentives, and there are government rebates. I found that I could get a 36 month lease arrangement that actually worked out cheaper than outright purchase. Lease comparisons are not easy, but I came up with about $12K for the first 36 months, and another $18K to buy the car after that. This was only about $2K more than a comparably equipped Nissan Leaf. You may do even better.
Bottom line: Get your classic Ford Focus Electric now, and start enjoying it. You can probably hedge your bet with a lease arrangement at no extra cost.
