Ford says that its Ford Focus Electric is to be the first five-passenger electric vehicle to achieve a 100 mpg equivalent rating. The automaker announced this week that production of the car is to begin at a Michigan assembly plant.
The Focus Electric (pictured) should also be able to fully recharge in three-to-four hours – half the time of Nissan Leaf, according to Ford. This technology can help double the car’s range during a busy day of driving and recharging multiple times, Ford says. Ford announced a solar powered home charging option for the car in August.
The company began taking orders for the 2012 Focus Electric in November through dealers in the California and New York/New Jersey markets. Deliveries to other U.S. markets are expected later in the year as production ramps up.
In other alternative fuel vehicle news from Ford, the Detroit automaker is predicting that its C-MAX Hybrid and C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid hatchbacks will outperform competitors in key areas of fuel economy.
Ford expects the C-MAX Energi to deliver a higher mpg equivalent rating in electric mode than the Toyota Prius plug-in hybrid, and, with a 500-mile driving range, be able to go further between charges that the Chevrolet Volt.
The new C-MAX Hybrid is expected to achieve better fuel economy than Toyota Prius v.
In June, it emerged that Ford had dropped plans to launch a minivan in the U.S. and was focusing on the C-MAX Hybrid instead. Both the Hybrid and Energi vehicles go on sale next year.
