Ford Focus EV: Maybe over $50,000 ?! So far, Ford is being tight lipped about how much their EV will cost. Some folks are betting the farm that Ford's soon to be manufactured Focus-EV will be on par, cost wise, with the Leaf. Really? Well, consider then, the price on Ford's EV mini van. It's just a tad bigger ... yet the price of the Ford mini van, the "Ford Transit Connect" will make most average wage earners choke: Ford Transit Connect | Ask.com Encyclopedia imo - if Ford prices their Focus EV in 2012 like GM prices the Volt now, the sales will reflect the same result from being high priced. Just a thought. Yea, it might cost an arm & a leg ... but (like the Volt?) ... at least it looks mighty sproty. .
I swear I had read 37.5k which would make it 30k after the tax break stuff. I can't find it now so maybe I dreamed it because I want one!!
If this test run is successful and they see volume the price will drop, but ford isn't commenting about that. This was a quick way to get a vehicle on the market and get feedback from big fleet buyers. It also does not tell us anything about a focus ev price. I would expect lease price to be in line with the leaf and volts $350/mo, but there is no telling what the purchase price will be. I also read that it should be less than $30K after tax credits but those publications were speculating. Fords costs for a focus ev should be less than gm's costs for the volt, but I'm not sure how much cost has to do with it. I'm sure Nissan is losing money on every leaf they sell.
I was talking about the Focus, not too interested in a Transit...but maybe there would be a conversion market for an ECO Minivan.
I realized that after I posted. I've corrected that now. doh. In any case the focus ev is not going to cost anywhere close to $50k.
It better be damn close to a Leaf OR have substantially more range if it wants to really be relevant.
Don't know where you're getting your figures for the Focus EV from?!? It is indicated here in the UK that it will be competitively priced to the Nissan Leaf, so I guess the same will apply in the USA. The Transit Connect EV is a different kettle of fish. It is modified by an outside company which is what probably bumps the price up. It will also mostly be sold to corporate customers rather than your local flower shop.
The 2 EV's virtually have the same kWh rating for their traction packs ... so, don't count on it. Well that's too bad ... Ford's mimivan EV version is a sweet looking ride, and I wouldn't mind having one, but for the price. Still, its cost is a good amount over $50k already. I'd think THAT chunk of money would be plenty to represent aftermarket costs. .
Why do american car companies insist on putting huge ugly grills in the front of cars?! You don't need that much cooling for a radiator or anything on a consumer EV.
I think Ford knows that it will at least have to be competitive with the Leaf on price, or else they will tarnish their EV image for the future when EV sales will be much more important for them.
Yeah that's the problem converting a 'normal' car to an EV instead of designing it from scratch like Nissan did with the Leaf.
From what I hear, the Focus EV will be available only in very limited markets. It will not be available in Spokane at all. A friend of mine looked into it after he gave up on the Leaf due to Nissan's refusal to explain why they considered their battery pack did not need active cooling. Apparently the Focus will have active battery cooling. But won't be available here.
LOL - Leaf doesn't need active cooling because it's battery is better than LG's. Talk about Ford making a virtue of neccessity. There are folk in AZ now driving around in 109 degree heat with little problem.
Re: Ford Focus EV: Maybe over $50,000 ?! Here is my guess for upcoming Ford vehicles ... And yes, they will be available for $349 lease, just like Leaf & Volt.
Nobody expects the battery to melt. The question is degradation over time. Will the Leaf's battery retain its capacity in 109 degree heat as long as it would if it were cooled? And why won't Nissan offer any explanation of why and how its battery is better? All they do is make the claim that the battery does not need active cooling. No explanation of why, and they won't stand behind that claim with a warranty, other than against defects in manufacture. The Leaf has been on the road in owners' hands only since January (end of December if you count Lance Armstrong's car). If Arizona Leafs need battery replacement in 3 years where temperature-managed packs last 7, we won't know it for a while yet. Personally, I'd have taken the chance on the Leaf if they'd deigned to sell me one. But it is telling that they refuse to either back up their claim with technical information or stand behind it with a warranty. Since they decided to just leave me hanging until I lost patience and gave up waiting, I'm looking forward to having an EV that maintains its batteries' temperature.
The main reason, I think, we don't get much technical explanation of anything at Nissan is that all the technical people are in Japan and here we have the marketing types. But, they have done better than offering explanations - they have given 8 yr warranty. Better than Tesla with active cooling. Can't ask for more. ps : Roadsters are known to shutdown in AZ heat, unlike Leaf whose battery temperature has barely moved above ambient temperature.
The Focus won't have the same cost as the TCEV. For a start, the Focus EV will be built at the same factory as the regular Focus. Then the battery will also be a bit smaller than the 28kWh battery in the TCEV.
