% 2017 Ford Electric: 100mi range, L2 6kW & L3 DC charging. Seems similar to a 2013 Leaf SL-trim EV. So, it took 4 years for Ford to catch up to 4 year old EV-tech? :sad: %
http://gas2.org/2016/04/18/ford-says-no-thank-you-to-200-mile-electric-car/ Ford Says No Thank You To 200 Mile Electric Car April 18th, 2016 Steve Hanley The future of the electric car is a matter of much conjecture. Last week at the SAE World Convention in Detroit, Kevin Layden, director of electrification programs and engineering for Ford, told the press his company has no plans to join the electric car range race. Instead, it will introduce a new Focus Electric with 100 miles of range this fall. The Focus Electric currently has 76 miles of range. [image] Ford Focus Electric “I think right now with the launch of the Focus Electric at 100 miles, it is going to satisfy a big chunk of the population,” said Layden. “It’s going to be really affordable and a step up from where we are now.” Less range means the car can use a battery pack that is smaller, lighter, and less costly. Last week, a survey by National Renewable Energy Laboratory was released that says most people thinking about the purchase of an electric car consider range and price the two most important factors. Most said they would like a car with 300 miles of range that costs less than $30,000. No such car exists at present, of course. More range costs more money. A lower purchase price means less range. There is no way to reconcile those two competing factors. This is a remarkable statement coming just a few weeks after the stupendously successful launch of the Tesla Model 3. Tesla now has more than 400,000 reservations for its new car and that number continues to rise. Chevrolet says its Bolt will have “at least” 200 miles of range and will be in showrooms before the end of this year. During the SAE conference, several speakers said a range of at least 200 miles is needed to alleviate consumers’ range anxiety about battery-powered cars. From a driver’s perspective, maximum possible range is not the issue. What matters is how far they can go and still have a comfortable reserve so they don’t have to worry about being stopped on the side of the road with a depleted battery. In general, drivers only plan to make use of a about 2/3 of a battery’s maximum capacity, whatever it may be. If a car has 100 miles range, the driver starts worrying about range at about 65 miles or so. If a car has 300 miles if range, anxiety levels rise at around the 200 mile mark. It’s just human nature. There are lots of people driving conventional cars who start thinking about getting gas when the gas gauge gets below half. Very few drive around with less than a quarter of a tank of gas. Last December, Ford said it would spend $4.5 billion to rejuvenate its electrified vehicle lineup. If its plans for the Focus Electric are an indication of how it looks at the market for electric cars, it will be content to be the bargain basement brand. That may be good for moving a lot of product but not necessarily good for generating a lot of revenue. Ford, like FiatChrysler, does not seem to be all in on the electric car future the way Tesla Motors is. Which strategy makes the best business case won’t be known for 5 to 10 years. But Ford seems to be positioning itself to get left behind as the market transitions to the electric car era. [© gas2.org] http://www.techmalak.com/ford-has-no-plans-of-releasing-200-mile-electric-vehicle/#.VxTaRSaVtBs Ford has no plans of releasing 200-mile electric vehicle Apr 18, 2016 Lorenzo Tanos Although Tesla has long been known for releasing 200-mile electric vehicles and other large automakers have sought to create similar vehicles, Ford said that it doesn’t have any immediate plans to keep up in the electric vehicle arms race by releasing such an EV, even if it had recently committed $4.5 billion toward furthering electrification initiatives. According to Ford director of electrification programs and engineering Kevin Layden, the 100-mile range on the upcoming 2017 Focus Electric will be good enough to satisfy most drivers. This is, as it is, already a huge improvement over the 76-mile all-electric range on the outgoing 2016 Focus Electric. And, as Layden added at last week’s SAE World Congress, limiting the Focus Electric’s range to “only” 100 miles will help keep the car light and affordable; lower ranges, after all, mean lighter, smaller, and more affordable battery packs. [image] Focus Electric “I think right now with the launch of the Focus Electric at 100 miles, it is going to satisfy a big chunk of the population,” he said. “It’s going to be really affordable and a step up from where we are now.” Still, that might not be enough to satisfy the concerns of some consumers. So-called “range anxiety” is more and more of a thing, and there were quite a few people who were a bit nonplussed with the Tesla Model 3, an electric vehicle which Tesla CEO Elon Musk says is capable of a 215-mile range. As Tesla has done better with its other vehicles, many feel that range won’t cut it, but many others still see that as a solid figure. Then you’ve got other Ford rivals, including Chevrolet, who has its own 200-mile EV in the form of the upcoming Bolt. The Nissan Leaf, on the other hand, is set to be refreshed in 2018, also with a range of 200 miles. [© TechMalak] ... http://www.worldcarfans.com/1160418106345/ford-wont-chase-tesla-2017-focus-electric-will-only Ford won't chase Tesla, 2017 Focus Electric will only have a 100 mile range [Apr 18, 2016] Ford's director of electrified powertrain engineering has confirmed the company won't chase General Motors and Tesla ... Speaking to Automotive News at the SAE World Congress in Detroit last week, Kevin Layden said the 2017 Focus Electric will have a range of 100 miles ... ... [dated] http://insideevs.com/2017-ford-focus-100-miles-range-dc-fast-charging-arrives-next-fall-13-new-evs/ Electric: 100 Mile Range, Fast Charging + 13 New “EVs” Coming Soon Dec 10, 2015 ... will arrive as a 2017 model next fall ... have “approximately 100 miles of range” and also feature DC fast charging ... 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