Comments on: “The Jay Leno Show” Will Feature All-new Battery Electric Ford Focus

By: ralph

ralph — Tue, 24 May 2011 19:52:50 +0000

Yes, way overpriced! Look at the Costco model and get them out there to pay for R&D. More cars would have to be made to make a great profit, but lots of jobs would be secured and you would have many happy customers as well as doing something of significance for the environment and helping suffering americans with their pocketbooks! I guess the shareholders don\’t care about that though!!

By: H Smith

H Smith — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 11:18:07 +0000

Roughly (typically) how many kWh of electricity is required to RECHARGE after driving a given distance (recognizing that mileage will vary with driving style, terrain, and environmental conditions)?

By: Rustin

Rustin — Thu, 13 May 2010 21:16:55 +0000

I see many people complaining about price, and the new electric cars, ford or otherwise, are very pricey. That said so are i-phones and other cool gadgets. There is always a sector of the the market that is willing to pay extra for something cool and useful. As long as the designers of these electric cars do their homework on both engineering and style, they should do fine marketing to the elite wealthy new technology adopters. Those adopters will pay for the development and then then the general market will benefit from it later. I’m just encouraged that products like this **WILL** become mainstream which means the mobile, personal vehicle lifestyle that Americans have been able to enjoy will continue no matter what oil prices do.

By: Jean Daly

Jean Daly — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 23:54:54 +0000

We, at R.E. Barber Ford in Ventura, CA, do not put additional markup on our hybrids. Right now we have ~7 in stock to choose from or can special order the one you want. We are very proud to be a Ford dealer and have been happy with the plan that Alan Mulally put into place years ago so that we would not be beholden to the government for a bailout…Our motto here is Be American, Buy American!

By: Frank

Frank — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 22:07:09 +0000

I had a 2007 Ford Escape Hybrid, put almost 60,000 miles on it in 30 months and never had a probelm with it. It also has the best warranty in ine industry. The Toyota hybrid only has a 100,000 mile warranty. The Ford came with a 10 year 150,000 mile warranty. If anyone is concerned about repairs, you can purchase an extended warranty from Fords website for $1,700.00. They make a GREAT car and for the most part don’t have major problems. I wouldn’t drive anything other than a Ford as they stand behind thier products.

By: gknight

gknight — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 13:11:55 +0000

First off let me say my comments were not meant to be a dig at Ford. In my opinion they are the best and the ONLY car company I will buy automobiles from. I just can’t buy a one new. I think what they are doing with Hybrid, electric and batteries is fantastic. My point is simply price. Whether it be hybrid, electric or gas. They are just simply too expensive. To FordOwner1’s point about new technology being more expensive…I agree with when it applies to TV’s, mobile phone’s or electronics in general, but when was the last time a car company’s prices came down and I’m not talking about incentives.

And to Randy’s point, I would also agree that eliminating all those ‘maintenance’ items is a definite plus, but what about the maintenance items that replace them? How many can the owner handle (all of them you listed can be done by a backyard mechanic) and when averaged out, what is the true savings.

My final comment is to Ford. Keep up the good work, I love your products (still upset the Taurus X was eliminated, best family vehicle ever) and I hope there continues to be enough Americans that can afford new cars to keep you business.

By: Charles Whitney

Charles Whitney — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 19:01:00 +0000

I love the new Hybrid Fusion. Unfortunately it is high priced and then in California our dealer is adding an additional $5000 added dealer markup on top of the invoice. (Future Ford in Sacramento/Roseville) This practice should be stopped by Ford as it only further discourages hybrid buying.

By: Scott Monty

Scott Monty — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 15:23:05 +0000

Joseph & Kathy, thank you for your inquiries about our electrification plans and specifically about the range of such vehicles. It's too early to determine what the exact range will be, but we'll be aiming for something that is practical for the majority of consumers that are interested in electric vehicles. One of the challenges that we're addressing internally and with partners is maximum range at an affordable price. You can see what we mean by checking out the diagram at: http://ford.digitalsnippets.com/2009/01/11/the-business-of-electrification/ Our electrification plans are comprehensive, including hybrid electric, plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV), and battery electric (BEV). A full account of that, plus a video is available here: http://ford.digitalsnippets.com/2009/01/11/ford-electrified-vehicle-overview/ Scott Monty Global Digital Communications Ford Motor Company

By: Randy

Randy — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 14:48:09 +0000

You should also to take into account the reduced cost of ownership of an electric car. Electric cars today go about 4 miles per kWh and at 10 cents a kWh it would cost $5.00 to go 200 miles. A gasoline car getting 25 MPG with gas selling for $3.00 per gallon would cost $24.00 to go 200 miles. This is a savings of $1,425 a year if you drive 15,000 miles per year. Plus with and electric car there are no oil changes, tune-ups, muffler, timing belt, spark plugs, spark plug wires, catalytic converter, air filer, or oil filter. How much do you spend a year on all this stuff? Also, with regenerative braking, being done by the motor, the breaks will last much longer.

By: Len Holdsworth

Len Holdsworth — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 22:04:25 +0000

Batterry life and replacement costs are major issues to know in advance of purchasing the electric vehicle.