Ford to Quadruple Plug-in Dealers

Ford announced today it will sell plug-in vehicles across all 50 states by spring, with more than 900 dealers certified to sell the cars — about a third of all Ford showrooms. That's up from 200 dealers in November 2012, which were largely in California and New York.

Ford's plug-in stable includes the C-Max Energi plug-in hybrid and an all-electric version of the Focus. A plug-in Fusion Energi hybrid will arrive soon: "We have said that we would start sales of Fusion Energi early in 2013, but have not specified a particular month," Ford sales analyst Erich Merkle told Cars.com.

Dealer certification involves installing at least two charging stations and training dealer staff on EVs, with demo versions of the C-Max Energi and Focus Electric available at all times.

Ford Offers Big Deals on Focus Electric

Hoping to spark consumer interest in the Ford Focus Electric — one of the weakest-selling electric vehicles on the market — the automaker announced deep discounts, including $10,750 off a three-year lease, according to The Detroit News.

With the so-called Red Carpet leases, customers can get a 36-month lease with 10,500 miles a year for $285 a month (a nearly 20% discount from last year's price) and $930 due at signing, the newspaper reported. In addition, Ford has lowered the EV's base price by $2,000 for cash sales, and for cars purchased through Ford Motor Credit, there's a $2,000 discount and zero-percent financing for 36, 48 or 60 months or 1.9% financing for 72 months. Ford now lists the Focus Electric with a cash-only base price of $37,995, a $2,000 discount from last year, according to the newspaper.

In 2012, Ford sold only about 42% of the more than 1,600 Focus Electrics built, the newspaper reported. The automaker's price reduction follows news of Nissan's 18% discount on the 2013 Leaf after disappointing sales.

Related
Ford offers hefty discounts on Focus electric vehicles (The Detroit News)
Slow Sales for Ford's Electric Focus
More Ford Focus Electric News on Cars.com

Prius Plug-In Quietly Ranks No. 2

The much-ballyhooed sales figures for the Chevrolet Volt hide another green-car success: the Toyota Prius Plug-In. Toyota's rechargeable hybrid hummed along with 1,652 sales in September, and it's only available in 15 coastal states. You won’t be able to buy it in the rest of the U.S. until next year.

That hasn't stopped the Prius Plug-In with 7,734 sales so far this year from earning a comfortable second place between the Volt and the Nissan Leaf. The Prius Plug-In has been on sale since last fall and spent much of the following spring among the fastest-selling cars in America. In some months, it even outpaced the first-place Volt, which spent much of this year facing more politicization than Joe the Plumber.

GM fought back, discounting Volt leases to as little as $269 a month for three years with roughly $2,800 down — leading some experts to argue it's better to lease a Volt than buy it. Is it bad business for GM? Perhaps, as the 2013 Volt now leases for $299 a month. Toyota undercuts that today with leases as low as $269 in some areas on the 2012 Prius Plug-In if you pony up as much as $3,599 at signing. Pay up to $459 a month and you can walk away with a Prius Plug-In in some areas with no money down.

2012 Ford Focus Electric Video

While other electric cars trickle into the market, the 2012 Ford Focus Electric is the closest competitor yet to the 2012 Nissan Leaf, which currently reigns as the most popular all-electric car despite its initial tepid sales. Overall, the Focus Electric is a competent ride, according to Cars.com Executive Editor Joe Wiesenfelder. But how does it stack up against the Leaf?

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More Ford Focus EV News 
Faster Charging a Major Advantage for Ford EV
2012 Ford Focus Electric Vehicle at 2011 Detroit Auto Show

Faster Charging a Major Advantage for Ford EV

Ford's biggest selling point for its 2012 Focus Electric ($39,600) is that it charges twice as fast as other electric vehicles when using a Level 2 240-volt supply. Having tested a Focus Electric for a couple of days, I can confirm that the claim is both true and a compelling advantage indeed.

In the simplest terms, a depleted Focus battery can be fully recharged in about four hours compared with about eight hours for a Nissan Leaf. The Mitsubishi i-MiEV, which I recently reviewed, uses a smaller battery and takes closer to seven hours. But it's not just about full charges; it's about how many miles you can drive in a given day, and some other less obvious advantages.

Slow Sales for Ford's Electric Focus

It might not be readily apparent, but there is a fifth major electric car offering currently on sale in select markets. The 2012 Ford Focus Electric has been on sale since December 2011, but the carmaker has only managed to sell a couple dozen of the EVs, according to The Detroit Free Press.

The Focus EV is still in the midst of a "quiet rollout," according to the Detroit paper. The model is currently available in California, New York and New Jersey for $39,200, excluding a $795 destination fee. Another 15 markets will be getting the EV early next year. According to a Ford survey from last year, nearly 61% of car shoppers would be interested in a hybrid or electric vehicle, but only if gas reached $5 a gallon, The Detroit Free Press reports.

Ford quietly rolls out Focus Electric (The Detroit Free Press)

California Sets Up $2,500 Tax Rebate for 2012 Ford Focus Electric

California has announced that buyers of the 2012 Ford Focus Electric will get a $2,500 tax rebate and will be able to ride solo in the state's high-occupancy vehicles lanes.

California's $2,500 rebate can be combined with the $7,500 federal tax credit, shaving $10,000 off the Ford Focus Electric's $39,200 sticker price — if you qualify for all the credits, of course. Keep in mind that a tax credit only offsets taxes you owe. Focus Electric buyers will get the full California rebate, however, regardless of your taxes.

The Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Volt also qualify for California tax rebates of $2,500 and $1,500, respectively, and they have access to HOV lanes, too.

PickupTrucks.com Tests the 2012 Ford Transit Connect Electric

Ford plans on selling an electric version of its Focus compact car, but the automaker’s first gas-free offering is the Transit Connect Electric. Based on the van that was launched in the U.S. for 2010, the Transit Connect Electric trades the traditional version’s 136-horsepower, 2.0-liter four-cylinder gas engine for a 74-hp electric motor and a 28-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack. But are more robust acceleration and a smaller carbon footprint enough to justify the 2012 Transit Connect Electric’s $35,000 price premium over the base version? According to Cars.com Editor Mike Hanley, Transit Connect Electric’s high cost will be a significant hurdle to its success.

2012 Ford Transit Connect Electric Review

Ford Says 2012 Focus Electric to Beat 100 MPG Equivalent

Ford officials say the 2012 Focus Electric will achieve more than a 100 mpg-equivalent. That would make it the highest mpg equivalent for a five-passenger vehicle. The $39,200 Focus EV goes on sale in select markets by year's end with a full rollout next year. Like other electric cars, it's eligible for a federal tax credit of up to $7,500.

The EPA's "MPGe" rating, adopted for electric vehicles, assumes 33.7 kilowatt-hours per gallon of gas. Of course, your costs will vary based on your local electric rates, but all things being equal, the Focus Electric should squeeze out more savings than the 2012 Nissan Leaf (99 MPGe) or 2012 Chevrolet Volt (94 MPGe within the EV range). The EPA rates the Mitsubishi i at 112 MPGe, but it only seats four.

On a 240-volt charger — known as a Level 2 charger — the Focus EV can recharge in up to four hours. That's about half the time it takes a Leaf, and both travel about 75 miles on battery power. The Volt charges in about four hours on a Level 2 charger, but it runs only about 35 miles before its gas generator kicks in. The Mitsubishi i takes around seven hours to fully charge, with an estimated range of 62 miles. Honda reckons its 2013 Fit EV, meanwhile, will go an EPA-rated 76 miles and charge in as little as three hours on a Level 2 charger. The EPA has yet to rate the car's mpg equivalent, however.

2012 Ford Electric Priced at $39,200

Starting today, Ford will take orders for the 2012 Focus Electric, which has been priced at $39,200, excluding a $795 destination fee. A limited number of the electric compact cars will be available before the end of the year in California, New York and New Jersey, with 15 other markets getting the EV early next year.

In contrast, the Nissan Leaf starts at $35,200, and the Mitsubishi i starts at $29,125. Currently, that makes the Ford Focus the most expensive of the mainstream electric cars, but it comes better equipped than the rest. The 2012 Coda EV, which recently went on sale, costs $44,900. All of these electric cars are eligible for a $7,500 tax credit. If you’re eligible for the whole credit, that would translate to a $31,700 asking price for the Focus Electric.