EV CHARGING A CHARGED TOPIC

Ford says Focus gets charge in as few as four hours
Chris Woodyard, January 9, 2011 (USA Today)

"…[At] the nation's top auto…in Detroit, Ford Motor and other automakers are trying to find new boasts when it comes to their newfangled electric cars…Ford…isn't touting how far its new car will go on a single charge. Instead, it's saying the 2012 model can be recharged at home in half the time of a key competitor, the electric Nissan Leaf.

"The electric Focus can have its battery fully recharged at home with a 240-volt system in as little as four hours, Ford says. That's about half the time that it takes to fully recharge the battery of a Nissan Leaf, the first fully electric car to go on sale by a major automaker."

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"Not only will fast charging give customers more peace of mind if they need to recharge away from home, but equipping the car with a more powerful charger will help them take full advantage of lower electricity rates that are starting to be offered by utilities for electricity use in off-peak hours, says Nancy Gioia, Ford's director of global electrification.

"Nissan, which started delivering its electric Leafs last month, responded that Ford's claim doesn't really matter…[because] 80% of vehicle charging will happen at home overnight…[and finish] at 2 a.m. or 6 a.m…"

Fast chargers. (click to enlarge)

"Automakers are also pinning their hopes on development of powerful public charging stations at airports or shopping centers that could give an 80% charge to a car such as the Leaf in 30 minutes.

"The electric Focus will go into production later this year for sale initially in 19 metro areas, from Seattle to New York. Like most other electric cars…[it] will go up to 100 miles on a single charge…Ford hasn't announced a price yet for the electric Focus. Nissan is selling Leaf at a base price of $32,780, plus $820 destination charge, before federal and state tax credits."