REAL good review. Just bought one- commute is 36mi rt- mild NC weather. Love the acceleration & like the looks- not to mention no gas- no oil changes- no emission tests- no timing belt changes- water pump- O2 sensor...
@@04dram04 so i shouldn't buy a used 2013 focus electric with 43k miles or should i? How much is new battery? How long take to charge at station? Don't have charger at my apt
I have owned an Electric Focus for 3 years now. It's a great commuter. It's efficient, as well as responsive in traffic. It always has the power to do what you need it to do, and you never have to wait for a shift. Not only that, but the worse traffic gets, my efficiency goes up, not down. If I get caught in traffic the slower the car is going the more efficient it gets and I'm using no fuel when stopped. I'm a driving enthusiast and I always compromise on a daily driver so I decided to try owning an electric car. To quote Carol Shelby, horsepower sells cars, torque wins races. I leased mine for 3 years, because I was afraid to commit to it. I'm buying it when my lease ends. There is no other car I would daily except a Tesla, and I don't have Tesla money.
@@fargeeks With labor that's probably right. The above comment was from 3 years ago, but I still have the car. I'm at about 68% of my original battery life. I can't go as far but it still gets me around just fine. I'm now considering replacing it with another electric car but there isn't one that piques my interest yet. I'm over the Tesla.
@@flowergatchaI just bought a 2013 with 70K miles on it. Insurance (progressive, my policy) will cover value of car if battery dies. I'm testing charge tonight. When I plugged it in at 720pm, 120volt home - it said 1120am tomorrow charge time 😮 - just checked, now it's at 8am. Will let you know.
If you are stuck in bumper to bumper traffic in your 20 mile commute this car could work you. It's cutting a bit close but if you can plug it in while you are at work it will add some range back when you drive home. Plus Ford is offering really lucrative lease deals on this vehicle right now.
It is late 2019 now, I am driving the 2013 FFE :). I bought mine from dealer in 2017, mine used to be a lease vehicle, and had 33k on it when I bought it for $16k, and it iss at 50k mileage now, I can achieve 70 mile range pretty easy in the Summer (1st leg of my route which is mostly downhill). Mid 60s range is my normal. I also wound up with a brand new motor from Ford under warranty thanks to a faulty TCM that is built into the motor that was causing the dreaded "motor will not engage/pull over now" warnings. The car was at the dealer nearly 6 months to get that fixed, and resulted in a Ford engineer having to fly out and work on the car himself. I have full write up of that experience on the FFE forums). Anyway, I have seen only minimal batter degradation so far. The factory warranty has been awesome though, 8 years, 80k miles on the "hybrid/EV parts", Best part was thanks to it being a Ford lease vehicle, it still counted as a "new" purchase for the full EV tax credit :) so I only paid about $9k for it after taxes. Pretty sweet for what was a $35k car and got a brand new engine as well. I bought the extended warranty on it as well, making sure it covered the EV parts. I have an aftermarket 16amp 240v charger cord I use at home, and I still use the convenience charger when I go to other people's houses (also bought a really long, heavy duty extension cord). I also wound up buying a small 12v lithium battery jump starter, as these cars often have some fault that drains the 12v battery that powers the accessories while the car is powered off, and fails to recharge via the cord. Basically only see that if I do not drive the car for 3-4 days. Once its powered on fully, the main battery/regen braking will get the 12v back up to speed pretty fast. Seems Ford has no solution to that issue yet according to convos on the FFE forums. I did have to have the Ford convenience charger replaced in a recall due to issues with it overheating causing a fire risk (would start melting the plug at the wall socket and it did not have a protection circuit to prevent too high a power draw. I also invested in a 12v heated steering wheel cover (shame that was not a built in option), anyway that make it far more pleasant to drive in cold weather when using the environmental controls minimally to extend range along with the heated seats. Anyway, I still love this car, it has paid for itself in fuel and maintenance savings. My only wish was that it could charge at a higher rate than 6kwh, but I also suspect the lower charge rates have a lot to do with why the battery is still in such good shape. Its no big deal since its a commute car, and it spends most of its time parked, on a charger.
MPGe is not complicated stuff. 110 MPGe means the amount of money you spend on electricity for this car is equivalent to a owning a gasoline powered car that gets 110MPG.
One gallon equivalent is actually 33.7 kWh. It’s based on the loss of heat energy equal to what gas would do. So the heat loss is equal to a car with 110 mpg. The price per mile fluxes, as gas prices and electricity prices are not parallel. I hold nothing against you for the misunderstanding, the EPA made a very confusing system
Oldcoinsandstuff1 must not own this car. I live in Canada and drive this car year round. We love it! We use it for commuting and for 90-95% of all of our driving. It's not a road trip car, but it works for virtually all of our driving! We just drove it every day during our most recent winter from hell and it excelled. The Focus Electric has an over-engineered feel and the level of quality is very high. Unlike the Leaf which is air-cooled, the Focus Electric has a thermally managed battery, meaning the battery is liquid cooled and heated, which is great for preserving range, no matter the outside temperature, and is good for the battery's health. I've found that our range is about 100 km on the coldest winter days, up to 160 km in the summer. This is more than enough for most anyone's daily driving! Of course if you're going for max range, you may have to minimize use of the heat/ac on those rare occasions, and you have to drive efficiently in order to achieve maximum range. The performance is great and best of all is uses no gas and requires no maintenance! No more oil changes, timing belts, valve adjustments and all the rest. It basically only needs wiper blades and tire rotations when necessary. I laugh when I pass gas stations and my insurance company gave me a discount for going green! The government also gave me an $8500 rebate toward the car and $1000 toward my home charging station! My monthly credit card bill plummeted because I no longer buy gasoline. Amazing. Try one, you'll love it and so will your wallet. Gas prices are only going up! With the Focus Electric, the BMW i3, the Kia Soul EV, the Leaf, the Teslas, and the others on the way, the internal combustion engine's days are numbered!
What is the Canadian winter range like? I am curious if the thermal management makes a big difference during the winter (compared with the leaf). I am looking at getting a Focus EV as my next, but I live near a Leaf dealership...
My preferred option in the electric car segment (if it's your only vehicle) is the Volt. Its driving character is fairly fun but without losing a comfortable ride and quiet interior. My best friend bought one, and he rarely puts gas in it. If he happens to go on a longer trip that depletes the battery, the gas generator starts up and supplies the electricity. A plug-in with a range extending generator is an excellent compromise until hydrogen becomes a practical option.
Dude. You Sleep. It will charge WHILE you sleep. Hopefully over 3 hrs! Also, why not charge at work? Not that many would need to. Most people live under 20 miles from work. Just charge at home at night as needed. Nightly, I guess if work is too far away. These are 9-10 grand with 30k miles locally now, too. I am going Used.
I live in Chicago & my drive to work in the west suburbs is 20 miles each way which lasts 45-60 min & $75-100/wk on gas. If this Focus has a 70+ mile range do you think it'd be something to consider? Even with music blasting & A/C on high I think I'd be ok as long as I go directly home after work & grab the Saab to go dine/drink with the boys. I know Volt is the safer choice because of the ext range capability but the Focus looks nicer & seems more fun (how gay of me haha). Any thoughts?
Another thing people seem to forget is that not only are you saving "$1200" (you said $600 and $1800, that's more than $1100 savings) from not paying for gas, but you're also not paying for oil, oil changes, transmission fluid, the coolant lasts longer, etc. Many manufacturers like Tesla and GM are now guaranteeing batteries retain 70% capacity for the warranty period (8 years/100,000 mile). If you actually owned an EV for 8 years and put decent mileage on it, you could easily say you save over $10,000 in gasoline, fluids, and service. Not to mention the cars seemingly hold value. 2011 Volts can be found for $15-24k right now, 2013 Fusion Electrics can be found for $28k. Summing up tax incentives, savings, and - if you kept your EV in immaculate condition - buyback value, you could practically *profit* off of owning one.
Joseph DiSalvo I wouldn't really count liquids as a huge saving, more so, I'd mention engine/tranny parts and general maintenance as a bigger issue with non-EV's.
Yes they do! Electric motors have instant neck snapping torque. They're racing them now in Formula-E and electric motorcycles are now at the Isle of Man TT race (and have been for quite a few years now).
GoSolarPlz It's neck-snapping if you're in a Tesla with hundreds of horses. Not in a Volt or a Renault Twizy/Zoe or any compact or consumer-oriented EV.
@@esaedvik Drove a Leaf and I completely disagree with you. For people who only drove econoboxes the instant torque will put a smile on your face. Sure if you are used to driving GTR's and 911's it won't but for regular consumers it will be much quicker than anything similar with a gas engine.
I've actually seen a few of these driving around (normal tags not dealer tags). I kinda like it, but I love the sound of an engine and love revving it up... so I can't justify an electric car. Plus I'm happy with my car's MPG so that's another factor too
As for the pros: I like that the Volt is quick and zippy, the seats are supportive and comfortable, and the car gives you almost everything you need (a sunroof would be nice!). The Volt is great for me, and I highly recommend leasing one if you can snatch a well-equipped model for under $350/mo w/ 12+k mi/yr and under $1k down. I have a 240v charger at my California house, but I can easily get away w/ a 120 when living at school.
I am leasing one for 250 a month and 2500 down. I figured that with the gas savings from not driving my old car and the maintenance cost, I am getting this for free. This is great second car for a family. We take it everywhere that 80 miles range will take us. You just have to plan a bit and they have level 2 charging stations everywhere in my area.
Also take out the box in the trunk and the space becomes very large- cooler, golf clubs etc. Ford just messed it up with the goofy styrofoam box which does nothing but sit in my basement.
I routinely get more range than the 'stated' 76 miles. With careful driving, over 100 is easy. On a full charge, my 'budget' given to me by the car, is 108 or more.
I live in the suburbs of NOVA and traveling down a busy highway to work and school once a day is a 35 mile round trip. A night charge on the increased voltage overnight would work for me. The lesser voltage charge that takes a ridiculously long time and seems like a slap in the face.
It means all the windows work like the driver's side window. Tap once and it goes all the way down, or the same for putting it back up. You don't have to hold the switch for either direction.
Let's also take into account that good test drivers don't always make good electric car drivers. When I first bought my Ford Fusion Hybrid (2010), I was getting about 32MPG. Today, I'm capable of getting well over 40MPG on the same trips. It all depends on how you drive. I think I'd be a much better electric car driver because I'm a pretty good hybrid driver. Hybrids are pretty good training wheels, except for the Honda Insight. That hybrid really sucks.
Thanks for the informative review. I was looking at a used Ford Focus Electric 2014 with 48k miles. So I was thinking about getting this to commute 60 miles to school, then another 18 to work. I figure as long as I park at 240 charging stations I should be good, right? Also, what am I looking at as far as repairs on this car? I worry it will be expensive. And finally, what are the possibilities of hacking this bad boy to solar panels?!? Then I could yell at Prius drivers to "suck it!"
i liked the old way you used to film where you held the camera and showed us what you were seeing. not from the side from passenger seat PLEASE BRING BACK THE OLD STYLE
Then modify the alternator so that it doesn't sap the energy. Having a separate battery would not be redundant. It would save your batteries that make up your engine so that you can travel longer distances while being comfortable.
Very true! Pravda! The future is here. People just need to realize it. EVs are the solution to many of the world's problems. If your energy grid is green (ie not coal) it's truly the best. You can also have solar panels power your charger too, so you're running on sun power!
I agree with your view on charging fiasco with electric cars. I really wanted to buy an electric car, but I couldn't because I often drive more than 60 miles a day and I didn't want to risk being stranded with battery out of juice. I'm looking forward to when electric cars can be fully charged in a matter of few minutes, with range around 300 miles per charge -- I'd purchase one at a heartbeat.
Perhaps alternator is not the right piece of machinery I am thinking of, but something could be invented that would store energy and release it at proper times.
I agree. The absence of sound bores me, and the fact you can no longer say "Let's fire up the car" or "the car is running" you have to say "let's turn on the car" and "the car is on" like a fucking TV. There's also much less engineering involved, it's literally a battery and a standard motor. The bigger the battery, the more power and there's no power bands either. No gears. I could go on.
I have 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid AWD and I love it overall. Right now I've gotten to a point where I'm absolutely sick and tired of buying gasoline. The one thing that would make my Escape Awesome is if it were a Plugin Hybrid instead. It does very well on gas mileage as far as how heavy it is, but I seriously looking into selling it and leasing a Ford Focus Electric. I don't care if it takes me longer to get to far places. I'm so sick of buying gas.
Until purely electric cars can have that long range and short charge time the extended-range gas electrics are th way to go. The Volt is my personal favorite followed by the Karma.
I hate that all electric cars have an "electric cat look". This Focus borderlines on that status with the choice of color and front accents but it is one of the better looking electric cars out there.
p.s my home hydro bill has only gone up $30 a month. I charge during off-peak times. You can program the car to only charge during these times. Amazing! Not a bad trade off compared to a $400 a month gasoline bill and at least $50-100 in maintenance.
great review! But I really dont see why electric cars dont have CVTs... i just think that would be so much more efficient.... but maybe not, Im no expert with electric cars.
What is wrong with these companies and their batteries? Take a hint from Tesla guys. Quit packing the batteries on one huge hump that takes up the entire trunk. And why do all these electric cars have the electric motor where the engine is? That could be more trunk space. No wonder Tesla is destroying the electric cars competition.
i live smack dab 30 minutes from manhattan on long island and the most electric of a car here is a volt. that seems to be the best idea. something like a extended range hybrid. you get 75 miles range pure electric, then say you want a roadtrip or to do some extra travelling or whatever the gas engine is there only when you flip it on to keep you going and charge the battery. then its the best of both worlds. all electric school commute, for extra travel a small petrol engine to go elsewhere
I'm thinking if getting one, used 2013 focus electric, 43k mls $7k. But live in apt, no parking. Closest level 2 charger is .30 cents minute = $18 hr!!! To go 15 miles? What? He days range is 50 miles. Takes 4 hours for fill charge. A prius c gets 52 miles per gallon. Current gas price in sf Bay area is $3.50 so I'll take a Prius c over an electric
76 mile, 50 ish real world range per charge? really? You have to live in a very small town with a 10 minute commute to keep your sanity. In most towns take Los Angeles, I might have to stay at work for 3 hours extra charging just to get back home! Plenty of people can relate to a 25+ mile commute one way in most freeway extensive cities. As for having a social life forget it, this car means no road trips, no weekend getaways or even just a simple day trip with the family. I dont even understand why car companies produce these 100 mile or less range electric cars, realistically a car for the masses needs at least a 200 mile range per charge, unfortunately most people cant afford a Tesla.
I think it depends on where you live. Most, actually statistically, live under 20 miles from work. Like 80% of them live under 20 miles from work. So, if this gets 78 miles.. and I will just use your numbers of 25 miles (more than most people) then that leave 28 miles left when you get home. Even if you made a few side trips, you would be Fine. I imagine L.A. is up to date enough to have quick charge stations as well. Those take 20 minutes. Grab some groceries, charge up if needed for longer distances. I know a lady who drives her Leaf for 2.5 hrs to her home on the coast, stopping at a grocery store with a charging station to boost the range. She says she has never had a problem. I would hope you are at work more than 3 hrs ;) If you needed to plug it in at work, because you live too far from work, you could just plug it in and then go home end of the day all charged up. If you really needed range, have another car around. Or, rent something for those seldom longer special road trips. If you save $1200 in gas per year in gas, never need an oil change, need almost no service... I think it would leave some pocket change to rent a $28 a day economy car and go on a 500 miles trip for a week. Or, just Fly with your savings....
Actually the Nissan Leaf 2013 has longer range than the Ford Focus Electric. EPA 84mi for Nissan. 76 for the Ford. The 2011-2012 Nissan has 73mi according to Wikipedia.
Today , a 500 mile road trip from San Fransisco to San Diego can be completed with 1 hour of charging and 8 hours of driving for a total of 9 hours . About 180KwH of energy would be required .
It's interesting how the people who should buy an electric vehicle are those with short commutes; however, those people most likely don't care about high gas prices because if their commute is short, their not burning much gas anyway.
for the love of god the c max or prius and accord plug in are better choices. im the kind of person who takes roadtrips.not to mention work is 70 miles away. so,theres no market for it. the only place would be like NYC.and owning a car and living in NYC is just nothing.and theres nowhere to charge. sadly, as cool as these are i dont feel there is a market with them until they find a way to decrease charge time/increase range. until then if i want an HOV lane pass ill just get a prius screw trees
Also the rear headrest come out and go in the trunk to improve the view to wide open in the. Rear I love the zero maintenance, the ford mechanic said he will nsee me again. The only maintenance in the manual is tires and grease the ball joints. We always never charge lover night. No one could kill the battery we are retired and drive all day and never go below 50% $22000 and change for a new one with the incentive. No one goes 200 miles/day people with hybrids are jealous.
why do they have to put the batteries in the trunk? takes half the cargo volume. Couldn't they place it under the seats like TESLA does?. I prefer the looks of the regular focus over this one.
Just for the record. The maintenance schedule on electric vehicles its not just slower. It's significantly lower. This is why dealerships don't like them.
+Torki Noor Battery dies what do you mean with it? When it is empty ever country in the world have electricity. And if the battery really dead there will be a ford dealer somewhere :P
Hydrogen Fuel Vehicles is definetly the better choice, but the U.S. goverment still didnt warm up to that idea because it uses some type of element that can produce an a-bomb (uranium, plutonium, not sure). This technology is becoming popular in Europe(BMW) and Asia(Honda & Hyundai). Actually Hyundai is the first & only company to "mass produce" a hydrogen car (Tucson) in south korea but it will cost almost $98,000.....not bad for a company that many people look at it as "cheap"....
OMG put your hand down. You don't need to hail a cab, you're driving a car! Seriously, why do people gesture with their hands when filming these car reviews? Also, signal for lane changes.
that is pretty nice but I still like the gas one I don`t now why. And you should have did a different color like a red or a blue something better then green just saying.
13:45 Don't tell that to 'White Zombie' owner John Whalen. That's how he makes his bread and butter at the drag races with his 1972 converted electric.
REAL good review. Just bought one- commute is 36mi rt- mild NC weather. Love the acceleration & like the looks- not to mention no gas- no oil changes- no emission tests- no timing belt changes- water pump- O2 sensor...
Hows the car been?
yea its good until the battery starts to lose is charge like an old cellphone
@@04dram04 so i shouldn't buy a used 2013 focus electric with 43k miles or should i? How much is new battery? How long take to charge at station? Don't have charger at my apt
I have owned an Electric Focus for 3 years now. It's a great commuter. It's efficient, as well as responsive in traffic. It always has the power to do what you need it to do, and you never have to wait for a shift. Not only that, but the worse traffic gets, my efficiency goes up, not down. If I get caught in traffic the slower the car is going the more efficient it gets and I'm using no fuel when stopped. I'm a driving enthusiast and I always compromise on a daily driver so I decided to try owning an electric car. To quote Carol Shelby, horsepower sells cars, torque wins races. I leased mine for 3 years, because I was afraid to commit to it. I'm buying it when my lease ends. There is no other car I would daily except a Tesla, and I don't have Tesla money.
I just read that a new battery cost $14 k
@@fargeeks With labor that's probably right. The above comment was from 3 years ago, but I still have the car. I'm at about 68% of my original battery life. I can't go as far but it still gets me around just fine. I'm now considering replacing it with another electric car but there isn't one that piques my interest yet. I'm over the Tesla.
@@johnl9763 hello im about to purchase a 2014 with 68k miles how many miles does your have? Thank you 😊
@@flowergatchaI just bought a 2013 with 70K miles on it. Insurance (progressive, my policy) will cover value of car if battery dies. I'm testing charge tonight. When I plugged it in at 720pm, 120volt home - it said 1120am tomorrow charge time 😮 - just checked, now it's at 8am. Will let you know.
@@johnl9763how do you check battery life?
If you are stuck in bumper to bumper traffic in your 20 mile commute this car could work you. It's cutting a bit close but if you can plug it in while you are at work it will add some range back when you drive home. Plus Ford is offering really lucrative lease deals on this vehicle right now.
It is late 2019 now, I am driving the 2013 FFE :). I bought mine from dealer in 2017, mine used to be a lease vehicle, and had 33k on it when I bought it for $16k, and it iss at 50k mileage now, I can achieve 70 mile range pretty easy in the Summer (1st leg of my route which is mostly downhill). Mid 60s range is my normal. I also wound up with a brand new motor from Ford under warranty thanks to a faulty TCM that is built into the motor that was causing the dreaded "motor will not engage/pull over now" warnings. The car was at the dealer nearly 6 months to get that fixed, and resulted in a Ford engineer having to fly out and work on the car himself. I have full write up of that experience on the FFE forums). Anyway, I have seen only minimal batter degradation so far. The factory warranty has been awesome though, 8 years, 80k miles on the "hybrid/EV parts", Best part was thanks to it being a Ford lease vehicle, it still counted as a "new" purchase for the full EV tax credit :) so I only paid about $9k for it after taxes. Pretty sweet for what was a $35k car and got a brand new engine as well. I bought the extended warranty on it as well, making sure it covered the EV parts.
I have an aftermarket 16amp 240v charger cord I use at home, and I still use the convenience charger when I go to other people's houses (also bought a really long, heavy duty extension cord). I also wound up buying a small 12v lithium battery jump starter, as these cars often have some fault that drains the 12v battery that powers the accessories while the car is powered off, and fails to recharge via the cord. Basically only see that if I do not drive the car for 3-4 days. Once its powered on fully, the main battery/regen braking will get the 12v back up to speed pretty fast. Seems Ford has no solution to that issue yet according to convos on the FFE forums. I did have to have the Ford convenience charger replaced in a recall due to issues with it overheating causing a fire risk (would start melting the plug at the wall socket and it did not have a protection circuit to prevent too high a power draw.
I also invested in a 12v heated steering wheel cover (shame that was not a built in option), anyway that make it far more pleasant to drive in cold weather when using the environmental controls minimally to extend range along with the heated seats.
Anyway, I still love this car, it has paid for itself in fuel and maintenance savings. My only wish was that it could charge at a higher rate than 6kwh, but I also suspect the lower charge rates have a lot to do with why the battery is still in such good shape. Its no big deal since its a commute car, and it spends most of its time parked, on a charger.
I just bought 2012 FFE a month ago. Just an about town car. Love it!! Only 30,330 miles! Great car!
MPGe is not complicated stuff. 110 MPGe means the amount of money you spend on electricity for this car is equivalent to a owning a gasoline powered car that gets 110MPG.
+Evan Mitchell yeah, electric wuss cars suck.
No its not. Its based on the amount of energy in a gallon of gas. Not cost. here's a video explaining. ua-cam.com/video/MfUQWrEMMMA/v-deo.html
One gallon equivalent is actually 33.7 kWh. It’s based on the loss of heat energy equal to what gas would do. So the heat loss is equal to a car with 110 mpg. The price per mile fluxes, as gas prices and electricity prices are not parallel. I hold nothing against you for the misunderstanding, the EPA made a very confusing system
This vehicle has led accents but it did not have DRLs. For some reason ford did not include them in the states.
Oldcoinsandstuff1 must not own this car. I live in Canada and drive this car year round. We love it! We use it for commuting and for 90-95% of all of our driving. It's not a road trip car, but it works for virtually all of our driving! We just drove it every day during our most recent winter from hell and it excelled. The Focus Electric has an over-engineered feel and the level of quality is very high. Unlike the Leaf which is air-cooled, the Focus Electric has a thermally managed battery, meaning the battery is liquid cooled and heated, which is great for preserving range, no matter the outside temperature, and is good for the battery's health. I've found that our range is about 100 km on the coldest winter days, up to 160 km in the summer. This is more than enough for most anyone's daily driving! Of course if you're going for max range, you may have to minimize use of the heat/ac on those rare occasions, and you have to drive efficiently in order to achieve maximum range. The performance is great and best of all is uses no gas and requires no maintenance! No more oil changes, timing belts, valve adjustments and all the rest. It basically only needs wiper blades and tire rotations when necessary. I laugh when I pass gas stations and my insurance company gave me a discount for going green! The government also gave me an $8500 rebate toward the car and $1000 toward my home charging station! My monthly credit card bill plummeted because I no longer buy gasoline. Amazing. Try one, you'll love it and so will your wallet. Gas prices are only going up! With the Focus Electric, the BMW i3, the Kia Soul EV, the Leaf, the Teslas, and the others on the way, the internal combustion engine's days are numbered!
What is the Canadian winter range like? I am curious if the thermal management makes a big difference during the winter (compared with the leaf). I am looking at getting a Focus EV as my next, but I live near a Leaf dealership...
***** From 5 to -45F. It's a huge country :)
It was sad to watch them fly away whenever you got feisty with the throttle ;)
My preferred option in the electric car segment (if it's your only vehicle) is the Volt. Its driving character is fairly fun but without losing a comfortable ride and quiet interior. My best friend bought one, and he rarely puts gas in it. If he happens to go on a longer trip that depletes the battery, the gas generator starts up and supplies the electricity. A plug-in with a range extending generator is an excellent compromise until hydrogen becomes a practical option.
The Tesla Model S starts at $60,000 and most will be over $100 grand. We didn't mention it bc most buyer won't be cross shopping these vehicles.
"drive within budget to add butterflies" with no context is hysterical
Dude. You Sleep. It will charge WHILE you sleep. Hopefully over 3 hrs! Also, why not charge at work? Not that many would need to. Most people live under 20 miles from work. Just charge at home at night as needed. Nightly, I guess if work is too far away. These are 9-10 grand with 30k miles locally now, too. I am going Used.
I live in Chicago & my drive to work in the west suburbs is 20 miles each way which lasts 45-60 min & $75-100/wk on gas. If this Focus has a 70+ mile range do you think it'd be something to consider? Even with music blasting & A/C on high I think I'd be ok as long as I go directly home after work & grab the Saab to go dine/drink with the boys. I know Volt is the safer choice because of the ext range capability but the Focus looks nicer & seems more fun (how gay of me haha). Any thoughts?
Another thing people seem to forget is that not only are you saving "$1200" (you said $600 and $1800, that's more than $1100 savings) from not paying for gas, but you're also not paying for oil, oil changes, transmission fluid, the coolant lasts longer, etc. Many manufacturers like Tesla and GM are now guaranteeing batteries retain 70% capacity for the warranty period (8 years/100,000 mile).
If you actually owned an EV for 8 years and put decent mileage on it, you could easily say you save over $10,000 in gasoline, fluids, and service. Not to mention the cars seemingly hold value. 2011 Volts can be found for $15-24k right now, 2013 Fusion Electrics can be found for $28k.
Summing up tax incentives, savings, and - if you kept your EV in immaculate condition - buyback value, you could practically *profit* off of owning one.
Joseph DiSalvo I wouldn't really count liquids as a huge saving, more so, I'd mention engine/tranny parts and general maintenance as a bigger issue with non-EV's.
Sporty and electric don't go hand in hand? You seriously said that?
Yes they do! Electric motors have instant neck snapping torque. They're racing them now in Formula-E and electric motorcycles are now at the Isle of Man TT race (and have been for quite a few years now).
GoSolarPlz It's neck-snapping if you're in a Tesla with hundreds of horses. Not in a Volt or a Renault Twizy/Zoe or any compact or consumer-oriented EV.
All EVs I have driven. Even a Mitsubishi imiev was fun with lots of torque. Swift. Like a hoovercraft. I almost never wanted to drive a gas car again.
@@esaedvik Drove a Leaf and I completely disagree with you. For people who only drove econoboxes the instant torque will put a smile on your face. Sure if you are used to driving GTR's and 911's it won't but for regular consumers it will be much quicker than anything similar with a gas engine.
@@flakeu That isn't disagreeing with me.
I've actually seen a few of these driving around (normal tags not dealer tags). I kinda like it, but I love the sound of an engine and love revving it up... so I can't justify an electric car. Plus I'm happy with my car's MPG so that's another factor too
This guy's comments are THE BEST!
As for the pros: I like that the Volt is quick and zippy, the seats are supportive and comfortable, and the car gives you almost everything you need (a sunroof would be nice!). The Volt is great for me, and I highly recommend leasing one if you can snatch a well-equipped model for under $350/mo w/ 12+k mi/yr and under $1k down. I have a 240v charger at my California house, but I can easily get away w/ a 120 when living at school.
I am leasing one for 250 a month and 2500 down. I figured that with the gas savings from not driving my old car and the maintenance cost, I am getting this for free. This is great second car for a family. We take it everywhere that 80 miles range will take us. You just have to plan a bit and they have level 2 charging stations everywhere in my area.
Also take out the box in the trunk and the space becomes very large- cooler, golf clubs etc. Ford just messed it up with the goofy styrofoam box which does nothing but sit in my basement.
I routinely get more range than the 'stated' 76 miles. With careful driving, over 100 is easy. On a full charge, my 'budget' given to me by the car, is 108 or more.
I totally agree. The point is to NOT drive like a total douche bag like this guy does with every car he tests.
I live in the suburbs of NOVA and traveling down a busy highway to work and school once a day is a 35 mile round trip. A night charge on the increased voltage overnight would work for me. The lesser voltage charge that takes a ridiculously long time and seems like a slap in the face.
It means all the windows work like the driver's side window. Tap once and it goes all the way down, or the same for putting it back up. You don't have to hold the switch for either direction.
Let's also take into account that good test drivers don't always make good electric car drivers. When I first bought my Ford Fusion Hybrid (2010), I was getting about 32MPG. Today, I'm capable of getting well over 40MPG on the same trips. It all depends on how you drive. I think I'd be a much better electric car driver because I'm a pretty good hybrid driver. Hybrids are pretty good training wheels, except for the Honda Insight. That hybrid really sucks.
Great review man! Now we need a Mazdaspeed 3 review haha.
thank you for putting a highway section in like I said your so nice for listening
Thanks for the informative review. I was looking at a used Ford Focus Electric 2014 with 48k miles. So I was thinking about getting this to commute 60 miles to school, then another 18 to work. I figure as long as I park at 240 charging stations I should be good, right? Also, what am I looking at as far as repairs on this car? I worry it will be expensive. And finally, what are the possibilities of hacking this bad boy to solar panels?!? Then I could yell at Prius drivers to "suck it!"
I had a 2013 focus electric take my advice stay off the highway you’re lucky gets 30 miles
i liked the old way you used to film where you held the camera and showed us what you were seeing. not from the side from passenger seat
PLEASE BRING BACK THE OLD STYLE
Then modify the alternator so that it doesn't sap the energy. Having a separate battery would not be redundant. It would save your batteries that make up your engine so that you can travel longer distances while being comfortable.
It's only begining. I see great potential in this area of the world automobile production and in our country too. Future has come.
Very true! Pravda! The future is here. People just need to realize it. EVs are the solution to many of the world's problems. If your energy grid is green (ie not coal) it's truly the best. You can also have solar panels power your charger too, so you're running on sun power!
I agree with your view on charging fiasco with electric cars. I really wanted to buy an electric car, but I couldn't because I often drive more than 60 miles a day and I didn't want to risk being stranded with battery out of juice. I'm looking forward to when electric cars can be fully charged in a matter of few minutes, with range around 300 miles per charge -- I'd purchase one at a heartbeat.
At 7:46 you can see the DRLs. In most Fords, they will not turn on until you shift into a gear.
Wait, so there's no gas engine?
TheVic18t there is, what are you talking about?
looool! u should make a playlist just for ford focus...might as well, since there are sooo many on ur channel...
Perhaps alternator is not the right piece of machinery I am thinking of, but something could be invented that would store energy and release it at proper times.
Good Review Of 2013 Ford Focus Electric. 😀
You do not use your turning signals !
I agree. The absence of sound bores me, and the fact you can no longer say "Let's fire up the car" or "the car is running" you have to say "let's turn on the car" and "the car is on" like a fucking TV. There's also much less engineering involved, it's literally a battery and a standard motor. The bigger the battery, the more power and there's no power bands either. No gears. I could go on.
I have 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid AWD and I love it overall. Right now I've gotten to a point where I'm absolutely sick and tired of buying gasoline. The one thing that would make my Escape Awesome is if it were a Plugin Hybrid instead. It does very well on gas mileage as far as how heavy it is, but I seriously looking into selling it and leasing a Ford Focus Electric. I don't care if it takes me longer to get to far places. I'm so sick of buying gas.
But the electric charging costs the same!
I like the fancy intros and 3rd person views.
Until purely electric cars can have that long range and short charge time the extended-range gas electrics are th way to go. The Volt is my personal favorite followed by the Karma.
so there is no fast charge for this car? at a public charge station it'll take 4-5 hours to charge?
I hate that all electric cars have an "electric cat look". This Focus borderlines on that status with the choice of color and front accents but it is one of the better looking electric cars out there.
I'm sorry then, in Europe they work as DRLs, so they are always on. I did not know that it's different there.
can you do a review on a 2013 honda fit ev?
p.s my home hydro bill has only gone up $30 a month. I charge during off-peak times. You can program the car to only charge during these times. Amazing! Not a bad trade off compared to a $400 a month gasoline bill and at least $50-100 in maintenance.
great review! But I really dont see why electric cars dont have CVTs... i just think that would be so much more efficient.... but maybe not, Im no expert with electric cars.
What is wrong with these companies and their batteries? Take a hint from Tesla guys. Quit packing the batteries on one huge hump that takes up the entire trunk. And why do all these electric cars have the electric motor where the engine is? That could be more trunk space. No wonder Tesla is destroying the electric cars competition.
The accretion is impressive all the torque at 5 mph I spin the tires often, I love how it is a sports car he must not have punched it?
Very nice looking paint on it...
Which one is better for tall people: focus electric or nissan leaf ??
I'd love to get my hands on an electric vehicle, but I'd also like something with AWD like a Subaru and yet electric...lol...
If you find a good deal, you could find an AWD Model S for about $25-$30k. Might be above your budget, but it’ll give you the best of both worlds
@@justagiraffe2868 Thank you for the ideas...
Hard to imagine this is the same kid doing the stream lined professional reviews of today.
i live smack dab 30 minutes from manhattan on long island and the most electric of a car here is a volt. that seems to be the best idea. something like a extended range hybrid. you get 75 miles range pure electric, then say you want a roadtrip or to do some extra travelling or whatever the gas engine is there only when you flip it on to keep you going and charge the battery. then its the best of both worlds. all electric school commute, for extra travel a small petrol engine to go elsewhere
What's the song called that you used in this video, the 2016 NAIAS and the 2016 NYIAS?
I'm thinking if getting one, used 2013 focus electric, 43k mls $7k. But live in apt, no parking. Closest level 2 charger is .30 cents minute = $18 hr!!! To go 15 miles? What?
He days range is 50 miles. Takes 4 hours for fill charge.
A prius c gets 52 miles per gallon. Current gas price in sf Bay area is $3.50 so I'll take a Prius c over an electric
76 mile, 50 ish real world range per charge? really? You have to live in a very small town with a 10 minute commute to keep your sanity. In most towns take Los Angeles, I might have to stay at work for 3 hours extra charging just to get back home! Plenty of people can relate to a 25+ mile commute one way in most freeway extensive cities.
As for having a social life forget it, this car means no road trips, no weekend getaways or even just a simple day trip with the family. I dont even understand why car companies produce these 100 mile or less range electric cars, realistically a car for the masses needs at least a 200 mile range per charge, unfortunately most people cant afford a Tesla.
I think it depends on where you live. Most, actually statistically, live under 20 miles from work. Like 80% of them live under 20 miles from work. So, if this gets 78 miles.. and I will just use your numbers of 25 miles (more than most people) then that leave 28 miles left when you get home. Even if you made a few side trips, you would be Fine.
I imagine L.A. is up to date enough to have quick charge stations as well. Those take 20 minutes. Grab some groceries, charge up if needed for longer distances.
I know a lady who drives her Leaf for 2.5 hrs to her home on the coast, stopping at a grocery store with a charging station to boost the range. She says she has never had a problem. I would hope you are at work more than 3 hrs ;) If you needed to plug it in at work, because you live too far from work, you could just plug it in and then go home end of the day all charged up.
If you really needed range, have another car around. Or, rent something for those seldom longer special road trips. If you save $1200 in gas per year in gas, never need an oil change, need almost no service...
I think it would leave some pocket change to rent a $28 a day economy car and go on a 500 miles trip for a week. Or, just Fly with your savings....
Actually the Nissan Leaf 2013 has longer range than the Ford Focus Electric. EPA 84mi for Nissan. 76 for the Ford. The 2011-2012 Nissan has 73mi according to Wikipedia.
Today , a 500 mile road trip from San Fransisco to San Diego can be completed with 1 hour of charging and 8 hours of driving for a total of 9 hours . About 180KwH of energy would be required .
Which means what ? I was wondering if I can go to LA or San Francisco from San Diego
@@josereyes-herrera7867 No problem . A 500 mile trip only requires 40 minutes of charging if you leave the house with a full charge.
I can't speak in regards to the electric range, but the car is built like a tank.
and how much will your hydro bill go up?
Can't wait till it comes to Ireland?
Ford electric or chevy electric?
What state is that? Infrastructure looks janky.
Can you please do an update video on your Honda Fit?
If you come across one, can you do an MKIII Jetta? the 92-99 model?
It's interesting how the people who should buy an electric vehicle are those with short commutes; however, those people most likely don't care about high gas prices because if their commute is short, their not burning much gas anyway.
I want this and the electric delorean!!
There is an arm rest in mine it must have been a revised back seat and mine is a 2013
With gas prices so high vehicles like this and the volt are looking better every day.
Good review! Nice job
for the love of god the c max or prius and accord plug in are better choices. im the kind of person who takes roadtrips.not to mention work is 70 miles away. so,theres no market for it. the only place would be like NYC.and owning a car and living in NYC is just nothing.and theres nowhere to charge. sadly, as cool as these are i dont feel there is a market with them until they find a way to decrease charge time/increase range. until then if i want an HOV lane pass ill just get a prius screw trees
Also the rear headrest come out and go in the trunk to improve the view to wide open in the. Rear I love the zero maintenance, the ford mechanic said he will nsee me again. The only maintenance in the manual is tires and grease the ball joints. We always never charge lover night. No one could kill the battery we are retired and drive all day and never go below 50% $22000 and change for a new one with the incentive. No one goes 200 miles/day people with hybrids are jealous.
is this the cmax?
Excellent review!
I would get the Leaf just because I don't know how much to trust Ford with electric tech yet...
why do they have to put the batteries in the trunk? takes half the cargo volume. Couldn't they place it under the seats like TESLA does?. I prefer the looks of the regular focus over this one.
Just for the record. The maintenance schedule on electric vehicles its not just slower. It's significantly lower. This is why dealerships don't like them.
Thanks for this review
Damn, Sofyan turned up the sass in this review 💁
why do they have to make it look different from the other focuses
please do a prius video
what is the chevy volt considerded?
Can you do a 2013 chevrolet camaro ss with the 1le package
i have question what if battery dies ? what should i do ?
Specially if i'm in a country doesn't support that technology ^^
+Torki Noor Battery dies what do you mean with it? When it is empty ever country in the world have electricity. And if the battery really dead there will be a ford dealer somewhere :P
You guys should review the 2013 Dodge Journey!
Lol!! Personally, I think the "Aston Martin grille" looks kinda dopey on the Focus, but other than that, its not bad.
The engine cover is soft touch? :O
They just need to improve charge rates and range to like 120 miles and electric cars could be the replacement to gas cars
Hydrogen Fuel Vehicles is definetly the better choice, but the U.S. goverment still didnt warm up to that idea because it uses some type of element that can produce an a-bomb (uranium, plutonium, not sure). This technology is becoming popular in Europe(BMW) and Asia(Honda & Hyundai). Actually Hyundai is the first & only company to "mass produce" a hydrogen car (Tucson) in south korea but it will cost almost $98,000.....not bad for a company that many people look at it as "cheap"....
OMG put your hand down. You don't need to hail a cab, you're driving a car! Seriously, why do people gesture with their hands when filming these car reviews? Also, signal for lane changes.
that is pretty nice but I still like the gas one I don`t now why. And you should have did a different color like a red or a blue something better then green just saying.
At 5:00 you promised it was on. But the DRL is not on, so I think you lied. :( Well, at least on the european Focuses it cannot be turned off.
So if I want to be comfortable in this by running the heat or ac it will have hardly anything for a range.
KWH is killowatt * hour, not killowatt/hour. so there is no "per" in kwh. it is killowatt hour.
13:45 Don't tell that to 'White Zombie' owner John Whalen. That's how he makes his bread and butter at the drag races with his 1972 converted electric.
Because by European law, they are requiring DRLs on all new cars (LED or not) and so they aren't required in the US.
u passed my neighborhood lmao
Outstanding - thank you!
VERY GOOD REVIEW *