Ford Focus BEV
- Mpg equivalent: 105 miles combined city and highway
- MSRP: $39,200
- Annual fuel cost: $600
Starting at $39,200, the 2012 Ford Focus BEV electric car dives down to $31,700 after a $7,500 federal tax credit. It's available in California, New York and New Jersey, but its availability will expand to 19 markets by the end of 2012.
It has a 107-kilowatt electric drive motor, which utilizes chemical energy and gets its juice from a high-voltage, rechargeable, 23-kwh, liquid-cooled, lithium-ion battery system. According to Environmental Protection Agency estimates, the electric engine allows the Focus to go 76 miles on a single charge. The EPA gives it an mpg equivalent rating of 110 miles for city, 99 miles for highway and 105 miles combined.
To boost the distance on a single charge, the Focus BEV uses a regenerative braking system, which captures and recycles more than 90 percent of the kinetic energy created when braking. It gets 141 horsepower and tops out at a speed of 84 miles per hour.
A 120-volt charger comes standard with the Focus BEV, which Ford estimates will take about 20 hours for a full charge. It takes four hours with the optional 240-volt charger. Other standard features include a single-speed transmission to handle the car's high revolutions-per-minute, or rpm, range and a brake coach that helps the driver optimize the regenerative brake system.
Electronic stability control, remote keyless entry and an alarm system are standard safety features.