August 2012: Ford Focus Electric
Get ready ladies. There’s about to be an onslaught of choices for plug-in electric cars. The federal government is requiring car makers to produce “greener” cars, and that mean manufacturers are turning to all-electric vehicles, in addition to their gasoline and hybrid models.
This month, we honor Ford’s electrified Focus, which is a fun romp on wheels! It’s cute, seriously roomy for its size, and eco-wonderful. The Ford Focus Electric has everything we love from the gasoline version – eight airbags, a nine-speaker sound system, a useful hatchback trunk, and the Ford My Touch interface, which accesses all web-based data. Some people love it, others would rather have old-fashioned dials and buttons.
Though you can’t take a long road trip in the car – it is only rated to travel about 76 miles per charge – the Ford Focus Electric is a great run-about for those who have a short commute to work. Early adopters of this model will receive generous federal tax incentives, and Californians will get extra state tax benefits, which together amount to about a $10,000 reduction in price.