Ford Focus Electric Receives EPA Rating of 105 MPGe Average

Posted on Sep 13, 2017 in Technology | 1 comment

Set to arrive as the first publicly offered Ford-branded fully electric car, the Ford Focus Electric’s will journey out into selected markets through the second half of this year. Still awaiting the all-important price tag for the electric vehicle set to break 109 years of Ford Motor Company tradition, the United States EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) compiled other important consumer information on the zero-emissions Focus.

Officially, fuel economy for the all-new Ford Focus Electric released Friday indicates that the vehicle will become the most fuel-efficient five-passenger vehicle in the United States market. The EPA calculations for the 2012 Ford Fusion Electric place the vehicle’s city travel at 110 MPGe and highway fuel mileage at 99 MPGe. Offering a combined fuel economy of 105 MPGe, the Focus Electric EPA results beat the Nissan Leaf by 6 MPGe.

Of course, since the Ford Fusion Electric isn’t a fuel-burning vehicle, someone who asks how miles per gallon data can be produced. The MPGe (or miles per gallon equivalent) rating was devised as a method for electrified vehicles to be measured equally to conventional internal combustion-engined automobiles. The EPA use of the MPGe is processed by comparing a quantity of power in electricity equal to energy in a gallon of gasoline. Obviously, with miles per gallon being such an easily referenced figure when searching for a vehicle, the effort to adopt the MPGe is to put electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles on an easy to comparable scale.

Unlike the vast amount of gasoline vehicles purchased in the world, electric cars are often judged on criteria other than fuel economy. Customers (along with critics) cite the driving range of a vehicle similar to a Ford Focus Electric. While Ford originally quoted a driving distance for the Focus Electric around 100 miles on a single charge, EPA results only approved range at 76 miles. Ford maintains that the vehicle can be driven by to 100 miles on a full electric charge under ideal driving conditions. As displayed in the fuel economy calculations for the Ford Focus Electric, arriving at the highest cruising range will come in city driving where regenerative braking will play a major part in extending distance. While many consumers will still contend that a 100-mile driving range is too short for their motoring needs, Ford Motor Company refers to data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics referencing the average American driver travels only 29 miles a day.

While some motorists may not be won over by the total driving range of an electric car, the 2012 Ford Focus variant may become one of the most affordable vehicles to maintain. Full charges for the Focus Electric will equate to only a few dollars in most areas of North America. Unlike with gasoline vehicles (including hybrid cars), electric cars do not require oil change servicing. However, like all vehicles, preventive maintenance items will require attention through the course of Ford Focus Electric ownership. The only major expense incurred with Focus Electric purchase will be the 240-volt charging unit. The 2012 Ford Focus Electric will continue to boast a relatively quick battery recharge time. With Ford’s Elec-tech system, the Focus Electric needs only four hours to completely charge.

Only Ford‘s third full electric vehicle ever to be built (previously available electric versions of the Ranger and Transit Connect have been sold for fleet use), the compact car is set to become another product championing the Blue Oval as a 21st century auto company.