FocusEv
Latest
Ford to demo beta of MyFord Mobile app at CES, lets you tweet about your Focus from afar
Still giddy about taking possession of that electric Focus that you pre-ordered back in November? Well, before Dearborn gets the chance to airdrop that electric hatch into your driveway, know it'll be previewing a new beta of the MyFord Mobile smartphone app at CES. For those unaware, that's a mobile ware that displays battery info and range, where charging stations lurk, helps plan routes and can adjust climate, all while acting as a remote. It also boasts a bevy of social functions, ripe with achievements and statistics that let you stack up against your Ford-toting EV friends -- naturally replete with the ability to upload boastful scores to your social network of choice. PR and a video detailing all await you after the break.
Ford Focus Electric confirmed to not support fast charging, EV fragmentation looms large
Thought that fragmentation was reserved for the mobile OS realm? Think again. With the first (and second) waves of electric vehicles dribbling out to the streets, an obvious problem is becoming even more obvious. The city of Chicago is fixing to install 73 fast-charging EV stations by the end of the year, but two of the most commonly driven ones won't be able to take advantage. Chevy's Volt and Ford's Focus Electric will only support the slower Level 2 charging, leaving those faster ones for Nissan Leaf and Mitsubishi i MiEV owners to enjoy. As if that weren't headache-inducing enough, a slew of other automakers are reportedly planning to "sign on to a new standard for fast charging that would be incompatible with Chicago's infrastructure," and if you think the Windy City is alone in this mess, you're wrong. We've already heard of similar issues in the nation's capitol, and Jack Pokrzywa, manager of global ground vehicle standards for SAE International, still doesn't seem convinced that auto producers are really ready and willing to commit to a single fast-charging standard. HD DVD vs. Blu-ray was one thing, but thousands of vehicle chargers crowding up our cities once they become obsolete in a year? That's so not green.
The state of the electric automobile, in pictures
You've heard the announcements. You know the specs. You may even be able to guess how the showdown will play out. But unless you were in San Jose, California, this week for Plug-In 2010, you've probably never seen six contenders for our future electric vehicle dollars all in one room. We hopped in our late-80s gas guzzler and hit the show floor in your stead, snapping enough pictures of the Leaf, Volt, Focus, Prius PHEV, fortwo Electric Drive, and the i MiEV to give you a virtual tour. See what we saw after the break.
