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The Battery-Driven Car Just Got a Lot More Normal

The New York Times -- CRITICS of electric vehicles say they are too expensive and lack sufficient driving range. But I wonder if those gripes would disappear if the E.V.’s on sale weren’t so — let’s not mince words — homely. I adore my all-electric Nissan Leaf, but its wide rear end, bulging headlights and odd proportions evoke a Japanese gizmo aesthetic that doesn’t necessarily appeal to mainstream American car buyers.

Enter the handsome 2012 Ford Focus Electric, the first all-electric car from an American automaker in the 21st century. Ford will begin selling the electric version of the new Focus in the next few weeks in California, New York and New Jersey, followed by 19 additional markets in the fall.

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Submitted May 05, 2012 By: fordfreak

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alsal55 All-Star Author Twin Cities Posts:652 Points:1,227,275 Joined:May 2007	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 9:48:29 PM Ignore alsal55 Report Abuse Price it right, and we'll buy it. Over price it (Chevy Volt) and we'll ignore it.
WestMichigan Champion Author Grand Rapids Posts:2,463 Points:551,065 Joined:Mar 2011	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 9:46:32 PM Ignore WestMichigan Report Abuse Like GT3186's comment
AKmailman Champion Author Alaska Posts:5,612 Points:1,553,565 Joined:Jul 2004	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 9:45:13 PM Ignore AKmailman Report Abuse the cars are not "homely" the technology driving them is
CVA19 Champion Author Salem Posts:2,393 Points:605,225 Joined:Aug 2011	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 9:42:27 PM Ignore CVA19 Report Abuse According to Mr. Berman, if you make crap look good then the critics will like it. This was the best: "...an hour-and-a-half charge at the Walgreens allowed me to make the 35-mile return to my home charger. I had lunch while I waited at a fast-food joint nearby. Charging at half the rate would have exceeded the limits of my schedule and my patience." LOL... so a 3-hour recharge would have "exceeded the limits of" his "schedule and" his "patience," but a 1 1/2-hour charge was fine! I know there's nothing I would enjoy more than to spend an hour and a half in a fast-food joint so I could drive home--NOT. Also, I wonder what Walgreens thinks about non-customers using the chargers that they provide for customers. To quote a famous rabbit, "What a maroon!" [Edited by: GT3186 at 5/5/2012 10:45:53 PM EST]
johnnyg1200 Champion Author St. Louis Posts:4,099 Points:640,320 Joined:May 2011	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 9:41:32 PM Ignore johnnyg1200 Report Abuse I think the fact that Ford left the electric identification off of the new electric Focus was no accident. Electric cars have a bad rap and have become a badge of wasted money, both for the buyer and the tax payer. According to the article the car still costs close to $40,000. $30,000 if you count the theft of tax payer money used to bribe people in to buying a car that only has about a 100 mile range and takes one to four hours to charge. I would be embarrassed to let everyone know I was stupid enough to pay that kind of money for a car that doesn’t even perform as well as a car from fifty years ago. Not to mention that they man looking at the car in contempt had to help pay for it.
AlpineDude Champion Author San Diego Posts:32,607 Points:2,997,535 Joined:Aug 2004	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 9:37:18 PM Ignore AlpineDude Report Abuse Good article. :-)
suzmar Champion Author Texas Posts:2,208 Points:868,310 Joined:Jun 2006	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 9:33:12 PM Ignore suzmar Report Abuse I don't care about the looks, I want a car that is reliable and will get me into town to do my shopping and errands. This is a 160 mile round trip. I also need the vehicle to be spacious to carry my purchases. As far as I can tell the EV meets none of my criteria.
Blue48 Champion Author Illinois Posts:7,285 Points:1,633,945 Joined:Feb 2007	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 9:33:03 PM Ignore Blue48 Report Abuse WE SHALL SEE!
carman11 Champion Author North Carolina Posts:3,308 Points:687,500 Joined:Jun 2011	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 9:32:07 PM Ignore carman11 Report Abuse GET THE PRICE DOWN AND IT MIGHT SALE
badbonita Champion Author Syracuse Posts:6,198 Points:1,348,735 Joined:Jul 2008	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 9:30:30 PM Ignore badbonita Report Abuse Ev's don't have a lock on ugly cars. And they are alot of them out there.
chicoCA Champion Author California Posts:1,955 Points:1,769,680 Joined:Nov 2007	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 9:30:30 PM Ignore chicoCA Report Abuse okay
EMoe57 Champion Author Jacksonville Posts:4,597 Points:1,012,040 Joined:Apr 2009	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 9:27:21 PM Ignore EMoe57 Report Abuse Time will tell how this plays out
bettersight Champion Author Oakland Posts:1,116 Points:255,885 Joined:May 2011	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 9:27:20 PM Ignore bettersight Report Abuse ok
SparkieMi Champion Author Kalamazoo Posts:3,239 Points:584,220 Joined:Sep 2011	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 9:26:26 PM Ignore SparkieMi Report Abuse There still is a lot of problems to be worked out and price is out of reach for many....
carloco75 Champion Author Richmond Posts:3,699 Points:596,465 Joined:Oct 2010	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 9:23:13 PM Ignore carloco75 Report Abuse Its about time...yet I'm still not interested...
DozenSpeed Champion Author St. Louis Posts:1,293 Points:391,550 Joined:Sep 2011	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 9:22:31 PM Ignore DozenSpeed Report Abuse They usually are ugly...
milespergallon Champion Author Illinois Posts:9,724 Points:1,904,360 Joined:Feb 2007	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 9:22:10 PM Ignore milespergallon Report Abuse Would not care if they made them look like expensive sports cars. The old saying yo can dress a pig up but it's still a pig!
walkingtall Champion Author Toronto Posts:3,974 Points:1,116,705 Joined:Nov 2004	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 9:21:08 PM Ignore walkingtall Report Abuse Electric vechiles have huge problem,range and pricing.
danreino Champion Author Twin Cities Posts:8,332 Points:1,536,730 Joined:Mar 2008	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 9:19:29 PM Ignore danreino Report Abuse Any the miles range is once again a mystery.
ExplorerWA Champion Author Washington Posts:4,058 Points:793,170 Joined:Feb 2011	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 9:17:06 PM Ignore ExplorerWA Report Abuse They are just not ready for prime time.
BigBillMI All-Star Author Detroit Posts:611 Points:244,855 Joined:Feb 2012	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 9:12:35 PM Ignore BigBillMI Report Abuse ok
singlemom27 Champion Author Ventura Posts:3,088 Points:635,210 Joined:Apr 2011	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 9:12:09 PM Ignore singlemom27 Report Abuse Don't care how they look...my main gripe is the toxic waste caused by the batteries.
vandamme Champion Author New York Posts:1,152 Points:132,155 Joined:Nov 2008	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 9:11:45 PM Ignore vandamme Report Abuse There are plenty of places where this makes sense. Well, not here...
TelsaOR Champion Author Oregon Posts:3,561 Points:732,890 Joined:Jan 2011	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 9:10:25 PM Ignore TelsaOR Report Abuse Think I'll still wait for the Tesla Series M to come out. It fits on all accounts except the cost. But you get what you pay for.
timbyus1 Champion Author Fort Worth Posts:1,944 Points:387,530 Joined:Mar 2012	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 9:09:42 PM Ignore timbyus1 Report Abuse ok
DancingDee Champion Author Gary Posts:4,372 Points:1,054,925 Joined:Jul 2005	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 9:09:22 PM Ignore DancingDee Report Abuse Hey, hey, Way to go Ford!!!!!
nobodyMO Champion Author Kansas City Posts:2,251 Points:554,305 Joined:Nov 2010	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 9:08:27 PM Ignore nobodyMO Report Abuse Time will tell
hubie24 Veteran Author Michigan Posts:315 Points:204,080 Joined:Jul 2010	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 9:07:36 PM Ignore hubie24 Report Abuse Electric wont catch on for another 10 years.
bif65 Champion Author Virginia Posts:1,023 Points:194,755 Joined:Jan 2011	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 9:07:11 PM Ignore bif65 Report Abuse ok
OOXXFF Champion Author Greensboro Posts:3,038 Points:1,074,430 Joined:Sep 2009	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 9:02:54 PM Ignore OOXXFF Report Abuse Electric vehicle's huge problems are price and range.
DeeLA Champion Author Los Angeles Posts:4,792 Points:1,360,355 Joined:Nov 2008	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 9:00:34 PM Ignore DeeLA Report Abuse As great as these cars may be, they're not in my budget.
JagXKR Champion Author British Columbia Posts:3,134 Points:1,086,855 Joined:Dec 2009	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 8:58:20 PM Ignore JagXKR Report Abuse I hope this writer gets stuck in a traffic jam and it's well below freezing. Make him stay in his vehicle until the tow truck tows it to a charging station. I hope he freezes his eco terrorist butt off. The true realities of the golf carts in a cold climate are not talked about because they are horrid.
MDTDriver Champion Author California Posts:9,704 Points:2,150,645 Joined:Jul 2006	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 8:52:46 PM Ignore MDTDriver Report Abuse Interesting.
indyjim Champion Author Indianapolis Posts:10,071 Points:2,315,430 Joined:Jul 2006	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 8:50:25 PM Ignore indyjim Report Abuse Oh my.............I think I'm getting excited.
GOBUTLER Champion Author Indianapolis Posts:1,425 Points:386,835 Joined:Dec 2011	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 8:49:05 PM Ignore GOBUTLER Report Abuse interesting...
Edpap Champion Author Pennsylvania Posts:4,303 Points:502,155 Joined:Oct 2011	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 8:48:19 PM Ignore Edpap Report Abuse Electrics need to have reliability and safety...the technology needs to advance so the cars are affordable to the masses. We are several years away from a viable technology for electrics. No Fed support should be needed...None of these cars will be successful until they can be competitive in the market place on their owm. A Ford Focus does not exist that is worth anywhere near $40k.
tatker Champion Author Asheville Posts:1,940 Points:555,605 Joined:Dec 2010	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 8:48:11 PM Ignore tatker Report Abuse Would like gas as back up like volt
uptherefiners Champion Author Chicago Posts:5,048 Points:1,002,000 Joined:Jun 2006	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 8:48:07 PM Ignore uptherefiners Report Abuse not in my driveway
Blondie22OH Champion Author Cincinnati Posts:1,535 Points:336,270 Joined:Feb 2012	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 8:48:05 PM Ignore Blondie22OH Report Abuse good!
Killerbabydoll Champion Author Tucson Posts:1,243 Points:544,220 Joined:Sep 2010	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 8:45:58 PM Ignore Killerbabydoll Report Abuse of course they got normal...there isnt enough charging staions for electric cars to go to.
teamsimons Champion Author South Carolina Posts:2,458 Points:498,345 Joined:Aug 2011	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 8:43:59 PM Ignore teamsimons Report Abuse So a cuter electric vehicle will boost sales? That's a thought worth exploring. Maybe someone in the fashion industry -- who concentrates on classic lines at are always in good taste -- could give automakers some help. Should we hope that more people will buy electric vehicles? Is the infrastructure in place for recharging? If so, watch out gas markets!
DustyHorse Champion Author Virginia Posts:6,067 Points:1,387,845 Joined:Oct 2008	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 8:42:19 PM Ignore DustyHorse Report Abuse The problem is the range and the amount of time required to recharge.
colaguy Champion Author Columbia Posts:3,166 Points:1,006,150 Joined:Oct 2008	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 8:40:49 PM Ignore colaguy Report Abuse that's good
bruceha2000 Champion Author Vermont Posts:2,855 Points:1,282,225 Joined:Sep 2005	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 8:40:41 PM Ignore bruceha2000 Report Abuse "weird shifter knobs or special Eco modes. The driver chooses among standard gear selections: park, reverse, neutral, drive and low." For some of us, this is an utter design failure. With "by wire" transmission cars you should ALMOST NEVER touch the shifter on ANY trip, be it 1 mile or 100 miles. AT MOST once to reverse into the street and once to go forward. Why make it more of an effort just because old fashioned transmissions were hardware linkages? One of the BEST things about the Prius (2004-2012, Prius V)and the Leaf is that you use the SAME motion to get to any position regardless of what "gear" the car is in currently. Reverse is ALWAYS left and up on the 2004-2009 Prius. Toyota screwed up on the 2010 redesign putting the shifter on the F'ing arch. Now Reverse is left and forward. How NOT logical is that? Nissan stupidly followed suit with the Leaf. It is downright stupid to have to move a "by wire" transmission shifter from park through reverse and neutral to get to drive, then reverse the process to get to Reverse or put it in park. "Oops, pushed too far trying for reverse and ended up in neutral". Park shouldn't even be a shifter option. The Prius puts itself in Park when you shut down. About the only time you use the Park button is when you switch places with your teen driver when you drop them at school. The only thing more stupid than a PRND "by wire" transmission shifter is a gated "by wire" transmission shifter. That would be Toyota's latest failure - on the Prius C. At least they put the regular "joystick" shifter back on the dash where it belongs on the Prius V.
DABEE1073 Champion Author San Diego Posts:8,185 Points:1,568,335 Joined:Jun 2008	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 8:38:52 PM Ignore DABEE1073 Report Abuse STILL DO NOT WANT ONE. WAY TOO EXPENSIVE AND NOT WORTH THE OVERALL COST.
honkerman Champion Author San Jose Posts:44,127 Points:2,392,120 Joined:Jul 2004	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 8:37:53 PM Ignore honkerman Report Abuse I don't buy styling. I purchase reliability, performance, economy, and value. Electrics don't have any of that yet.
babugp Veteran Author Philadelphia Posts:339 Points:76,685 Joined:Mar 2012	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 8:33:42 PM Ignore babugp Report Abuse kool
hibsaw Champion Author Mississippi Posts:8,018 Points:1,677,110 Joined:Feb 2008	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 8:33:35 PM Ignore hibsaw Report Abuse I would buy a Volt if I could afford one.
Digger52 Champion Author Chicago Posts:2,382 Points:843,960 Joined:Aug 2008	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 8:31:33 PM Ignore Digger52 Report Abuse OK
V8power Champion Author Pennsylvania Posts:2,791 Points:1,375,020 Joined:Oct 2005	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 8:30:28 PM Ignore V8power Report Abuse You lost me at NYT.
fuelsaverMN Champion Author Twin Cities Posts:2,282 Points:559,080 Joined:Mar 2011	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 8:28:40 PM Ignore fuelsaverMN Report Abuse I agree with all of you no range.
fuelsaverMN Champion Author Twin Cities Posts:2,282 Points:559,080 Joined:Mar 2011	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 8:27:50 PM Ignore fuelsaverMN Report Abuse It's still too expensive and the driving range is too short.