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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:744 Points:1,252,900 Joined:May 2007	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 10:48:29 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:2,570 Points:577,665 Joined:Mar 2011	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 10:46:32 PM Ignore WestMichigan Report Abuse Like GT3186's comment
AKmailman Champion Author Alaska Posts:5,763 Points:1,585,565 Joined:Jul 2004	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 10:45:13 PM Ignore AKmailman Report Abuse the cars are not "homely" the technology driving them is
CVA19 Champion Author Salem Posts:2,393 Points:632,975 Joined:Aug 2011	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 10:42:27 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:4,436 Points:673,620 Joined:May 2011	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 10:41:32 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:32,778 Points:3,029,235 Joined:Aug 2004	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 10:37:18 PM Ignore AlpineDude Report Abuse Good article. :-)
suzmar Champion Author Texas Posts:2,224 Points:897,080 Joined:Jun 2006	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 10:33:12 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:7,450 Points:1,666,620 Joined:Feb 2007	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 10:33:03 PM Ignore Blue48 Report Abuse WE SHALL SEE!
carman11 Champion Author North Carolina Posts:3,485 Points:720,400 Joined:Jun 2011	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 10:32:07 PM Ignore carman11 Report Abuse GET THE PRICE DOWN AND IT MIGHT SALE
badbonita Champion Author Syracuse Posts:6,366 Points:1,381,410 Joined:Jul 2008	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 10:30:30 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:2,120 Points:1,802,150 Joined:Nov 2007	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 10:30:30 PM Ignore chicoCA Report Abuse okay
EMoe57 Champion Author Jacksonville Posts:4,753 Points:1,043,515 Joined:Apr 2009	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 10:27:21 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 10:27:20 PM Ignore bettersight Report Abuse ok
SparkieMi Champion Author Kalamazoo Posts:3,404 Points:616,525 Joined:Sep 2011	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 10:26:26 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:3,854 Points:628,695 Joined:Oct 2010	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 10:23:13 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 10:22:31 PM Ignore DozenSpeed Report Abuse They usually are ugly...
milespergallon Champion Author Illinois Posts:9,890 Points:1,937,035 Joined:Feb 2007	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 10:22:10 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:4,139 Points:1,149,380 Joined:Nov 2004	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 10:21:08 PM Ignore walkingtall Report Abuse Electric vechiles have huge problem,range and pricing.
danreino Champion Author Twin Cities Posts:8,479 Points:1,565,485 Joined:Mar 2008	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 10:19:29 PM Ignore danreino Report Abuse Any the miles range is once again a mystery.
ExplorerWA Champion Author Washington Posts:4,240 Points:824,950 Joined:Feb 2011	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 10:17:06 PM Ignore ExplorerWA Report Abuse They are just not ready for prime time.
BigBillMI All-Star Author Detroit Posts:616 Points:248,930 Joined:Feb 2012	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 10:12:35 PM Ignore BigBillMI Report Abuse ok
singlemom27 Champion Author Ventura Posts:3,253 Points:667,885 Joined:Apr 2011	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 10:12:09 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:1,159 Points:132,800 Joined:Nov 2008	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 10:11:45 PM Ignore vandamme Report Abuse There are plenty of places where this makes sense. Well, not here...
TelsaOR Champion Author Oregon Posts:3,596 Points:740,215 Joined:Jan 2011	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 10:10:25 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:2,103 Points:419,190 Joined:Mar 2012	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 10:09:42 PM Ignore timbyus1 Report Abuse ok
DancingDee Champion Author Gary Posts:4,418 Points:1,061,995 Joined:Jul 2005	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 10:09:22 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 10:08:27 PM Ignore nobodyMO Report Abuse Time will tell
hubie24 Veteran Author Michigan Posts:315 Points:204,380 Joined:Jul 2010	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 10:07:36 PM Ignore hubie24 Report Abuse Electric wont catch on for another 10 years.
bif65 Champion Author Virginia Posts:1,024 Points:200,650 Joined:Jan 2011	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 10:07:11 PM Ignore bif65 Report Abuse ok
OOXXFF Champion Author Greensboro Posts:3,193 Points:1,106,655 Joined:Sep 2009	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 10:02:54 PM Ignore OOXXFF Report Abuse Electric vehicle's huge problems are price and range.
DeeLA Champion Author Los Angeles Posts:4,959 Points:1,392,930 Joined:Nov 2008	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 10:00:34 PM Ignore DeeLA Report Abuse As great as these cars may be, they're not in my budget.
JagXKR Champion Author British Columbia Posts:3,298 Points:1,118,890 Joined:Dec 2009	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 9:58:20 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:9,848 Points:2,181,650 Joined:Jul 2006	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 9:52:46 PM Ignore MDTDriver Report Abuse Interesting.
indyjim Champion Author Indianapolis Posts:10,268 Points:2,347,130 Joined:Jul 2006	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 9:50:25 PM Ignore indyjim Report Abuse Oh my.............I think I'm getting excited.
GOBUTLER Champion Author Indianapolis Posts:1,425 Points:407,785 Joined:Dec 2011	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 9:49:05 PM Ignore GOBUTLER Report Abuse interesting...
Edpap Champion Author Pennsylvania Posts:4,491 Points:531,625 Joined:Oct 2011	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 9:48:19 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:2,107 Points:586,330 Joined:Dec 2010	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 9:48:11 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 9:48:07 PM Ignore uptherefiners Report Abuse not in my driveway
Blondie22OH Champion Author Cincinnati Posts:1,608 Points:354,505 Joined:Feb 2012	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 9:48:05 PM Ignore Blondie22OH Report Abuse good!
Killerbabydoll Champion Author Tucson Posts:1,355 Points:567,670 Joined:Sep 2010	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 9:45:58 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:2,576 Points:525,955 Joined:Aug 2011	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 9:43:59 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:6,224 Points:1,417,780 Joined:Oct 2008	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 9:42:19 PM Ignore DustyHorse Report Abuse The problem is the range and the amount of time required to recharge.
colaguy Champion Author Columbia Posts:3,229 Points:1,021,735 Joined:Oct 2008	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 9:40:49 PM Ignore colaguy Report Abuse that's good
bruceha2000 Champion Author Vermont Posts:2,918 Points:1,298,815 Joined:Sep 2005	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 9:40:41 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:8,355 Points:1,600,785 Joined:Jun 2008	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 9:38:52 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:45,245 Points:2,424,795 Joined:Jul 2004	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 9:37:53 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 9:33:42 PM Ignore babugp Report Abuse kool
hibsaw Champion Author Mississippi Posts:8,183 Points:1,709,665 Joined:Feb 2008	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 9:33:35 PM Ignore hibsaw Report Abuse I would buy a Volt if I could afford one.
Digger52 Champion Author Chicago Posts:2,541 Points:875,640 Joined:Aug 2008	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 9:31:33 PM Ignore Digger52 Report Abuse OK
V8power Champion Author Pennsylvania Posts:2,956 Points:1,407,695 Joined:Oct 2005	Message Posted: May 5, 2012 9:30:28 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 9:28:40 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 9:27:50 PM Ignore fuelsaverMN Report Abuse It's still too expensive and the driving range is too short.