EV Price War: Ford Slashes Focus Electric Price by $4000, Now Starts at $35,995

Ford is lowering the price of its all-electric version of the Focus, cutting the price by $4000 to $35,995. The reduction is further evidence of a price war in the EV market, following the announcement of lower pricing and/or special lease rates for electrics such as the Nissan Leaf, Honda Fit EV, and Fiat 500E, as well as the plug-in hybrid Chevrolet Volt. Ford says the move is intended to make the electric Focus, which is available nationwide, more appealing to customers considering a plug-in vehicle. The Nissan Leaf is still the most affordable of the aforementioned models, with a starting price of $29,650. It's also among the most efficient, rated at 115 MPGe in combined city/highway driving. Range for the all-electric Nissan, though, is the lowest in this group at 75 miles. The Focus Electric, by comparison, ekes out one more mile of range despite a lower combined efficiency rating of 105 MPGe. The $32,600 Fiat 500E is available only in California. The 500E can travel 87 miles on electricity alone and is rated at 116 MPGe combined. The Honda Fit EV, meanwhile, is rated at 118 MPGe combined and has a driving range of 82 miles. It's priced at $37,415, although it is offered as a lease only. Currently, the Fit EV is available in California, Oregon, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. The Focus Electric now matches the price of the plug-in hybrid Chevrolet Volt, which is available at $35,995 for cash buyers and $36,995 if it's leased or financed through Ally Financial or Wells Fargo. And although the Volt relieves so-called range anxiety by backing up its battery power with a gas engine, it has a limited electric-only range of 38 miles. On battery power alone, the Volt is rated at 98 MPGe combined; once the gas engine takes over, combined fuel economy is 37 mpg. Chevy recently added the all-electric Spark EV to its lineup, but smaller and priced at $27,495, The Spark EV is not a direct competitor to the Focus Electric. The Spark EV's availability remains limited to Oregon and California. Instrumented Test: 2012 Ford Focus Electric Instrumented Test: 2013 Fiat 500E EV Instrumented Test: 2013 Honda Fit EV With EVs commanding less than 1 percent of U.S. market share, automakers are anxious to incentivize sales. Ford addresses some of the driving public's reluctance to go electric with this price drop, and, as with all EVs, the Focus Electric's price can potentially be even lower when eligible buyers take advantage of any federal, state, and local tax credits and incentives that are available to them. Concerns about range and long-term reliability, however, still remain considerable obstacles for many would-be EV drivers. from Car and Driver Blog http://blog.caranddriver.com

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