2016 Ford Focus Electric (2024)

Ford’s announcement that the 2017 Focus Electric will sport an EPA-rated driving range of 100 miles couldn’t have come at a less opportune time: Here we are driving and testing a ’16 model with a range of 76 miles when, in only a few months, it will be obsolete. Old kit. An iPhone 4 in an iPhone 6S world. If we were seriously considering the purchase of any electric, it would seem worth waiting for the ’17 Focus to arrive because we’d either get a third more range with the new one or a screaming deal on a leftover ’16 model. (We’d also get a chance to comparison shop the Focus against the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt and its claimed 200-mile range.)

That said, a range of 76 miles is enough for most commutes. (That we all use cars for more than just commuting explains why low-range EVs, such as the Focus, sell in minuscule volumes, but we digress). This author’s commute is just over 22 miles each way, including 15 miles of 70-mph highway. No home-to-office round trip was attempted without charging in the middle, however. One night, the Focus estimated the remaining range to be 22 miles when we got home (we made one stop between the office and home), so that’s nowhere near 76 miles, but also well within the comfort zone. Overnight, the Focus soaked up about 12 kWh of electricity, enough juice to provide a worry-free trip back to work.

Such is the reality of driving an EV in a world with an infrastructural focus—no pun intended—on hydrocarbons. Aerodynamic drag grows exponentially, so as soon as any electric vehicle hits freeway speed the driver can watch the projected range drop faster than the miles pass by. Likewise, a few bursts of maximum acceleration will put an outsize dent in the remaining distance available to travel. All electrics—all cars, actually—are like this; Ford’s isn’t unique. The only difference with this Focus is that the conventional version’s 12-gallon gas tank stores more than 17 times the energy that can be packed into the Focus Electric’s 23.0-kWh lithium-ion battery. Feather-foot the accelerator and cap your speed at 55 mph, and the full EPA range might be within reach. Ford says a fully drained battery can be recharged in 3.6 hours at 240 volts, or 20 hours using common household 120-volt circuitry.

If you have charging available near your work or school, however, the financial windfall of no longer being shackled to a gas pump is enviable. This is especially so when there’s no fee for plugging in away from home. Our 300 miles in the Focus cost us less than $15 worth of electricity. You’d have to average 40 mpg—not just while cruising on the highway, but overall—using $2-per-gallon gas to come close to the same cost-per-mile. (We averaged 33 mpg in a 1.0-liter Focus sedan we tested last May.) While it may not seem like a lot, the savings eventually add up, and they’ll add up faster if the cost of a gallon of gasoline rises over the ownership period. Set aside any concerns about carbon footprint and think about convenience. Never having to visit a gas station? Always leaving the house with a full “tank,” assuming you install a 240-volt connection, saves hours of your life every year. What’s that worth?

As it is today, Ford says the Focus Electric is worth $30,045, in MSRP terms. There are very few options: Buyers can throw another $995 into it to get leather upholstery and $60 for a plug-shaped charge-port graphic decal. An Exterior Protection package (splash guards and a rear-bumper protector) will ding you another $245; fancy paint can add $395 or $595. The price squares up against that of the 24.0-kWh Nissan Leaf S, before any tax credits. (The pricier 30-kWh Leaf SV claims 107 miles of range, longer than Ford’s target for the upgraded 2017 Focus Electric.)

When comparing Focus and Leaf as daily-use cars, the Ford’s biggest shortcoming reveals itself when you open the cars’ hatches. In the Nissan, designed as an EV from the start, the cargo hold looks rather conventional thanks to its underfloor battery. In the Focus, however, a giant hump squats in the space where people expect to stash their strollers, golf clubs, and yoga mats. It is a reminder that, unlike the Leaf, the Focus is a converted version of a car built around conventional internal-combustion powertrains. There is a false floor that can be removed to reveal a space into which you might squeeze a few grocery bags but not much else.

With an EPA combined rating of 105 MPGe, the Focus falls short of the base Leaf’s 114 MPGe rating. We managed 71 MPGe, which is 10 MPGe short of the average of what 2015 Focus EV owners reported to the EPA. Our heavy right feet—when prompted, the Focus will get to 60 mph in 9.9 seconds—certainly influenced this thirst for electrons. Oddly, the Electric key fob has a remote “auto start” button. Initiating it preconditions the cabin, although its use is recommended only while the car is plugged in.

The cabin is unchanged from that found in the gasoline models, which means you get familiar controls, Ford Sync infotainment with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and an adequate back seat that may even accommodate adults with a little concession from those in front. And there is little concession in the driving. This EV goes down the road as well as the gas Focus, which is to say quietly and smoothly. Aside from the cargo capacity, there isn’t much to dislike. The only question is whether 24 miles of range is worth the wait. If you are in the EV market, you’ll also want to know that the 2014 Focus Electric (which had an MSRP that was $10,000 higher) finished second in a six-way EV comparison test, beaten only by the electrified Chevrolet Spark, which is less widely available.