I don't mean to alarm anyone, but it looks like you can now buy a Focus BEV for as cheap as $13,500

[Sad, little man]

Seriously, try building one on Ford's site.

Unless my maths are completely screwed up, it looks like:

MSRP+ destination fees are now only $29,995

-$9000 Ford incentives

-$7500 Govt. tax credit

= a $13,495 Focus!

So who's going to buy one with me? I'm thinking Tuxedo Black.

[thesameguy]

Not seeing a $9k incentive... maybe just in your local market?

[Sad, little man]

Oh, really? :(

Well, maybe not then. Also, I should point out that with my discount it comes out to somewhere under $11,000. :lol:

It's also worth pointing out that this is a car that needs virtually no maintenance until 10yrs/100,000mi, when you have to change the coolant for the electrical system. :lol:

[JoshInKC]

Also, I should point out that with my discount it comes out to somewhere under $11,000. :lol:

What kind of APR are you offering as middleman?

Also, having just looked around the Ford hybrid/ev page a bit, can anyone shed any light on
A.) Why there's not a Focus hybrid
B.) Why the Fusion hybrid is cheaper and gets better mpgs than the newer and smaller (I think) C-Max hybrid
(Edit: Giving it more than half a second of thought, I suppose the "newer?" might explain the price differential.)

[speedpimp]

RCL Customer Cash

Program #50278: Take new retail delivery from dealer stock by 01/05/2015. Not all Focus Electric models may qualify. See dealer for residency restrictions and complete details.
Amount: $9,000, Offer Valid: 10/14/2014-1/5/2015
Looks like it depends on where you live.

[thesameguy]

The California incentive appears to be $4k - which is still a solid deal, just not good enough for me to pull the trigger.

We love our Fiat - $26/mo for 1,000 miles of driving, zero maintenance, often wins preferred parking, and free charging courtesy of the taxpayer. I've been keeping a really close eye on my driving patterns this year with the intention of evaluating another EV purchase. Some days an EV won't work out for me, but I think I have enough control/planning to make one work out 90% of the time. With Fiat leases down to $180/mo that was the obvious choice, but I'd probably throw down for a $13,000 Focus tomorrow. An $18,000 Focus... I'd rather lease another Fiat. ;)

[21Kid]

I get $9k in incentives...

[Crazed_Insanity]

The California incentive appears to be $4k - which is still a solid deal, just not good enough for me to pull the trigger.

We love our Fiat - $26/mo for 1,000 miles of driving, zero maintenance, often wins preferred parking, and free charging courtesy of the taxpayer. I've been keeping a really close eye on my driving patterns this year with the intention of evaluating another EV purchase. Some days an EV won't work out for me, but I think I have enough control/planning to make one work out 90% of the time. With Fiat leases down to $180/mo that was the obvious choice, but I'd probably throw down for a $13,000 Focus tomorrow. An $18,000 Focus... I'd rather lease another Fiat. ;)

How much did it cost you to buy and install the chargers in your garage? That's something need to be replaced every time you replace a new model EV with incompatible system, right? Or has everyone standardized to the Tesla's version? ;)

$180/month sounds very attractive actually. Right now I'm paying about $150/month to fuel up my S2000!

Also, have you noticed any significant reduction of range? My commute is 60 miles... pretty much near the limit of 500e's range limit. In the 2nd year, I might not be able to get back home from work if battery becomes just a bit weaker...

[thesameguy]

The opposite. Everyone uses the J1779 (IIRC, that's the designation) except Tesla, who uses a proprietary connector. The $1200 (including install) charger we got will charge pretty much every other EV including Volts and Focii.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Oh, that's good to know!

500e's monthly lease payments sounds wonderful, but adding a $1200 along with a down payment makes it less attractive... further, not sure wife will 'authorize' me driving such a small car! ;)

Anyway, so have you noticed any significant drop in range over time? You ever ran out of juice unexpectedly yet?

[thesameguy]

?

It's $1k up front, no deposit. $1k includes your first payment and first year's DMV fees (which account for about $500). It's about impossible to beat.

We've had zero problems with range. The most we've ever put on one charge was 82 miles, with six miles showing remaining. It's not done a single unexpected thing - we could not be happier. Same goes for my parents, my mom's coworker, and my cousin. I've sold a lot of electric Fiats based on our experience and everyone's has been the same - great.

[Crazed_Insanity]

I was using their payment calculator on their site... it's showing 10% down for the lease..., but then on the main page, it's showing $999 down. I guess the payment calculator is doing a 'regular' lease calculation, where as the main page is showing the special lease rate.

Assuming 82 miles is the max and based on the lithium ion battery life degradation over the 3 yr period, it should still be able to meet my 60mile/day requirement!

Beginning to sound better and better..., just need to convince the wife. :)

[thesameguy]

I can't imagine a scenario where the battery would show any tangible degradation over the lease period. If it does, it's under warranty. Not your problem. ;)

Just be sure to check your local electricity rates, though - high prices can really eat into the value proposition. I pay $0.08/kwh - cheap! Frequently utilities have programs for EVs - you agree to charge in the middle of the night, they give you great rates.

[Dicknose]

Wow, I looked at an electric motorbike and that was over $20k
But it charges from a standard outlet.

And my commute is more like 5 miles and 10mins if I take the tollway.
So range is not an issue.

[thesameguy]

You can also charge most (all?) EVs from a standard outlet, but since our standard outlets are 120v/15a, it takes a LONG time. Charging at 240v/30a is much more agreeable. :) The Tesla does what it does because it charges at 70a.

[The359]

I'm only seeing a $10500 incentive on mine for a Pennsylvania build, brings the total to $20k even.

EDIT: I do see a "up to $7500 in government rebates" box when I select the Focus, but it's not listed anywhere on the final pricing.

[thesameguy]

.... because it's a Federal rebate, not a Ford rebate. EVs are eligible for a $7500 rebate at least through the end of this year. When you lease, that rebate goes to the lessor - but when you buy it goes to you. If PA has a $10k incentive and you get that $7500 Federal spif, you've got a $13,000 Focus EV. Am jealous.

[The359]

Sort of makes it worth that extra $395 for the special blue color.

[thesameguy]

I just plugged like 20 ZIP codes into the Ford site and I cannot come up with a $20,000 Focus Electric. Are you guys maybe seeing the $9000 incentive from the original $38k price that makes it a $29k Focus in the first place?

[KillerB]

I get it with my Orange County ZIP: 92627
906
907

I'd buy it if I had a use for it, but since my commute is 6.5 miles each way, I don't really. Gas simply is not a significant expense for me, except when I go on road trips, which this won't do.

[The359]

I just plugged like 20 ZIP codes into the Ford site and I cannot come up with a $20,000 Focus Electric. Are you guys maybe seeing the $9000 incentive from the original $38k price that makes it a $29k Focus in the first place?

Everything on Ford's website states the MSRP is $29,170. I don't know where you're getting $38k from.

http://www.ford.com/cars/focus/pricing/

[thesameguy]

Okay, rad, it's working now. I may go drive one tomorrow just for the hell of it. I just can't figure out how we would charge two electric vehicles. Getting electricity to a second EV might be impossible, or at least difficult to the point it wouldn't make financial sense.

[TheBenior]

Hmm... at $20k, an electric vehicle might make sense for me as my next vehicle, now that I have a garage.

But that's several years away, as my Mazdaspeed3 only has 39k miles on it, and even living further from work, I'll probably do at most 10k miles per year.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Wife's unconvinced that the 500e can be safe enough due to its size... so I guess I can't get it even if it's free! ;)

Anyway, here's the lithium ion battery life degradation chart:
http://batteryblog.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/BAK_1-1600-Cycles2.jpg

I'm assuming all lithium ions behave similarly... I've heard ideally we should avoid charging lithium ions beyond 80% or let it drain to less than 20% in order to lengthen it's life. This is applicable to laptops or phones or I'm sure even EVs. However, considering my commute, I pretty much have to charge it fully and pretty much deplete it on a daily basis. So 5 days/week for 3 years will result in 780 cycles. So based on that chart, I only have about 75% capacity left near the end of its 3 yr lease, which should still be sufficient. 75% of 82 miles should still get me 60 miles... What's scary is that there's a more dramatic degradation after 3 years. In 6 years, I won't be able to go anywhere if that graph is true... So it's probably not a good idea to buy these vehicles. 2~3 yr leases are probably the way to go. Plus, in 2~3 yrs, surely better performing EVs will come along. It'd be interesting to see how these EVs hold their charge when they turn 5 or 6 years old...

[thesameguy]

I've seen that chart and charts like and have not been able to reconcile them with the real world - at least as far as EVs go. I'm sure a big part of the problem is that all we've really had to date are hybrids, and it's a lot harder to figure out what the battery in a hybrid is doing since it has an ICE for backup. It'll be a little while yet before we get real feedback on true EVs. In the year we've had ours, range has increased - probably as the electronics learn the batteries. We started with a 70-80 mile range, we now have an 80-90 mile range. But, still, who cares? Lease it, let them handle warranty concerns. Not your problem. ;)

[SupraDupra]

Wow that is tempting! Range kills it for me.