Ford to launch three new electric models

The Ford Focus Electric will be the first of the new models to arrive in Ireland

Ford is to bring three new electric models to the European market next year.

The Ford Focus Electric zero emissions battery electric vehicle will arrive in Ireland in early 2014, with the Ford C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid and the Ford Mondeo Hybrid to follow later in the year.

The 142 PS Ford Focus Electric will have a top speed of 137kph and a driving range of 162km. The battery can charge in three to four hours when plugged to a 32amp grid connection.

The Ford C-MAX Energi, meanwhile, is Ford’s first production plug-in hybrid. It aims to produce CO2 emissions of less than 50g/km and Ford says it can travel in pure electric mode for more than 30km. It can be fully recharged in less than three hours.

The Ford Mondeo Hybrid, branded the Ford Fusion Hybrid in the US, can travel at up to 136kph on electric power alone. It has a CO2 emission target of less than 99g/km , with a fuel economy of less than 4.5l/100km.

Ford first tried to enter the EV market 100 years ago when Henry Ford linked up with Thomas Edison to create ‘a cheap and practicable…electric automobile’. The Ford Model T EV was hindered by the limited battery technology of the time, however.

Ford produces the second highest number of hybrid vehicles in the world and it saw a 400 per cent increase in EV sales in the United States in the last year.

Prices and specifications for the new European models will be announced closer to launch.

Visit the Ford Ireland website for further details.