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Ford has taken a step closer towards an affordable electric car with this, the Focus BEV. The car maker is intent on bringing a conventional zero-emissions car to the market as soon as possible and will start trials of the Focus BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle) next year.
The concept made its debut at the Frankfurt motor show and has been specially developed to participate in the UK Government's 'Ultra-Low Carbon Vehicles' demonstration initiative next year.
See Ford Focus BEV gallery
A consortium of Ford, Scottish and Southern Energy and Strathclyde University will test the fleet of fifteen prototype Focus BEVs and a charging infrastructure in and around the London Borough of Hillingdon from early 2010.
Production should be relatively straightforward as the BEV is based on a standard Focus using a new all-electric powertrain developed by Magna.
The hardware consists of a 23kw lithium-ion battery pack and a chassis-mounted 100-kilowatt permanent-magnet electric traction motor. The BEV will have a range of up 75 miles and a top speed of 85 mph. Charging the batteries will take between 6-8 hours using a household socket.
“Electrification is key element in the effective use of Ford's global resources and talents,” said John Fleming, Ford of Europe chairman. “The development of this fleet of Focus BEV prototypes is an important step in our goal of delivering more efficient and sustainable mobility solutions that are affordable and practical for our customers."
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