First European-built electric Ford Focus rolls off the line

It's the first full-electric vehicle to be built by Ford in Europe. The zero-emission Focus Electric is spearheading Ford's lineup of electrified and highly fuel efficient vehicles, and will be joined in Europe by the Ford C‑MAX Energi plug-in hybrid electric vehicle next year, followed by the all new Ford Mondeo Hybrid soon after.

Developed as a 'One Ford' global vehicle, the Focus Electric features an advanced electric motor and lithium-ion battery powertrain that produces 145bhp and achieves a top speed of 135km/h.

Each vehicle is equipped with a 6.6kW fully integrated onboard charger that can achieve a driving range of around 95km with 2-3 hours charging from a 32 A power supply.

Barb Samardzich, Product Development Vice-President, Ford of Europe, said, "Focus Electric marks the dawn of an exciting new age of full-electric Ford passenger vehicles in Europe, and demonstrates the success of the One Ford strategy in making this sophisticated vehicle available to our European customers."

The Ford Focus Electric features a new user interface called SmartGauge which calculates and displays driving range based on remaining energy, the driver's unique braking and acceleration inputs, and the use of accessories such as climate control and audio systems.

The Focus Electric's sophisticated powertrain uses regenerative braking to capture up to 95 percent of kinetic energy normally lost during the braking process, while the innovative Brake Coach feature encourages gradual braking to help return more energy to the battery.