Despite what we’ve heard about a rumored, 200-mile Ford “Model E” battery electric vehicle, such a car might not be in the cards right now.
According to Automotive News, Ford Director of Electrification Programs and Engineering Kevin Layden said on the sidelines of last week’s SAE World Congress in Detroit that the new, 2017 Ford Focus Electric and its 100 miles of range ought to be enough for most customers. “I think right now with the launch of the Focus Electric at 100 miles, it is going to satisfy a big chunk of the population,” he said. “It’s going to be really affordable and a step up from where we are now.”
Mr. Layden iterated that the new Ford Focus Electric’s 100 miles of range – up from 76 miles in the outgoing model – will help keep cost and weight down versus a comparable car with more range.
Last December, Ford announced a $4.5 billion investment into its electrified vehicle lineup, including hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and battery electric vehicles. More recently, AutoForecast Solutions alleged that the automaker was planning to build a new, 200-mile battery electric car dubbed the “Model E,” with a production-start date in September, 2019.
Automotive News notes that competition in the 200-mile range EV segment is heating up with the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt scheduled to launch later this year, along with a redesigned, 200-mile Nissan Leaf and the new Tesla Model 3 arriving within the next few years.
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