European debut for Ford electric cars at Geneva Show

Ford Focus Electric and two C-Max hybrids make their European debut at the Geneva Motor Show.

The Geneva Motor Show sees the European debut of the Ford Focus Electric, first unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show in January. The zero emission version of one of Britain’s most popular cars will be a flagship for the company’s growing fleet of hybrid, plug-in hybrid and all-electric vehicles to go on sale in Europe starting in 2012.

The Focus Electric is ‘designed to offer sufficient range to cover the majority of daily driving habits and will introduce new features developed especially for electric vehicles which encourage efficient driving style whilst maximising driver enjoyment’.

C-MAX Energi PHEV

Ford’s Geneva stand will also see the European debut of the C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid - to be built at the company’s Valencia plant in Spain. Ford will show a pre-production version of the extended range electric vehicle that will launch in Europe in 2013, a year later than the Vauxhall Ampera/Chevy Volt. All three cars are always driven by the electric motor, with the engine there simply to provide power for the electric motor once the batteries are depleted. The Energi’s electric-only range is still under Blue Oval wraps but its total range, Ford says, will be 500 miles – 200 miles more than the Ampera/Volt.

The Energi features a Brake Coach system to help educate drivers to optimise their use of the regenerative brakes. At the end of every journey the car displays the number of extra miles gained through regenerative braking and scores the driver’s efforts. There’s also a vine graphic on the display that produces more leaves the more efficiently the car is driven, which Ford claims creates ‘a unique visual reward for the driver’s efforts’.

C-MAX conventional hybrid

The Energi will be joined on the stand by a C-MAX HEV which will also go on sale in Europe in 2013. The conventional hybrid uses the same petrol-electric powertrain already on sale in America in the US Fusion saloon. It allows electric-only driving beyond the Fusion’s 47mph and is said to return around 50mpg.

Both C-MAX variants use an Atkinson-cycle (like the Prius) 2.0-litre petrol engine and lithium-ion batteries – which enable both C-Max to keep their flexible interiors.

'Groundbreaking all-new vehicle'

All this and a 'groundbreaking all-new vehicle' to be revealed by Ford of Europe Chairman and CEO Stephen T. Odell during the Ford news conference on the Geneva stand on March 1.