When it comes to regularly scheduled maintenance, the Ford Focus Electric will be the easiest car to own that Ford Motor Company has ever built.
Because the Focus Electric does not have a conventional piston engine or an automatic or manual transmission, its drivers will wave goodbye to such things as oil changes and tuneups – a scenario most other motorists can only dream of.
“About all the driver will have to do is charge up the battery pack and go,” said Sherif Marakby, Ford’s director of electrification programs and engineering.
Focus Electric eliminates more than two dozen mechanical components that would normally require attention during the life of the vehicle. The dramatic reduction in moving mechanical parts is the key reason why consumers won’t have much to do to maintain the Focus Electric.
No matter how long they own the car or how many miles they drive over the years, Focus Electric drivers will never:
——Wait in line for oil changes
——Experience the inconvenience of a worn-out muffler, radiator hose or serpentine belt
——Have to change dirty air filters, fuel filters or transmission fluid
——Replace spark plugs, O2 sensors and radiator coolant
“When you have moving parts, such as the gears in a transmission or the pistons in an engine, you have maintenance,” Marakby said. “With an electric drive, there are very few moving parts. And in the Focus Electric, the only moving parts are the motor and the wheels."
More money in your pocket
Focus Electric’s minimal maintenance requirements saves drivers time and money. Oil changes demonstrate how.
For the gas-powered 2012 Focus, Ford recommends oil and filter changes every 10,000 miles. That’s a $29.95 job at a Ford Quick Lane service center. And it usually takes about 30 minutes. Over the 10-year, 150,000-mile life of the vehicle, those 15 oil changes cost $449.25 and 7.5 hours.
Because the Focus Electric won’t use those 75 quarts of oil and 15 filters, its impact on the environment is also lessened.
Over the life of the car, Focus Electric drivers also won’t need to spend time and money to:
——Replace five air filters at a cost of $24.95 each
——Have two cooling system flushes at a cost of $109 each
——Get one transmission service, $179
——Replace one drive belt for $130
——Buy and install one new set of spark plugs for $69.95
Regular maintenance for the Focus Electric will consist of little more than checking the air pressure in the tires and keeping the windshield wiper reservoir topped up. Longer term, the car’s brake pads and shocks may need replacing, along with tires.
Ford’s power of choice
Electrification is an important piece of Ford’s overall product sustainability strategy. Ford’s aggressive strategy includes the launch of five new electrified vehicles in North America by 2012 and Europe by 2013. In addition to Focus Electric, Ford launched the Transit Connect Electric small commercial van in 2010 and will introduce C-MAX Hybrid, a second next-generation lithium-ion battery hybrid and the C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid in 2012. The range of electrified vehicles allows Ford to meet a variety of consumer driving needs.