Ford has especially made the car for the programme, using an Electric Orange Ford Focus ST five-door as the basis.  It uses the same prototype technology that Ford is developing for its future North American Focus BEV production model in 2011.

At the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show, Ford of Europe unveiled its first Focus BEV prototype for the UK Low Carbon Vehicle Initiative, which uses similar technology and which will join a 15-car fleet in 2010 for evaluation in everyday use by drivers and scheme partners.

“Having a Focus ST battery electric vehicle on the new Jay Leno programme in North America is a great way to demonstrate that a BEV can also be fun to drive,” said Ian Porter, Ford of Europe’s powertrain strategy manager. “Beyond the immediate excitement of driving, it demonstrates that Ford is investing in this technology and that we’re committed to electric vehicles.

“The European Ford Focus ST was chosen specifically for the programme, even though the model is not available in the US, because the ST offers both ‘stand out’ styling and dynamic handling,” Ian said. “We were delighted to assist the North American development team by supplying the appropriately coloured Electric Orange five-door.”

The Focus EV (that’s right, I left out the B) is going through testing in the UK right now.  Ford is trying to determine which type of vehicle best suits the needs of consumers in europe right now.

Here is the press release:

At the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show, Ford of Europe is revealing the first of a fleet of Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) prototypes based on the Ford Focus, and specially developed to participate in the UK Government’s “Ultra-Low Carbon Vehicles” demonstration initiative next year.

The research programme aims to test the technology’s suitability for potential future application in Ford’s European passenger car range.

A consortium of Ford, Scottish and Southern Energy and Strathclyde University will use the fleet of 15 prototype Ford Focus BEV vehicles and a charging infrastructure in and around the London Borough of Hillingdon from early 2010.

This new BEV demonstration fleet is being developed partly with public funding from the UK Government’s Technology Strategy Board (TSB), which promotes innovative industry-led projects that reduce CO2 while benefitting the country’s transport system.

“Electrification is a key element in the effective use of Ford’s global resources and talents,” John Fleming, Chairman & CEO Ford of Europe said. “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. We are looking forward to working with the various project partners on developing a realistic solution and viable market for electric vehicles both in the UK and Europe.”

The Focus BEV prototype vehicles
The Focus BEV prototype is based on the current European Ford Focus and will use a new all-electric powertrain, provided by the strategic supplier Magna. This technology is based on that being developed for Ford’s new-generation C-sized global vehicle architecture and which will be launched in North America in 2011.

To evaluate whether this technology is suitable for European road and driving conditions, a fleet of 15 European Focus BEV prototypes is being built. These cars will deliver local zero emission mobility without constraining the user needs and providing room for five passengers, a practical boot and other Ford Focus attributes.

Under the skin of the Ford Focus prototypes is a state-of-the-art lithium-ion battery pack with the capacity of 23kWh and a chassis-mounted 100kW permanent-magnet electric traction motor. The BEV will have a range of up to 75 miles and a top speed of up to 85mph. Charging the batteries will take between six to eight hours using a common 230 volt grid.

The prototype incorporates key components from Ford’s proven North American hybrid technology, including the electric climate control system.
The high-voltage air-conditioning compressor is a key feature of the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid, recently introduced in the North American market.

The successful co-operation that is allowing this UK programme to proceed also shows the potential for similar prototype vehicle fleets to be considered for trials in other European countries.

Ford Focus BEV Prototype Technical Data

Battery Technology

Lithium-Ion Tri-Metal

Battery Capacity

23 kWh

Charging time

6-8 hours (230 V grid)

Electric motor

Permanent-magnet motor

Max Power

100 kW

Max Torque

320 Nm

Top speed

85mph

Range

75 miles

Tourneo Connect BEV Concept
The Ford Focus BEV prototype being revealed at Frankfurt joins the Ford Tourneo Connect BEV Concept which had its European debut at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year.

Like the Focus BEV prototype, the Tourneo Connect BEV Concept demonstrates how Ford Motor Company’s aggressive electric vehicle plan announced at the start of this year is extending its potential to Europe.

Full battery-electric conversions for the Ford Transit and Transit Connect commercial vehicles are already marketed in Europe by UK-based specialist, Smith Electric Vehicles. The Tourneo Connect BEV Concept shows how this silent, zero-emission full battery electric technology
could be deployed in passenger vehicles for urban applications such as taxis or hotel shuttles.

Ford of Europe and Smith Electric Vehicles are monitoring reaction to the Tourneo Connect BEV Concept to determine potential market viability. Ford has already announced in North America that it will partner with Smith Electric Vehicles (Tanfield group) to offer a Transit Connect BEV vehicle in the US market in 2010.

[Source: Ford]

You could test drive this one in the parking lot.

Now chief executive of the Ford Motor Company, Mulally is out promoting the new 2010 Ford Taurus — the latest version of a once-popular nameplate discontinued a few years ago after slumping sales, but has been revived as part of a mission to redefine the automaker.

Mulally sat down on the Labor Day holiday with bloggers and reporters, some of whom he knew from his many years at The Boeing Co., where he headed the Commercial Airplanes Division before leaving for Ford in 2006. An engineer, he spent 37 years with Boeing.

“Usually you have a rock star that’s doing a summer tour. The rock star this year is the Taurus,” Mulally said during the event at Daniel’s Broiler on Lake Union, where two shiny Taurus models were parked outside. “All of us get to choose a different city and I just had to come back to Seattle to share the latest model of the Taurus.”

Ford has planned a 100-city publicity tour for the new Taurus, and is using social media such as Twitter and Facebook to get out the message that “Ford is back,” he said. More

This new technology – which builds on Ford’s advancements such as SYNC®, SmartGauge™ with EcoGuide and Ford Work Solutions™ – allows the vehicle operator to program when to recharge the vehicle, for how long and at what utility rate.

“Electric vehicles are an important element of our strategy for improving fuel economy and reducing CO2 emissions,” said Bill Ford, Ford’s executive chairman. “This vehicle-to-grid communication technology is an important step in the journey toward the widespread commercialization of electric vehicles.”

All 21 of Ford’s fleet of plug-in hybrid Escapes eventually will be equipped with the vehicle-to-grid communications technology. The first of the specially equipped plug-in hybrids has been delivered to American Electric Power of Columbus, Ohio. Ford’s other utility partners’ vehicles will also be equipped with the communications technology.

When plugged in, the battery systems of these specially equipped plug-in hybrids can communicate directly with the electrical grid via smart meters provided by utility companies through wireless networking. The owner uses the vehicle’s touch screen navigation interface and Ford Work Solutions in-dash computer to choose when the vehicle should recharge, for how long and at what utility rate.

The money will come out of the $400 million Department of Energy fund that is available to automakers for the research and development of EVs.

Never before have America’s automakers moved en masse for a bailout, with each hemorrhaging cash amid a global credit crunch and plunging sales, setting the stage for a special session of Congress next week to take up legislation that would authorize $25 billion in loans under the previously approved $700-billion bailout of Wall Street.

And while the White House and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson signaled reluctance Wednesday to open that earlier bailout to automakers, congressional leaders suggested it’s unlikely President George W. Bush would veto legislation doing that, given the grave consequences of a failure of one or more of the three domestic automakers.

“If they’re serious about supporting the auto industry, they wouldn’t veto it,” said Sen. Carl Levin, a Michigan Democrat.

On Wednesday, a draft of the proposed legislation at the heart of the session — being called next week by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., — began being circulated among key leaders.

Source: Detroit Free Press

Dear Secretary Paulson:

We are writing to request that you review the feasibility of invoking the authority Congress provided you under the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (EESA) for the purpose of providing temporary assistance to the automobile industry during the current financial crisis. Under EESA, Congress granted you broad discretion to purchase, or make commitments to purchase, financial instruments you determine necessary to restore financial market stability. A healthy automobile manufacturing sector is essential to the restoration of financial market stability, the overall health of our economy, and the livelihood of the automobile sector’s workforce.

The economic downturn and the crisis in our financial markets further imperiled our domestic automobile industry and its workforce. On Thursday, we separately met with the leaders of the automobile industry, and its top union representative, to discuss the financial challenges confronting the industry and its workforce, and possible actions to address these challenges. We left the meetings convinced that our nation’s automobile industry – the heart of our manufacturing sector – and the jobs of tens of thousands of American workers are at risk. Friday’s news of the automobile industry’s record low sales figures only reaffirm the need for urgent action.

Were you to determine that the automobile industry is eligible for assistance under EESA, we would urge you to impose strong conditions on such assistance in order to protect taxpayers and maximize the potential for the industry’s recovery. An automobile industry that is forward-looking and focused on ingenuity, competitiveness, and the creation of green jobs for the future is essential to its long-term viability. Other taxpayer protections should mirror those required of financial institutions currently participating in the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP), such as limits on executive compensation and equity stakes to provide taxpayers a return on their investment upon the industry’s recovery. Any assistance to the automobile industry should reflect the principles contained in EESA that guard against the need to recoup costs to the taxpayers.

We must safeguard the interests of American taxpayers, protect the hundreds of thousands of automobile workers and retirees, stop the erosion of our manufacturing base, and bolster our economy. It is our hope that the actions that Congress has taken, and that the Administration may take, will restore the preeminence of our domestic manufacturing industry so that it can emerge as a global, competitive leader in fuel efficiency and in new and path-breaking energy-efficient technologies that protect our environment. We appreciate your serious consideration of this request, and look forward to your response.

Best regards,

NANCY PELOSI       HARRY REID
Speaker of the       House Senate Majority Leader

Source: AP