How about a 150 mile two seater???

[michael]

I wish Ford would also offer the FFE as a two seater with the space now taken up by the little elf-sized seats replaced by more battery. The entire rear area could be a large, flat storage area. Rear doors (or at least one of them) could be eliminated, save weight and cost.

I imagine a lot of people will reject the idea of a two seater, but remember that they actually sell reasonably well...most pickup trucks and all sports cars are two seaters. They aren't for everybody, I agree, but they will work well for many. I would definitely give up the two always-vacant seats for 25 more kWh and room enough for groceries, golf clubs, etc.

Any thoughts?

 

[jmueller065]

My first thought would be the added weight from the additional battery may be more than the Focus' suspension is designed to bear (I'm sure the FFE has different shocks & springs in the rear compared to the ICE Focus to begin with).

 

[michael]

That might be factor, but the car handles two adults in the rear (400 pounds maybe) already. Plus the weight of the seats themselves (minor) and one or possibly even both rear doors. The present battery weighs 600 pounds, so I think this could be bridged without too much trouble.

Reference on battery weight:

http://www.greencarcongress.com/2012/04/ford-20120417.html

 

[Rogerschro]

I wish Ford would also offer the FFE as a two seater with the space now taken up by the little elf-sized seats replaced by more battery. The entire rear area could be a large, flat storage area. Rear doors (or at least one of them) could be eliminated, save weight and cost.

I imagine a lot of people will reject the idea of a two seater, but remember that they actually sell reasonably well...most pickup trucks and all sports cars are two seaters. They aren't for everybody, I agree, but they will work well for many. I would definitely give up the two always-vacant seats for 25 more kWh and room enough for groceries, golf clubs, etc.

Any thoughts?

The idea is sound enough, but there will never be an FFE version as you postulate. One reason is the rear doors. They do not have a two door version, so to do that would take a lot of design work, as well as the battery placement. If they were to go to that length, They may as well have a dedicated platform. I suspect that is where Ford wants to go with an all EV, a dedicated platform they can use with several choices of body styles along the lines of the Focus/C-Max/ Transit concept. all sharing the same platform but with different utility available. The Focus EV is great for what it is, but it has some very definite limitations as to what can be done with it.