On Wheels: The 2014 Ford Focus Electric, taking you only so far - lithium ion battery pack
ROSEDALE, Md. —
I dare drive here. 6.
8 miles northeast of Baltimore, 51.
I'm four miles north of my home in Arlington, Virginia.
According to my MapsGalaxy app.
An accurate understanding of the driving distance is essential, as one of the questions on the MyFord Touch screen of the 2014 Ford Fox electric vehicle is clear: "Will you charge at your destination?
This is a polite version: "Don't try to drive home without charging the lithium of this car
Ion battery pack.
You won't succeed.
"This is the essence of dare and one of the main obstacles to the public's acceptance of all --electric cars.
It is called "range anxiety ".
"An employee of the car jokingly challenged me --
International delivery company for event solutions, with its East Coast office in Rosdale.
The company started the company at that time.
"So I think you're going to focus on the party?
The delivery guy asked naughty while parking in my Arlington driveway.
I immediately said, "No!
"In the noon traffic, drive north along Interstate 95 and drive a small electric car? “Are you nuts?
He smiled at my hypocrisy.
I am a long-term supporter of electric vehicles.
They reduced the fossil.
Fuel consumption and air pollution.
However, facing a 50-
Travel a mile high.
I'm backing up on the highway.
The man who took my car didn't drive south to my house under the same conditions? I felt ashamed.
I plugged Focus Electric into my 120-volt “slow-
Charge the charging station at home.
"Slow" means 20 hours for the battery pack to reach full capacity, 91-
Mileage range on the car toll meter.
But I don't know if reading is a clever promotion that Ford marketers have crafted.
The Environmental Protection Agency says Focus Electric has 76-
The mileage is full of electricity. A “quick-charge” 240-
The Fujia toll station AeroVironment will produce the full range provided by the economic partnership agreement.
The charging time is within three to four hours.
It shows 91 miles on the meter and I'm leaving for Rosdale. I was cautious—
I didn't have a radio while driving, no air conditioning, nothing that would run out of battery life.
Focus Electric is designed to operate at a maximum speed of 84 miles per hour.
But the faster you go, the more battery juice you use.
The car is equipped with a regenerative braking system that uses braking energy to support battery charging.
Still, I decided to insist on being 65. Speed limit.
It's not easy. I-
95 is the playground for speed ridicule and law enforcement officials.
The smirk enjoys a speed limit of more than 10 miles per hour.
The police like to chat with those really shocking speedsters, or those who have a very gorgeous look and design for speeding cars, who actually beg to be ticketed.
The 65-year-old Trundling leaves you without the love of the police and the respect of the speedster.
You're on everyone's way, sticking everything you catchme-if-you-
Can game both sides seem to like.
I was slow on the right lane and in the middle lane, paying close attention to the meter, which had dropped to the remaining 40 miles by the time I arrived in Baltimore.
There is no point in mathematics.
I think I had at least 60 miles left at that time.
But it's there.
40 miles down quickly.
I became nervous, hoping that the on-board navigation system would get to the target on time as it guided me into Rosdale, a suburb of Baltimore.
The acceleration of the car is becoming more and more unstable, increasing my anxiety.
The battery pack for processing is also not ideal.
But navigation works very well.
When I got to ESI, there were 30 miles left on the meter.
Before I was put in by a real joke, I always thought I was a hero: I was already arranged.
My self went above and beyond my common sense and I fell in love with this strategy.
"Warren," said my ESI delivery guy, "You know Focus Electric is just a nearby car, isn't it?
"Like on a highway like me --
95, like traveling in a keen place, I can run around Arlington endlessly --
Drive during the day, charge at night-
Not burning an ounce of gasoline.
Yes, I know-
So I chose gas.
Stimulate the 2015 Jeep followers and drive home.