Conversion of a Ford Focus to an Electric Vehicle (EV)
2001 Ford Focus SE - Before and After Conversion to Electric
On the left is the car on it's final day powered by an Internal Combustion Engine. On the right is the car after conversion. Not much has changed on the outside - but it's a very different story under the hood.
The Engine Comparment (Left) Compared to the Motor and Battery Compartment (Right)
I was motivated to start this project by a desire to reduce my contributions to both Big Oil company profits and Global Warming. And it was an interesting engineering challenge to create an efficient car with enough range and comfort for my every day commute. I chose the Ford Focus sedan because it is relatively small and lightweight (which provides an efficient rolling platform) yet has enough space and strength to carry a large number of very heavy batteries. In this car the "fuel" is lead, which is very heavy indeed.
I began removing the engine on March 29, 2008. I drove it for the first time under electric power on December 5, 2008. After a few improvements it became my everyday car in March, 2009.
A lot of people have asked interesting questions about the project. I've tried to address them in the FocusEV FAQ
My page among many other Electric Vehicles can be found in the Electric Vehicle Album
-- Chris Simon
Updated 11JULY2009 CHS