Ford Focus Electric to debut in 19 U.S. cities in 2011
Ford on Monday announced the first American cities where theFocus Electric, the company's first all-electric, zero emissions car, will go on sale in late 2011.
The first metro areas include:
- Atlanta, Ga.
- Austin, Texas
- Houston, Texas
- Boston, Ma.
- Chicago, Ill.
- Denver, Colo.
- Detroit, Mich.
- Los Angeles, Calif.
- New York, N.Y.
- Orlando, Fla.
- Phoenix, Ariz.
- Tucson, Ariz.
- Portland, Ore.
- Raleigh-Durham, N.C.
- Richmond, Va.
- San Francisco, Calif.
- San Diego, Calif.
- Seattle, Wash.
- Washington, D.C.
It's a broad swath of the country. Ford says these markets were chosen based on criteria that includes existing hybrid purchase trends, utility company collaboration and local government commitment to electrification.
Naturally, success in its pilot programs will allow Ford to expand elsewhere. (Notable cities not on the list: Philadelphia, Dallas-Fort Worth, Miami, Minneapolis-St. Paul and St. Louis, among others.)
Ford hopes that this selection will allow it to plant seeds of education about EVs. The hope is that the company can help consumers understand what electric cars are all about, then have that knowledge spread in the regions around each of these initial markets.
Earlier this year, the company conducted a 14-city tour to promote electric vehicles.
Ford plans to launch five new electric vehicles in Europe and North America this year, among them the Focus Electric, the Transit Connect Electric small commercial van, two next-generation lithium-ion battery hybrids and a plug-in hybrid.
This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com