For its upcoming Ford Focus Electric, Ford has unveiled a ‘convenience cord’ that will allow the electric Focus to be recharged at any standard (120-Volt) wall plug.
The 120-volt cord is 25 feet long and will let users recharge the Focus Electric more easily at standard 120-volt locations. Ford will also offer a faster wall-mounted 240-Volt home charging station as an option.
Both types of connectors will use an industry-standard J-1772 five-point plug fitted with an ergonomic Ford-branded handle. A full recharge takes six to eight hours with a 240-volt charge station or more than 12 hours with a 120-volt convenience cord set. When fully charged, the Focus Electric can travel up to 100 miles.
The Focus Electric’s cord set connector has three pins at the end that plug into a standard outlet. The end that connects with the car has five pins, including one that communicates with the vehicle about the type of electrical current (120- or 240-volt) it is requesting and another pin that deactivates the current when the user disconnects the plug from the charge port.
Ford worked with supplier partner Yazaki to design the convenience cord, which has a look inspired by “hockey sticks, curling irons and tennis racket handles,” it said.
The plug handle uses a matte-finished blue rubber for a comfortable, non-slip grip and the plug head is shielded with a glossy white hard plastic to protect the electronics.
Earlier this week, GM revealed a new Voltec charging station for use with its upcoming Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid. The Volt and Focus Electric will also be competing with Nissan’s Leaf EV, which arrives in select US markets late this year.[wzslider height=”400″ lightbox=”true”]
