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Ford in No Rush on Focus EV Sales
Ford Motor Co.
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Ford Motor Co. CEO Alan Mulally says the company is prepared for tepid initial demand for its $32,900 Focus electric sedan.
Mulally tells a Fortune magazine conference in California that Ford won't consider the EV a failure even if sales are less than 5,000 units in its first full year. The company has not disclosed a sales target for the car.
Mulally says Ford considers the Focus EV part of a long-term investment in electric powertrain technology. He notes that the company doesn't need high volume to cover basic engineering and production costs for the Focus EV because the car shares its platform and many components with the high-volume piston-powered Focus.
Mulally says the lithium-ion battery used in the Focus EV costs $12,000-$15,000, or $520-$650 per kilowatt-hour.
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