Ford Focus Electric Will Be First EV Pace Car for NASCAR
On April 28, the Ford Focus electric will lead the pack as the Richmond 400 NASCAR race pace car — the first all electric car to do so.
NASCAR is clearly a sport where fuel economy isn’t a major concern, so Ford wants to educate the fans on how their EV technology works. “Ford research shows the majority of Americans would consider buying an electric vehicle but do not yet understand the different technologies,” said Mark Fields, Ford president of The Americas.
Ford research shows that 67 percent of Ford race fans are likely to buy a Ford product, so debuting the Focus Electric at the track might help tip the scales in favor of hybrids among people who would be likely to write them off. The automaker can also claim the first hybrid to ever run as pace car at a NASCAR race, leading the pack in 2008.
The Focus electric is rated by the company at 110-mpge city and a 105-mpge combined rating, giving it a six mile-per-gallon equivalent advantage over the Nissan Leaf making it the most efficient all electric vehicle on the market.
Watch the Richmond 400 on April 28 to see the Ford Focus Electric pace car in action.
Stephen covers all of the day-to-day events of the industry as the News Editor at AutoGuide, along with being the AG truck expert. His truck knowledge comes from working long days on the woodlot with pickups and driving straight trucks professionally. When not at his desk, Steve can be found playing his bass or riding his snowmobile or Sea-Doo. Find Stephen on <A title="@Selmer07 on Twitter" href="http://www.twitter.com/selmer07">Twitter</A> and <A title="Stephen on Google+" href="http://plus.google.com/117833131531784822251?rel=author">Google+</A>
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