Ford won't lease EV batteries [video]

Ford’s forthcoming electric Focus will be sold in the same way as a conventional car, meaning its battery pack will be included as standard.

Ford’s UK managing director Nigel Sharp said the company would not consider leasing the Focus’s lithium-ion battery pack separately to sale: “We’re waiting to see how the market reacts to other electric cars, but we are sure leasing batteries is not the way to go, even if it would bring the initial price down," he said. "The Focus must be sold as a conventional car would be."

The electric Focus is the flagship of its five-strong fleet of alternatively fuelled cars and a significant all-electric rival to the Nissan Leaf, which also has the battery pack included in its purchase price.

The Focus’s electric motor is powered by a 28kWh lithium ion battery, giving a top speed of 84mph. A standard full recharge from a 240V outlet will take three to four hours — half the time of the Nissan Leaf — and Ford is targeting a range of 100 miles.