A battery-electric Ford Focus hatchback will appear on Friday night’s episode of “The Jay Leno Show” in a segment called “Green Car Challenge.” The car is a one-off performance-oriented variant of the Focus BEV prototype previewed earlier this year. Based on body and underpinnings of the European Focus ST, the car will have a recurring role on the show.
The Green Car Challenge will be a regular segment, with celebrity guests vying for the fastest lap time over this season. The time trials will take place at a makeshift track built alongside “The Jay Leno Show” studio at NBC.
As mentioned, the car began as a Focus ST, which was delivered to Ford’s engineers for a massive transformtion. The team removed the traditional engine and gas tank and installed an entire electric powertrain — all in six weeks. With Recaro racing seats, a full roll cage, a five-point racing harness, the battery-electric Focus ST is ready for racing.
Thanks in part to the battery placement, the race-ready Ford Focus BEV has a nearly ideal 50/50 weight distribution. The front springs and dampers come from the Ford Focus RS, while the rear dampers and springs are unique to Leno’s Focus BEV.
Peak power is 105 kW (141 horsepower), while range is about 80 miles. Ford says the the zero-emissions Focus BEV delivers nearly as much torque at the wheels as a 2010 Ford Mustang V6.
09/18, 11:38 AM
posted by:
RaineMan
Now if Ford could really bring over the Euro Focus instead of this bland POS we are stuck with now.
09/18, 11:39 AM
posted by:
wakeNbake
Is this a plug-in? And Leno’s new show sucks. Awful is an understatement.
09/18, 11:42 AM
posted by:
TDi5Power
The Green Car Challenge sounds awfully like A Celebrity in a Reasonably Priced Car…
Is Jay Leno the new Jeremy Clarkson? Who’s Hammond?
09/18, 11:43 AM
posted by:
johnnycanuck
RaineMan, the 2 door makes 3 extra horse vs. the sedan. And you have the nerve to call that bland?
09/18, 11:55 AM
posted by:
leftwingagenda
yeah, clearly a top gear ripoff, but it could be fun nonetheless…jay was a guest last season on top gear, so there may have well been some discussions there about bringing the concept over…who knows, maybe even invite the stig over as the first guest to make the transition “official”…
09/18, 11:57 AM
posted by:
Need4SSpeed
There’s a Ford Engineer that lives right down the street from me, and in the last few months he’s had a Euro Spec Focus, a Fiesta, and a Taurus SHO.
The Euro Focus and Fiesta look to be some promising vehicles coming out of Ford in my opinion.
And I’ll second Raineman, and always love jcanuck’s comments… But yes the current U.S focus sucks balls…
09/18, 11:57 AM
posted by:
DenverGuy217
This will be the first energetic thing to appear on the Leno show………
09/18, 12:14 PM
posted by:
NavinRJohnson
Let’s hope the new Focus coming next year to US looks more like this and less like the current one. This is a good looking car.
09/18, 12:24 PM
posted by:
JakeK66
ANyone see the show yet? It sucks, so I may have to just watch a clip of the car on Hulu and not have to bore myself with the rest of the show.
09/18, 12:46 PM
posted by:
Borat
I wonder if the show will reach rating of telethon on Labor Day. Can electric Focus compete with Jerry kids?
09/18, 1:23 PM
posted by:
Blakkarr
Ranieman,
The 3rd gen Focus will be coming to America. It’ll hit in 2011 just a year after the Fiesta, I think.
More over, it’s just a matter of time before we have “Jay’s Garage” on “The Jay Leno Show” as a weekly segment.
09/18, 2:25 PM
posted by:
Bosley
Anyone wanna bet that there’s actually 2 of these built, and Jay Leno has the other one is his personal car collection?…..
09/18, 2:26 PM
posted by:
alex_orlando
why is it that ford can get one of these to jay leno sorry ass …STAT no less… but it is M.I.A. for the rest of us? give me a break.
09/18, 3:02 PM
posted by:
Bosley
Probably ’cause Leno paid for it. If you can drop whatever it costs to Ford, I’m sure they’ll make one for you too! But, even though I don’t know you, you probably can’t afford it.
09/18, 9:03 PM
posted by:
MarkKleis
Actually Blakkarr, we should more than likely see the Euro Focus as a 2011 MY car arrive in late 2010, a few months after the Fiesta launch.
09/18, 9:22 PM
posted by:
The Stig
How much for that electric Focus?
09/18, 10:39 PM
posted by:
alex_orlando
you can get one now… if u bring it in from Mexico… they sell the Focus ST there. but you would have to be able to pay for it, pay taxes…at the border… and then pay an extra 5k min to bring the bumpers up to US spec (im assuming they arent) and then there is the emisions… you will have to get that fixed too… all of which i think you have to have done within a year… still… i think the FOcus ST in mexico is about 25 K right now…addin the mods… its maybe 35K at the most…. not a bad bargain compared to across the pond where they are 37-45 K
09/18, 10:41 PM
posted by:
alex_orlando
ps. ….the fact they sell this car in mexico is proof americans are extremely retarded and just buy whatever crap rolls off the assembly line and gets a semi decent marketing campaign.
09/18, 10:42 PM
posted by:
idrinorbarsaku
just saw that episode. That thing turns on a dime!
09/19, 11:48 AM
posted by:
KIB2
Great interview, this one is a winner.
http://fiestamovement.com/agents/view/58
09/21, 3:16 AM
posted by:
GTSR2000
wakeNbake: correction on your post, his show is actually really great, and your post is whats awful
09/21, 1:27 PM
posted by:
SoTXFord
alex-orlando: Or just live in Texas…
BTW, did you know they made a Sport/ STX version of the Lobo? It makes sense I guess but I just never thought about it; I wouldnt figure the Euro look would be popular in Mexico…
09/21, 4:09 PM
posted by:
wakeNbake
GTSR: I watched the first show and thought it was down right dreadful. But then again, I’m not a Leno fan. meh…
09/21, 4:13 PM
posted by:
alex_orlando
yeah… i saw that..but… i dont understand why or how… ford europe / na.. can ship something or allow something to be shipped….all the way to mexico…. and then sell it for $ 10 K less than europe… or assemble it in mexico…and then sell it.. and then claim it is to expensive to make for one of the worlds biggest car markets.
anyone at ford ballsy enough to explain that to me?