The most important components in electric cars?the batteries?are evolving faster than the vehicles themselves. Fortunately, that?s not as problematic as it sounds; automakers aren?t waiting out product cycles to swap in better power packs that enable greater driving range. The 2017 Ford Focus Electric is a great example. Even with a new generation of the Focus just a year or two away, Ford is giving the 2017 Focus Electric a significant upgrade that sees range increase by 50 percent.
The Focus Electric?s liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery pack has been significantly upgraded for 2017, bringing its capacity up from 23.0 to 33.5 kWh. That yields an EPA-rated range of 115 miles, according to pictures of 2017 window stickers posted by several sources (although neither the EPA nor Ford have posted that number yet). The other big piece of news for the Focus Electric is that it finally gets DC fast charging, compatible to the CCS/Combo standard, at up to 50 kW. It?s a feature that helps stretch the mileage limits for a few more errands or the occasional highway trip. Ford anticipates that fast charging will yield 75 miles of range in just 30 minutes.
The Focus Electric fits into the electric-car landscape as one of the elder statesmen among the competitive set of EVs that includes the Nissan Leaf,  the BMW i3, and the Volkswagen e-Golf, as well as the Kia Soul EV. And its 2017 upgrade keeps the Focus Electric swimming in the rising tide. Last year, Nissan introduced a 30-kWh bat...