电动版福特福克斯的行驶里程之忧

    从理论上说，我确实对电动汽车情有独钟。比起传统的燃油车，这类车排放温室气体更少，保养也更容易。而且它的驾驶成本也更低：驱动一辆车所需的电力，仅相当于一加仑燃油只需花费1美元左右。

    因此，我激动不已地驾着一辆全新的福特福特斯电动车（Focus Electric）从曼哈顿（Manhattan）出发了。这辆车现在仅在特选市场有售。这辆四门掀背式轿车通体为磨砂绿，造型俊朗，前格栅让人想起福特汽车（Ford）一度拥有的阿斯顿•马丁（Aston Martin）的前脸。这款福克斯与传统的燃油驱动车型唯一的不同之处在于，车前门的下缘镶有凸起的金属字“电动”。

    不过，随后而来的实际驾车体验就让人有点颇受打击了。当我驶出位于第55西大街的车库，朝我位于威斯特郡的家中驶去时，我看了一眼可行驶里程表，上面显示：锂电池所剩电量够我跑50英里——对这趟不过20英里的路程来说可谓绰绰有余（这款车充满电后可行驶76英里）。但当真正开起来后，随着我驾驶习惯的变化，里程表上的数字也在不断变化。它一度跌到了38英里，随后又回升到42英里，接着再跌到35英里。我到底能开多少英里呢？不得而知。当晚，我开着这车去电影院看《南蛮之地的野兽》（Beasts of the Southern Wild）。当我驶入停车场时，里程表显示只剩下15英里可让我开回家了。这也够了，但还是让人有点七上八下。所以我查了查GPS，看看最近的充电站在哪儿。我是想，如果看电影时这车能充上电该多好。结果显示，充电站足有10英里远，还得跨过新泽西州的一条河，更别提还得付塔潘泽桥（Tappan Zee Bridge）的5美元过桥费。

    全美的充电站数量正在增加——尤其是在加州——但是对东北部的人来说，充电站似乎还少得可怜。除非每天的通勤里程在预计范围内，也不太远，否则这款福克斯就不会是你心仪的选择。只有当它的行驶里程大幅增加，或者新建了更多充电站后，人们才会中意于它。

    平心而论，这款电动版福克斯驾驶乐趣出众。它的电动机足有123匹马力，足以搭载5名乘客，最高时速可达到每小时84英里，提速性能出色，不论是停车起步，还是驶入高速，都是如此——这就是工程师所谓的直线扭矩。它还拥有一大优势，即车主能买一台备选的家庭充电装置，它能在4小时内充满电，这个速度几乎是日产聆风（Nissan Leaf）充电时间的两倍。

    它的操控富有动感，座舱十分安静，完全没有内燃机那种低吼声。开车时能听到的声音只有车轮飞驶过高速公路路面的嘶嘶声。这种静音使车载索尼音响那动人的乐声更为迷人。我所调校的座椅模式非常舒适。车的外观和材质也让人印象深刻。

    然后，我们该说说价格了。这款福克斯售价为39,000美元，即使减掉7,500美元的联邦优惠补贴，这款车还是所费不菲。毕竟它燃油版的兄弟车型起价仅为16,995美元。有些州，比如加州，会给予更大幅度的优惠补贴。而我所在的纽约州则不提供补贴。绝大多数额外成本都来自电池。好消息是，电池的售价一直在下降，行驶里程则一直在增长。等到哪天这两方面都令人满意了，买福克斯的请算上我一个吧。

    译者：清远

    In theory, I really like electric cars. They emit less greenhouse gas than traditional models and are easier to maintain. Electrics cost less to operate: The electricity to run one is the equivalent of paying about $1 or so a gallon for gas.

    So I was excited to head off from Manhattan in the new Ford Focus Electric, which is now available in selected markets. The frosty-green, four-door hatchback is handsome, with a front grille that evokes Aston Martin, which Ford used to own. The only indication that this Focus is different from a normal gas-driven one is the word "Electric" in raised metal type running along the bottom of the front doors.

    And then reality hit. As I pulled out of the garage on West 55th street and headed toward my house in Westchester County, I looked at the range gauge and saw that I had 50 miles left on the lithium ion battery -- plenty of juice to make the 20-mile trip. (The Focus's range when fully charged is 76 miles.) But as I drove, the mileage gauge kept changing in response to my driving habits. At one point it was down to 38, but then bounced back up to 42 but then down again to 35. How many miles did I really have? I didn't know. That night, I drove to the movies to seeBeasts of the Southern Wild, and when I entered the parking lot I had about 15 miles left to make it home. Enough, but it was still a little nervous-making. So I checked my GPS for the closest charging station thinking it would be great if the car could recharge during the film. It turned out to be 10 miles away, across the river in New Jersey, not to mention the $5 toll on the Tappan Zee Bridge.

    The number of charging stations in the nation is rising -- especially in California --but for electric drivers in the Northeast, the choices seem to be few and far between. Unless you have a predictable, short daily commute, the Focus isn't for you until the range increases or more charging stations are installed.

    That said, the Ford Focus Electric is fun to drive. The 123 horsepower electric motor, ample for this five-passenger car, gives it a top speed of 84 miles per hour and great pick-up not only from a standing stop but passing on the highway as well -- what the engineers call straight-line torque. One real advantage of the Focus is that you can buy an optional home charging system that will charge the car in four hours, about twice as fast as the all-electric Nissan Leaf.

    The handling is sporty, and the cabin quiet and notably lacks that combustion engine growl. All one hears are the wheels whooshing along the highway. The quiet enhances the music coming from the impressive Sony sound system. The cloth seats in my model are comfortable. The fit and finish were impressive too.

    Then there's the price. The Focus sells for $39,000 and even after the $7,500 federal rebate, that's still a lot to pay for a car whose gasoline-driven cousin starts at $16,995. Some states like California will throw in a bit more in rebates. New York, where I live, doesn't offer a subsidy. Much of that extra cost is for the battery. The good news is that battery prices are coming down and range is increasing. When that day comes, sign me up for a Focus.