The battery tech in the Focus Electric is better than the Leaf. You get better MPGe, more power, and a battery that won't lose it's capacity. The difference is that the FE has a liquid cooled battery, and that means that it isn't affected by ambient temp as much as the Leaf's air cooled battery. People in arid states complained because the Leaf was losing as much as 20% capacity in less than a year.
What is making the FE less popular than the Leaf is the lack of storage room. The FE and the CMax Energi have absolutely no trunk room. You've got more storage behind the seat of a standard cab 95 Ranger. That is the sacrifice Ford is asking potential purchasers to make, and why Ford has now decided to design a specific platform for hybrid and electric vehicles.
I personally wish there was a way to incorporate hydraulic hybrid assist along with electric assist in a vehicle. That would be the bomb. HHV's can't maintain a steady speed for long, but capture 100% of braking energy. Electrics work better at maintaining steady speeds, but use up charge and create power robbing heat on acceleration. It's the perfect marriage- but it would require tech that doesn't exist in a form that people looking at passenger vehicles would appreciate.
I am on the fence at the moment. Either purchase a used CMax Energi for the wife, and take the CMax--- or, wait until Ford brings out their dedicated platform. That is assuming that Ford allows the new hybrid to be a Ford and not follow the "Prius Faithful" complainers by making the car into a three toed sloth on 2 toes. I personally don't care that my CMax only gets 42-44 mpg on the highway- I love the acceleration, and wouldn't give that up for 5 more mpg. It would be nice if it had a larger battery, but I think we'll all have to wait for lithium-air chemistry before we see the dawn of the electric car.
