Passing the first milestones

Happy Friday the 13th!!! I don't suffer from paraskevidekatriaphobia, but I do note that today and yesterday were monumental days for me and my Ford Focus Electric—in good ways!

Milestone One: Passing the 500!

From one of the many info screens on the Focus' dashboard.
(Sorry for the morning sun glare!)

It's been three weeks since I've officially taken ownership of the car. And in those short 3 weeks (one of which was the July 4 vacation week!), I've traveled over 500 miles! While the first 50 or so were on the odometer already (a lot of test driving on the Michigan track before delivery to the dealer?), I've personally logged over 500 miles— most from my daily commute.

Needless to say, the car is still running smooth and very quiet! I have to become reacquainted to the fact that walkers in shopping parking lots do not hear me approaching as I hunt for a spot for the FFE. Thankfully, there's plenty of other traffic noise (so why do folks want to make electric cars noisy again?) and I get to act less like a typical New Yorker driver. (BTW: The Focus' horn produces a deep and loud tone, thank you very much! ;-))

Milestone Two: Almost 100 miles per charge

My unofficial charging set-up at the office's outdoor parking lot.
Now, if only those lamp post outlets worked consistently!!

The charging situation at work and home has gotten a little more complicated. (More on that some other time.) And while I've lost the ability to charge at the parking lot while I work during the day, it's not so bad. Sure, the car interior is a little "toasty" after sitting in the sun all day. But I can still start (and "pre-condition") the car from the Web before I leave the office. (Now, if only Ford would get their Android smartphone app done!)

Another info-screen, showing my driving stats for the day (over 3-hours
in the car!) and remaining power (18 miles!) in the Focus' battery.

And there's more than enough juice—even with airing out the car beforehand—to run after-work errands. Last night, for example, I had to go to Costco in Westbury, Long Island— about 10 miles further east of my home. All told, my total round-trip mileage yesterday came to just over 77 miles—with another 18 miles remaining on the gauge!

The charging situation at home is a bit complex. For some odd reason, I can't just plug in my car and and schedule it to recharge later, like after midnight when electricity rates are suppose to be cheaper. Such "value charging" can be set up through the My Ford Mobile website. But whenever I try the value charge feature (managed by Microsoft, probably to salvage something of its Homh effort!), I get an alert that the there's some "fault" that is preventing my Focus from charging when the start time arrives! :-(

So, I just need to remember to plug the car in before I go to bed. That's no so bad—especially since it takes just two to four hours to completely recharge!!!

A snip from one of the screens on my personal My Ford Mobile website that's linked to my Ford Focus Electric.