Ford Focus Electric Hit’s The Triangle

It’s not surprising to me that the Raleigh – Durham, North Carolina area was one of the first markets that Ford chose to sell the Ford Focus Electric. Markets were chosen based on several criteria, such as commuting patterns, existing hybrid purchase trends, utility company collaboration, and local government commitment to electrification. (Market criteria and vehicle stats credit: media.ford.com) The other cities chosen are Atlanta- GA, Austin & Houston,-TX, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, New York, Orlando- FL, Phoenix & Tucson Arizona, Portland Oregon, Richmond – VA, Seattle and Washington DC. I have seen our community take ambitious steps towards becoming more eco friendly. We promote environmentally friendly ways to travel to reduce car use when commuting like carpooling, bike riding, walking and public transportation. When building whether commercial or residential we are using eco friendly and sometimes recycled materials along with solar energy. More local businesses have become eco friendly providing natural products and service to consumers. We’re a city that is going “Green” and recognizes the need for more eco friendly transportation, so the Ford Focus Electric is right on schedule.

I had the opportunity to see the Ford Focus Electric up close and personal at the “Green” McDonald’s Holiday Festival. Crossroads Ford was in attendance with the Ford Focus Electric. The Ford Focus Electric is Ford’s first all electric passenger car with zero emissions and completely gas free. Instead of a traditional gas engine, the Focus Electric’s motor will be powered by a 23 kwh lithium-ion battery. The system utilizes liquid heating and cooling system to maximize battery life and driving range. Focus Electric will offer a mile-per-gallon equivalent better than Chevrolet Volt and competitive with other battery electric vehicles. What’s great is that it’s just not what’s under the hood that makes The 2012 Ford Focus Electric so eco friendly, the materials used inside the vehicle, such as bio-foam seat cushions and recycled fabrics also adds to the eco friendliness. The 2012 Ford Focus Electric offers great standard safety and security features including six airbags, electronic traction control, hands free SYNC, telephone connectivity and My Key for North America. You’ll also enjoy MyFord Touch driver connect technology, aluminum wheels, rear bench seats, push button start, AM/FM/CD/MP3 Sony Audio with nine speakers, Sirius satellite radio with Travel Link, HD Radio, and voice activated navigation system. I can just imagine taking a road trip with this baby, all the features rock!

Let’s talk about charging… Future 2012 Ford Focus owners will be able to purchase the 240-volt wall-mounted charge station that will be sold separately or use the 120-volt convenience cord that comes with the vehicle. When plugged in, the Focus Electric onboard charger converts AC power from the electric grid to DC power to charge the liquid-cooled/heated battery pack. A full recharge is expected to take three to four hours at home with the 240-volt charge station –half the charge time of the Nissan Leaf. The new Focus Electric also offers value charging, powered by Microsoft, to help owners in the US charge their vehicles at the cheapest utility rates. One of my favorite features is the MyFord mobile; it’s a Smartphone app and website for monitoring key vehicle functions and charge settings while mobile. As much as I’m on my phone and on the go this particular feature would be very beneficial to me. Overall, I think the Ford Focus Electric is a great vehicle. Communities are starting to put up charge stations in certain areas and setting aside preferred parking spaces for eco friendly vehicles. I’d say we’re moving in the right direction. For more information on the Ford Focus Electric you can head over to the Ford website.

Recap: “Green” McDonald’s Holiday Festival

Photo Credit: Cuneglasus on panoramio.com

This past Saturday I attended the Green McDonald’s Holiday Festival in Cary with my family and we had a great time. It was a free event to all with a charitable raffle featuring new & vintage Happy Meal toys with 100% of the proceeds benefiting the Ronald McDonald House of Durham. McDonald’s offers free tours of the restaurant highlighting all the eco-friendly features throughout to small and large groups of all ages. Location: 1299 Kildaire Farm Rd. Cary, NC 27511. Here are a few fun facts about this particular location (taken from their brochure printed on recycled paper). It’s the first “green” McDonald’s in the state of North Carolina. 95% of the light fixtures in this McDonald’s use LED (Light Emitted Diode) technology. LED lamps will last about 30,000 hours compared to 1,300 hours for a standard incandescent light bulb. Approximately 99% of the debris generated by the demolition process was diverted from landfills by being either re-used or recycled. It is estimated that this McDonald’s will save over 550,000 gallons of water a year by utilizing high efficiency restroom and kitchen fixtures, combined with exterior water-saving features. During daylight hours, 19 Solatubes strategically positioned throughout the building and expansive windows provide natural light to 92% of the restaurant. There are even preferred parking spaces for hybrid and fuel efficient vehicles, along with charge stations for electric vehicles.

To share in all the festivities CrossRoads Ford was there showcasing a few vehicles including the all-electric 2012 Ford Focus and level 2 electric vehicle station. This car is fuel free and the first zero emissions passenger car from Ford. I’ll be writing an entire post to share my experience in learning about the 2012 Focus Electric.

Burt’s Bees was also in attendance sharing their eco-friendly, all natural product care line. They were generous to give the first one hundred guests a free gift and they were performing hand massages throughout the day. My three year old son has eczema so I can REALLY appreciate the Baby Bee product line. Burt’s Bee’s has something for everyone, go and nourish your skin! I received a few great products for myself and mini me, I can’t wait to share my Burt’s Bees experience with you.

There were holiday crafts provided by Ashley Peay-Bettini owner and instructor of The Artbox Studio, the kids designed Christmas tree ornaments. That activity was so fitting for the holiday season. They had a ball! There was also face painting and balloon twisting from Clown Around Inc., pictures with Santa Clause AND I can’t forget visiting the Science Safari in Salt Box Village. I thought Ozzie the Iguana was a statue until he moved and scared me to pieces. I got to see two snakes; of course glass separated us, and that was a MUST! I also got to see Myrtle the Turtle whom I thought wasn’t real either. I don’t know what I was thinking… I was in a Science Store! The McDonald’s Holiday event was AMAZING and we had a GREAT time! More Pictures Below…

Be Kind 2 Earth Day

We are celebrating Earth Day this month all over the world and trying to shed light on living more eco friendly, and bringing awareness to the damage that we can cause if we don’t change our lifestyles to benefit mother earth. Join us on April 22nd along with Nickelodeon, National Wildlife Federation and the Motherhood for B Kind 2 Earth Day. Please take a moment and think about what sort of contribution you can make towards B Kind 2 Earth Day and try to make it a daily habit. It can be the simplest thing! I asked my ten year old daughter what she wanted to do to contribute to B Kind 2 Earth Day and she said clean up trash from our parks, lakes, and beaches.

Here is a list of things I’ll be making a conscious effort to do daily and going forward: (Some things I do already) Use Reusable bags at the grocery store, support my local farmers market, conserve energy in my home as much as I can, I use my fireplace in the winter so that I won’t run the heat as much, instead of using regular light bulbs I use CFL’s (Compact fluorescent light bulbs) because they use less power, Recycle bottles, paper, and plastic. Recycle and dispose of electronics in proper places, you can’t throw EVERY electronic in the trash. Minimize waste as much as possible and start reading labels on EVERYTHING I use as far as household products and personal products. Tell me what you do to reduce your carbon footprint AND remember Earth Day should be everyday! Join me on April 22 and B Kind 2 Earth!

Planet Earth Celebration

Day 11: Ultimate Blog Challenge – Earth Day Festivities

Every year the world recognizes Earth Day and has multiple events worldwide such as festivals, celebrations and campaigns to bring awareness to how we live on a daily basis and how what “WE” do contributes to the environment. This year I’ll be attending the Planet Earth Celebration “Respect your MOTHER” part of Earth Day Raleigh. The celebration will take place in and around the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in Downtown Raleigh, NC. There will be many organizations involved in Saturdays festivities, arts and crafts for children, tips on how to live a greener lifestyle along with local food and live music. Check out the Planet Earth website for more information.

error: Ask And You Shall Receive!!