Ty Newell of Illinois celebrated becoming one of the first retail customers for the Ford Focus Electric by recreating one of the country’s earliest automotive road trips. After taking delivery of the Focus from Hassett Ford in Wantagh, N.Y., Newell and his wife decided to drive it to the Ford Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, Mich. where it was built.
Roy Chapin Oldsmobile – Roy D. Chapin 1901 Car Trip
Beginning on October 29, 1901, engineer Roy D. Chapin became the first person to drive a car all the way from Detroit to New York.
In those days the trip took seven and a half days at an average speed of 14 mph.
As one of the first retail customers for the 2012 Ford Focus Electric, Ty Newell is recreating that pioneering trip in reverse by driving from a dealership in New York back to the Michigan Assembly Plant near Detroit where the Focus was built.
Today He Comes Back Again To Get America’s Fuel-efficient Electric Car
The trip reversed the course of a trip completed by Roy Chapin between October 29 and November 5, 1901 when he became the first person to drive a car from Detroit to New York. William Chapin, president of the Automotive Hall of Fame in Dearborn and grandson of Roy, met up with the Newells at the plant to congratulate them.
Focus Electric is rated for 110 miles per gallon (MPGe) city, 99 MPGe highway, and operates entirely on battery-generated power. Not sure though if we’ll see it. Stay tuned. I’ve tested it before but never on the road. Soon enough hopefully.
Focus Electric also has been certified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to offer 105 MPGe combined.
