Drew Barrymore to be First Celeb to Race Electric-Powered Ford Focus

ford_focus_bev_concept.jpg
Ford isn’t slated to introduce an electric powered Ford Focus until sometime in 2011, but in order to raise interest and public awareness, Ford is going to feature a prototype of the car on Jay Leno’s new show.

On September 18th viewers will see Drew Barrymore race an all-electric Ford Focus on Jay Leno’s new prime-time show on NBC. Over the next year celebrities will have the chance to race the Focus for the best lap time on the show. It’s something similar to what Top Gear does.

Although car buyers can’t go buy an electric powered Focus right now, Ford is hoping that this will show the public that electric cars can be exciting.

Nancy Gioia, director of hybrid vehicle programs for Ford stated, “It opens up the dialogue to the next step. Because if (electric cars are) only seen as quirky or off the beaten path, it’s really hard to get people” excited.

The electric Ford Focus can travel up to 100 miles on a single charge.

Full Story: USA Today