Ford Focus EV to come with solar option

Interested in an electric car that you could power with the sun? Then consider Ford’s all-electric Focus, which - through an innovative partnership with solar provider SunPower - will include an option to install a 2.5 kilowatt solar system on the car owner’s roof. 

Solar panels, to be mounted on the car owner’s house, wouldn’t necessarily directly charge the electric car’s batteries.

Rather, they would provide juice from the sun to the house equal to offset about 1,000 miles of driving a month in the electric Focus, a plug-in version of the new compact sedan. Electric cars are typically recharged overnight.

This clever co-marketing effort will expose consumers to clean energy products they may have not considered otherwise. But it could be costly. USA Today reports that, after a federal rebate, the option alone will set Focus buyers back $10,000. 

Would a solar option sway you toward the Focus, or electric cars in general? Let us know in the comments.