The first Ford dealers have been officially certified to sell the 2012 Ford Focus Electric – the first gas-free, all-electric car from Ford. The 2012 Ford Focus Electric is America’s most fuel-efficient five-seater vehicle certified by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency to offer an EPA rating of 110 MPGe in the city. It is capable of being recharged in nearly half the time of the Nissan Leaf. The dealerships have received the certification which means that they have satisfied the automaker’s guidelines for dealers selling electric vehicles, including installation of at least two onsite charging stations and participation in highly specialized training in the field of electric vehicles.

The 67 dealers are in California, New York and New Jersey where the Focus Electric will arrive this spring. These markets account for a large percentage sales of electrified vehicles. The new Focus Electric is scheduled to be available nationwide by the end of 2012. The Focus Electric will later be joined by the new 2013 Ford Fusion – a hybrid-powered midsize sedan. The Focus Electric has more motor power, standard features and faster charging time when compared to the Nissan Leaf.

“The amount of hard work and resources dealers put into becoming certified really is a testament to how excited they are, how excited customers are and how excited we are about electric vehicles, starting with Focus Electric,” said David Gutman, Ford’s field operations manager. The charging feature powered by Microsoft is designed to help owners charge the vehicles at the cheapest utility rates, thus making the charging of Focus Electric less costly than the Nissan Leaf. “Ford is giving customers the power of choice for leading fuel economy regardless of what type of vehicle or powertrain technology they choose,” said Eric Kuehn, chief nameplate engineer, Focus Electric. “The Focus and Fusion are great examples of how we transformed our fleet of cars, utilities and trucks with leading fuel efficiency.”