This post was originally published on Autocar
Ford’s best-selling compact crossover finally gets an all-electric powertrain
It feels like the Ford Puma Gen-E was needed a couple of years ago, really.With the likes of the Renault 5 now in showrooms and the Jeep Avenger, Volkswagen ID 3, Skoda Elroq, MG S5 EV, Volvo EX30, Smart #1 and more all going well in the UK, never mind the ever-pressing ZEV mandate regulations, Ford desperately needs an affordable electric car.The good news is that the Puma Gen-E is precisely the sort of lower-cost proposition that should get customers through the doors. Starting from under £30,000, it gets a 43kWh lithium-ion NMC battery (53kWh total capacity) that powers it to a WLTP range of up to 233 miles. That makes it one of the most efficient electric cars in the class, which is especially great news for a car that also manages 0-62mph in a healthy 8.0sec.Is it remotely that efficient in the real world, though? We will get to that a bit further down…