Ford Focus Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV)

Twenty-one Ford Focus battery electric vehicles will be driven by members of the public in and around the London Borough of Hillingdon, while researchers track how people actually use them—where they charge, how far they go, and what they think of the experience. The project tackles a basic gap in UK transport planning: no one knows how real households, not just early adopters, will integrate electric cars into daily life. Most data on charging behaviour comes from small pilot fleets or surveys, not from ordinary drivers handed a car for an extended period. Without that evidence, grid operators and local authorities cannot predict where new charging points are needed or how much extra electricity demand to expect. If the trial succeeds, it will produce hard numbers on real-world driving patterns, charging frequency, and user satisfaction across a mix of urban and suburban routes. Energy companies like SSE can use that data to plan grid upgrades, while Ford gains insight into how its vehicles perform outside test tracks. The London Borough of Hillingdon gets direct feedback from its residents on infrastructure needs. The result could help accelerate the UK’s shift to electric vehicles by giving policymakers and industry the behavioural evidence they currently lack.