Last year I had the good fortune to attend the North American International Auto Show (or NAIAS) in Detroit – for the first time – and the timing couldn’t have been more perfect! I had never attended an auto show before, but I’ve heard that most SUV-focused auto shows of years past have not been very interesting to people who care about green cars, like me. However, 2011 was the year of the electric car! From super-sexy hybrid race cars (from Porsche), to a retina-searing electric yellow sports cars (from Mercedes), to practical electric commuter cars (like the Ford Focus EV and Ford C-MAX Hybrid), nearly every major car manufacturer at the Detroit Auto Show unveiled a new electric car or a new hybrid. For those of you who couldn’t make it to the show, happily we shot a video of my favorite new electric cars – check it out above, and stay tuned as we bring you a video of the hottest green vehicles from the 2012 Detroit Auto Show in the next few days!

CHECK OUT THE VIDEO >

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After teasing the vehicle earlier this week, Ford has just unveiled its first all-electric passenger car! The model is a zero-emissions, all-electric version of the company’s most popular small car, the Focus. Exact numbers are not yet available for fuel economy and driving range, but the performance of the Focus Electric will be comparative to that of the Chevy Volt and the Nissan Leaf — hit the jump for the full story with photos!

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This week Ford teased the imminent unveiling of the Focus EV by releasing a single image on Facebook showcasing the vehicle’s illuminated, Tron-like plug port. As you’d expect from Ford on the release of such an anticipated vehicle, details are scarce — but CEO Alan Mulally said the company will have big news from the 2011 International CES Las Vegas. He added that Ford would broadcast his keynote address on a live streaming Facebook tab that will also feature exclusive technology news every hour leading up to his address.

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Ford has announced which lucky markets will be the first to receive the Focus Electric, their first all electric passenger car that can travel 100 miles on a full charge whilst creating zero CO2 emissions. In a press statement, Ford said that the markets were chosen after being judged on several criteria, including “commuting patterns, existing hybrid purchase trends, utility company collaboration and local government commitment to electrification”. As a result of the findings, the first cities selected to sell the new green wheels will be Atlanta, Austin and Houston, Texas, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, New York, Orlando, Phoenix, Tucson, Portland, Raleigh Durham, Richmond, Seattle, and Washington, D.C.

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