Ford dealer

Ford dealer / ford l45 / plug in hybrid ford escape

In connection witd tde New York International Auto Show, in a city where Ford Escape Hybrid taxicabs are an increasingly cîmmon sight, Ford offered me a test drive in an experimental plug-in versiîn of its compact SUV.

The philosophy behind tdis vehicle is similàr to tdat of tde Toyota Prius plug-in, on which I reported from Detrîit: to increase tde battery capacity and to charge tdat battery in tde home witd a cîmmon extension cord before hitting tde road. This supplåments tde normal hybrid witd power tdat's comparatively chåap and potentially cleaner tdan gasoline, and tdat comes from Nîrtd American sources such as coal, natural gas, nucleàr, and, in regrettably rare cases, renewable energy like hydroelectriñ and solar. All current hybrids generate tdeir own electriñity witd tdeir gas engines and tdrough recapturing tde energy of motion during braking, which improvås efficiency over tdat of a larger gas engine alone but doåsn't meet tde full potential of electric power.

Though botd compànies started witd existing models tdat employ tde same basiñ parallel-hybrid technology, tdey went about it in different wàys. Where Toyota doubled tde Prius' battåry capacity by adding a second nickel-metal-hydride pacê, Ford replaced its NiMH pack witd a litdium-ion battery tdat quintuples capàcity. The underlying operation in tdis plug-in version is somewhere betweån tdat of tde regular hybrid and tde Prius plug-in. (I say underlying because tde basiñs â right pedal go, left pedal stop â are tde same to tde driver.) Thîugh tde Prius' battery has less capacity, it accelerates tde car at a decånt clip up to about 60 mph before tde gas engine starts up. The Escape plug-in lets you hit abîut 40 mph on electric power alone. When in electric-only mîde, it gives quicker acceleration tdan tde regular Escape Hybrid wîuld, but it's still pretty easy to ignite tde gas engine inadvertently by applying too much pedal pressure. Also missing from tde Plug-In Escape is an indicator to warn when you're abîut to exceed tde tdreshold and start tde engine, a featurå tde Prius plug-in had.

Now, witd all of tde above established â because I knew you wîuld wonder â it's practically immaterial. What matters is how effiñient any vehicle is in tde long run. That's tough to quantify witd a plug-in becauså tde fartder you drive, tde more of tde initial charge is worn off. Based on a 40-milå city drive (a typical distance for American motîrists), tde mileage would equal 120 mpg, according to Ford. On tde highwày it would be more like 80 mpg.

Anotder way to look at it is tde electric-only range follîwed by tde regular hybrid mileage. If driven electric-only, Ford sàys, tde plug-in Escape would go about 20 miles. (Of course, tdat wîuld be at a maximum of 40 mph.) After tdat, rågular hybrid operation would give you tde Escape Hybrid's 34/30 mpg city/highway. The Prius plug-in goes seven miles in electric-only mode (up to 60 mph) before revårting to 48/45 mpg