CONFIRMED: Ford considering plug-in Escape Hybrid

John Neff — Sat, 13 May 2006 16:48:00 EST

Plug-in hybrids remain a mysteriously contentious issue with automakers, despite the fact the public and many non-profit and for-profit organizations are pushing for the technology's mainstream adoption. At Ford's annual shareholder's meeting Bill Ford responded to a question about plug-in hybrids by saying "We have nothing to announce today, but yes, we are keenly looking at it." You may remember we foresaw Ford considering the technology earlier when Niel Golightly, Ford's Director of Sustainable Business Strategies, admitted the company was considering the technology.

Hybridcars has posted a three-page letter sent to Bill Ford by Prof. Andrew Frank of UC Davis, the inventor of the plug-in hybrid, and Felix Kramer, founder of the non-profit California Cars Initiative, beseeching the man and his company to endorse the group's research and development of a plug-in Ford Escape Hybrid. You can read the letter here.

Again, Ford could score major PR points by being the first to mass market a plug-in hybrid. An Escape that could achieve 100+ mpg would certainly be front page news.

Many are speculating that liability concerns are what's keeping automakers at bay. Safety issues surrounding more batteries that are larger being stored onboard, the potential for sparks near gasoline vapor and even drivers pulling away with the car plugged in could be of particular concern.

[Source: HybridCars.com]

CONFIRMED: Ford considering plug-in Escape Hybrid originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 13 May 2006 16:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Plug-in push on for hybrids

Joel Arellano — Mon, 27 Mar 2006 11:01:00 EST

Filed under: Gadgets, Trends, Hybrid, Green

Hybrid automakers such as Toyota, Honda, and Ford spent millions educating consumers that hybrid vehicles don't need to be plugged to an outlet to be charged. But among a growing number of hybrid enthusiasts, there is a burgeoning movement for such technology to be incorporated in future hybrid vehicles.

The motivation is the same that led to the development of hybrids in the first place: heightened fuel economy. This time, though, plug-in proponents are promising 100-miles per gallon, which would greatly reduce America's dependence on foreign oil suppliers. Says Daryl Slusher of Plug-in Partners, "this technology can make a bigger impact more quickly than any other transportation technology that's available or coming anytime soon."

Automakers, though, are reluctant to invest in this change of hybrid interest, with the main difficulty to be a battery that can handle being plugged into the nation's grid system. Ford's VP of environmental and safety engineering Sue Cischke points out such a battery would have to be larger and heavier, affecting the vehicle's mileage. "I'm not saying there's not a future for it," she added, "but it sounds so great -- you plug it in and you go -- and it's a lot more complicated than that." (Pictured are members of CalCars, a group dedicated in developing 100-mph hybrids.)

[Source: Detroit Free Press, Calcars]

Plug-in push on for hybrids originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 27 Mar 2006 11:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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