SUV and 4x4 vehicals

Hummer · #2 01-24-2006, 10:48 PM

Development

Engine compartment of a 2006 Mercury Mariner Hybrid

The Escape Hybrid uses independently-developed technology which is superficially similar to that used in Toyota's Prius, but which led Ford to license a number of Toyota patents to avoid any legal disputes. Ford recognized that Toyota's diesel engine designs were also similar to their own, and gave Toyota licenses for their diesel engines in exchange for the hybrid licenses.

Both Ford and Toyota state that Ford received no Toyota technical assistance in developing the hybrid powertrain. Aisin AW, a Japanese automatic transmission manufacturer (partly owned by Toyota), supplies the continuously variable transmission used in the Escape Hybrid. Sanyo of Japan builds the battery pack. The frequently stated (and usually disparaging) story that Ford simply bought the Hybrid technology from Toyota is without merit.

Performance

The Escape Hybrid's 133 horsepower (99 kW) gasoline engine and 94 hp electric motor combine to give performance similar to the 200 hp V6 engine commonly used in the regular Escape. The hybrid is said to give approximately 75% greater efficiency, with about 33 to 36 mpg in city traffic, (and has demonstrated it can travel 400–500 miles on a single tank of gasoline in city driving), and 29 to 31 mpg on the highway. Unlike conventional vehicles, hybrids achieve better figures in the city because they do not waste power idling and can recover some power when stopping (by using regenerative braking) that would be wasted on a conventional vehicle.