Ford will show off its new Escape Hybrid SUV at this week’s New York International Auto Show and will begin low-volume fleet buyer production at year’s end followed by production for retail customers in the second half of 2004.
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Ford claims its Escape will be the “first true no-compromise hybrid SUV”, combining the cargo capacity and go-anywhere capability of the sport-utility vehicle with the fuel economy and emissions benefits of a “full” hybrid system.
Ford also claims the Escape Hybrid will be among the most advanced hybrid vehicles on the road when it debuts with a hybrid system uniquely engineered for this specific application.
Among the claimed ‘breakthrough’ technologies on the vehicle is an advanced thermal management system that will result in longer battery life. Other benefits are claimed to include better acceleration performance when the vehicle is in pure electric mode and more efficient powertrain operation during highway driving.
“The Ford Escape Hybrid significantly improves the power density of the hybrid drive system to meet the power demands of an SUV in available space,” claimed Ford hybrid technology chief engineer Prabhakar Patil. “Applying hybrid technology to an SUV clearly presents a challenge. You simply have to get more out of the same type of powertrain package that to this point has only been asked to propel a smaller car.”
The Escape Hybrid will have a “full” hybrid system, including a 300-volt nickel-metal-hydride battery, allowing the vehicle to run on either the petrol engine or battery power alone. It’s expected to return 35-40 miles per gallon fuel economy in the city driving cycle and qualifies as an extraordinarily low emissions under the California SULEV (Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicle) and PZEV (Partial Zero Emission Vehicle) standards, with 97% fewer hydrocarbon emissions than permitted by the national Tier 1 standard, and virtually zero evaporative emissions.
Ford is also claiming an almost-50% reduction in CO2 emissions in city driving, “significantly extended driving range between fuel stops” and acceleration performance comparable to the 201 horsepower Escape V6 engine.
With the optional 4WD system, the hybrid Escape has cargo capacity and off-road capability equal to the base petrol Escape.
The Escape Hybrid uses a compact transaxle linking a 2.3-litre four-cylinder engine, 65kW electric motor, 28kW generator and the drive wheels.
The system, co-developed by Ford, Volvo and Aisin AW, is claimed to give “full” hybrid benefits, including: engine stop/start (automatically stops engine while idling and instantly restarts as necessary); electric assist (supplements the petrol engine when accelerating/passing); regenerative braking (recovers energy typically lost as heat through braking friction, storing it for the next acceleration) and electric drive (in city driving, the petrol engine may be off as much as 40% of the time).The hybrid drivetrain fites in place of the standard transaxle and is powered by a 300-volt nickel-metal-hydride battery pack located beneath the rear load floor.
The Escape Hybrid show vehicle for New York is painted in Ice Blue with silver lower body cladding. Differentiating it from production Escape models are 18-inch, eight-spoke alloy wheels; a new front fascia with integrated stylised skid plate and circular fog lamps; quad headlamps, silver honeycomb grille insert and ‘Hybrid’ graphics with Ford’s road-and-leaf logo.
The rear side window on the left is also split to accommodate an air extractor for the cooled hybrid battery pack beneath the load floor. The show is also fitted with the ‘No Boundaries Rack System’ available on petrol Escapes.
Inside, the show car has light ivory leather with leather-and-sisal woven inserts in the seats and door panels and floor mats also made from natural woven material. The leather-wrapped steering wheel frames chrome-ringed, satin-white gauges showing the state of the hybrid battery. The tachometer includes an area indicating electric-only mode when the engine is temporarily switched off to save fuel.
A new centre console with a leather-wrapped floor-mounted shifter is featured. A single liquid-crystal display in the center console serves as the audio system interface, a navigation system and a real-time “power path” visual indication of the operating state of the hybrid system. It shows, for example, if the battery is being charged or discharged, if the vehicle is recovering energy during braking or if the electric drive is providing additional power. A painted ivory bezel surrounds the LCD screen.
