gavriil

Ford Postpones Hybrid SUV Intro

The Daily Auto Insider
Wednesday, September 24, 2003
September 2003


Ford will not introduce its new gasoline-electric hybrid Escape sport utility vehicle at year's end as had been announced, according to press reports.

Instead, Ford will delay supplying the vehicles to fleet customers in order to conduct more internal testing, The Associated Press reported, citing a Ford spokeswoman.

"There's a more efficient use of our resources to conduct that same testing internally," Coletti said. "Externally or internally, it will generate the same data."

Ford first showed its Escape hybrid earlier this year at the New York International Auto Show, announcing at that time that the vehicle would be available in low volumes for fleet sales late this year and ready for retail production in the second half of 2004.

The hybrid system, which uses both a gasoline engine and an electric motor, in the front-wheel-drive Escape allows the vehicle to get 35 to 40 miles per gallon in city driving, compared with 19 miles per gallon in a 2003 Escape with a V6 engine, the story said.

A similar hybrid system will be available in the all-new 2006 Ford Futura mid-size sedan, also introduced at the New York show.

Ford is the second Detroit automaker to delay plans for a high-mileage, high-technology hybrid truck. DaimlerChrysler said last year it was canceling plans for a hybrid version of its Dodge Durango SUV, Reuters reported.

kansaiwalker1

Typical of Ford.

Zapata

bahahah welp the big 3 are still the big three

gavriil

Ford sets July '04 date for hybrid SUV production
Reuters / October 31, 2003

DETROIT -- Ford Motor Co. will start production of hybrid gasoline-electric versions of its Escape sport utility vehicle in July 2004, with a target of selling 10,000 to 20,000 a year, company executives said on Thursday.

Ford has yet to set prices for the hybrid Escape, which may achieve fuel economy of up to 40 miles per gallon in city driving. Program managers at a media briefing and test drive said the hybrid Escape would be profitable, but that the full cost of developing the hybrid system would not be shouldered by Escape buyers.

The hybrid Escape uses an electric motor and battery pack as an additional power source for its four-cylinder engine. The batteries charge when the Escape cruises or brakes, and the electric motor eases the load on the engine under acceleration.

Environmentalists have demanded more hybrid vehicles from Detroit's Big Three, but automakers have been slow to embrace the technology due to cost and technical hurdles. So far, Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. Ltd. are the only automakers offering hybrids in the United States.

Toyota has been more enthusiastic about hybrid vehicles, rolling out an updated version of its Toyota Prius sedan that gets 60 miles per gallon in city driving, and promising a hybrid version of its Lexus RX 330 SUV next year.

The hybrid Escape will be built on the same assembly line in Claycomo, Missouri, that builds regular Escapes. A front-wheel-drive hybrid Escape should achieve 35 to 40 miles per gallon in city driving and 29 to 31 mpg in highway driving, compared with 19 mpg and 25 mpg ratings for a V-6 powered Escape.

Phil Martens, Ford's group vice president of product creation, said it was necessary for Ford to develop its own hybrid system because it needed hybrid expertise to build even more advanced vehicles in the future, such as hydrogen-powered fuel cell cars.

While the company considered buying a hybrid system from Toyota, "we didn't want to avoid the process of learning about this technology," Martens said. "To us, its a building block to the future."

Martens said the Escape's hybrid system was designed to be easily adapted to other models. Ford has said it will sell a hybrid version of its upcoming Futura sedan, but Martens declined to say what other hybrid models Ford might offer.

General Motors and DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler arm both plan to launch hybrid pickups next year.

gavriil

Ford Plans Escape HEV For Summer '04
By Paul A. Eisenstein

When is a launch date not a launch date? Forget the original end-of-'03 plans for the introduction of the Escape HEV hybrid, despite early comments by Ford CEO Bill Ford. That was just the date for delivering the first drivable prototypes, company officials explained to TCC during a background briefing Thursday. The first ready-for-the-showroom gasoline-electric Escape will roll out of Ford's Kansas City plant immediately after the early-July '04 summer shutdown. Is that clear now? During the session, reporters got to see and test the Escape HEV, though driving impressions were off the record. Mary Ann Wright, the head of the high-profile program, acknowledged that the Escape HEV is a risky venture, and cannot afford the sort of quality glitches that the conventional Escape experienced during launch, so the automaker is redoubling efforts to not only get the hybrid powertrain ready for prime time, but to ensure other problems don't pop up. Meanwhile, Wright acknowledged that "We aren't going to expect customers to absorb all the costs of the technology." Like other hybrid programs, such as Toyota's Prius, some costs will either be swallowed by the company or buried in other programs.

bkknight369

delayed eh? but the GT absolutely MUST BE BUILT ON TIME, with all the company's resources devoted to it?

gavriil

Ford Escape hybrid delayed due to electronic component snafus


By RICHARD TRUETT AND AMY WILSON | Automotive News

DETROIT -- The Ford Escape hybrid is about one year behind schedule because Ford Motor Co. bought major electronic components from several suppliers and had trouble making them work together.

Phil Martens, group vice president of North American product creation, said Ford chose not to buy a complete off-the-shelf hybrid system from Toyota Motor Corp. or Honda Motor Co. It was critical for Ford engineers to write the software that controls the gasoline-electric hybrid powertrain, Martens said, so the company would have the knowledge to develop vehicles.

That choice by Ford has given Toyota and Honda more time to sell their own hybrids without a Big 3 challenger. Both Toyota and Honda have exploited their head start with ad campaigns emphasizing their green credentials.

Mary Ann Wright, chief engineer for the Escape hybrid, said last week that production is scheduled to begin in July in Kansas City, Mo. The first units probably will be available in August as 2005 models. A hybrid-powertrain version of the Lexus RX 330 is scheduled to arrive at about the same time.

Ford officials deny that the Escape hybrid program is late. But when Ford announced in April 2000 its plan to build the vehicle, press materials said the vehicle would debut in 2003.

There have been signs that the Escape hybrid faced development challenges.

Last April the company backed off its pledge to boost fuel economy of its SUV fleet by 25 percent by 2005, and availability of the Escape hybrid had been a key to meeting that goal. This summer Ford canceled plans to put the vehicle on sale this fall for fleets, electing instead to develop the Escape hybrid through use in Ford fleets.

At a media briefing last week, Ford officials explained the Escape hybrid's difficult gestation.

"We did not want to avoid the process of developing the technology and learning in-house," Martens said. "If we had bought their system, putting it in our vehicle, there's no intellectual property gained."

Toyota and Honda say that they can bring successive generations of their hybrid powertrains to market faster because they develop the technology in-house. Both Toyota and Honda are on their second-generation hybrids in the United States.

Martens added: "If you look at fuel cells, you've got to do the hybrid in-house. We made a conscious decision that we'd only license the patents that are absolutely critical. The rest we'd do in-house to grow the capability."

But those decisions apparently slowed the Escape hybrid's introduction.

Each hybrid powertrain component from suppliers has its own computer module, which is controlled by the powertrain control module.

There was trouble getting all the suppliers to cooperate when Ford engineers were writing the powertrain control module's software, said Tom Watson, Ford's manager for hybrid-electric powertrains.

"We've had some suppliers go off and do something and not tell us," Watson said, "and then when we released the next level of software, something weird is going on. It took a little bit of discipline to get everyone on the same page. We have it now working like a well-oiled machine."

Ford requires all suppliers on the project to attend a daily meeting and inform other suppliers of any changes.

"If any one of the suppliers on the seven modules wants to make a change, they have to bring this potential change into a change-control meeting," Watson said. "We review it and decide if we are going to do it. All the other suppliers are aware that someone else is making a change."

Some of the delay also can be attributed to Ford choosing suppliers that have never built components for a hybrid vehicle. The Escape is the first hybrid vehicle on which Sanyo, maker of the battery pack, and Continental Teves, supplier of the regenerative braking system, will have content.

Watson said there also were early troubles with the battery cooling system, which uses the vehicle's air conditioner and two vents in the rear to maintain the battery pack at 50 to 75 degrees.

Wright, the chief engineer, and other engineers with more launch experience joined the hybrid program in April to help keep it on track. She acknowledged Ford has taken a lot of heat, some of it deserved, about the slow progress of its hybrid.

Thad Malesh, a specialist in advanced powertrains at the Automotive Technology Research Group in Thousand Oaks, Calif., says Ford is going extremely slow and being extra cautious because of the high standard set by Toyota and Honda.

"They're feeling the heat and can't afford to make any mistakes," Malesh said.

"Being first on the market with a hybrid SUV is great, but not at the expense of a lot of recalls."

Ford officials expect that the Escape hybrid will get 35 mpg to 40 mpg in city driving.

The current V-6 Escape, which Ford says is comparable to the performance of the coming hybrid, gets 19 mpg in city driving and 26 mpg on the highway.

No price for the Escape HEV has been set. Ford said it expects to sell up to 20,000 units annually.

gavriil

INFORMATION SUPPLIED BY FORD


MANHATTAN ON A TANK OF GAS: FORD ESCAPE HYBRID TAKES ON NIGHTMARISH TRAFFIC JAMS WITH CLEAN EFFICIENCY


· Ford to drive all-new, fuel-efficient Escape Hybrid through a "commuter’s nightmare" to see how many miles of Manhattan traffic it can cover on a single tank of gas.
· Clean-operating Ford Escape Hybrid produces near zero smog-forming emissions.

NEW YORK, April 5, 2004 – "It’s a commuter’s nightmare." That’s the way Mary Ann Wright describes the extreme driving test that begins today for the all-new Ford Escape Hybrid. Starting in midtown Manhattan during the morning rush-hour, the Escape Hybrid will be driven up, down and across the island over some of America’s most congested streets and avenues. Chief engineer for the Ford Escape Hybrid, Wright won’t stop the test until the small SUV’s gas tank is completely dry. That may take 36 hours or more of non-stop driving.

"We’ve designed ‘Manhattan on a Tank of Gas’ to see how many miles an Escape Hybrid can be driven on a single tank of gas in some of the worst conditions for fuel efficiency most drivers would ever face," says Wright.

Ford Escape Hybrid is the world’s cleanest and most fuel-efficient sport utility. Available at the end of this summer, it combines the fuel economy and emissions benefits of a "full" hybrid with the go-anywhere capability, toughness and spaciousness of the Ford Escape, America’s favorite small SUV. Escape Hybrid is the first hybrid electric vehicle that can comfortably accommodate five adults and their gear. "No-compromise utility separates Escape Hybrid from other ‘green’ vehicles," Wright says.

"Escape Hybrid can provide an economical solution to a problem commuters face every day – bumper-to-bumper gridlock that can bleed a normal car’s fuel tank dry," she says. "At the same time, Ford Escape Hybrid is a practical and livable environmental solution to help address air quality problems in our cities, as well as the global warming issue."

Making the epic Manhattan drive particularly impressive is the fact that the Escape Hybrid’s gas tank holds just 15 gallons of fuel.

"Other vehicles might start out with more fuel but they will go through it a lot more quickly," Wright says.

An SUV that Excels in the City

The 2005 Ford Escape Hybrid is expected to be rated at between 35-40 mpg on the EPA city cycle – an improvement of at least 75 percent over the EPA city fuel economy rating of 20 mpg for the conventional V-6-powered Ford Escape, the best-selling small SUV in America. Escape Hybrid’s fuel-efficient four-cylinder engine combines with an electric drive system to deliver acceleration performance similar to that of the V-6 Escape.

While a conventionally powered vehicle burns fuel and creates emissions while idling at a red light or bogged down in stopped traffic, the Escape Hybrid’s engine shuts down at rest to conserve fuel. When the light turns green or traffic moves forward, Escape Hybrid’s 70-kilowatt traction motor generator can launch the vehicle on clean electric power. When needed, the generator can smoothly start the gasoline engine in less than 400 milliseconds, without the increased emissions produced in starting up a conventional engine. Escape Hybrid also conserves energy in stop-and-go driving by reclaiming energy during braking to charge its hybrid storage battery to be used later during acceleration.

"Near Zero" Tailpipe Emissions

Escape Hybrid is an extremely clean vehicle to operate, producing 97 percent less hydrocarbon and oxides of nitrogen emissions than vehicles that meet today’s nationwide Tier I emissions standard. That’s clean enough to qualify the 2005 Escape Hybrid for the stringent Advanced Technology Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle (AT-PZEV) standards.

Escape Hybrid achieves the AT-PZEV standards by combining an efficient powertrain with an exhaust catalyst system that is very effective at lowering smog-forming emissions.

Indeed, the Ford Escape Hybrid is as environmentally friendly as a vehicle that runs solely on electric power. That’s because a battery-electric vehicle needs to be plugged in to be recharged, and that electricity must be generated by a power plant, creating some smog-forming emissions. The Escape Hybrid, on the other hand, never needs to be plugged in. Its battery is continually recharged by an ingenious system that reclaims energy when the brakes are applied.

The Escape Hybrid also produces as little as half the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) – a harmless gas in terms of ground-level air quality but a primary "greenhouse gas" when it drifts into the Earth’s upper atmosphere. An accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is widely believed to be producing a global warming effect. CO2 and water vapor are produced in the clean combustion of any type of carbon-based fuel, so the only effective way to reduce a vehicle’s CO2 emissions is to reduce the amount of fuel consumed. Fuel-efficient hybrid-electric vehicles can substantially reduce CO2 emissions.

Ford Motor Company and other automakers are working on long-term research projects to someday make practical hydrogen-powered vehicles that will not produce any greenhouse emissions. In addition to the Escape Hybrid, PZEV Focus and Focus Diesel being produced today, Ford has developed a Focus hydrogen internal combustion engine (H2ICE), a hydrogen hybrid research vehicle (H2RV) and a Focus Fuel Cell Vehicle (FCV) that is operating in demonstration fleets in the U.S. and Canada. Ford is the only automaker with such a full-range of production vehicles and research efforts intended to move society to a hydrogen-powered future.


Source: Autoweek

titan

This is a real shame. This is great technology, and much needed. What the hell is Ford doing?

Infamous425

isnt ford using toyota's 1st gen hybrid system?

pimpscls

still a gay ass car

ItalianStallion

??

gavriil

Ford prices Escape Hybrid from $26,970 - - Source: The Car Connection

The first hybrid SUV to reach the market will cost just less than $27,000 in base front-drive form. Ford says the Escape Hybrid will reach showrooms later this summer wearing a base price of $26,970 including destination; a four-wheel-drive version will retail for $28,595. The full-hybrid system in the new ute blends electric and four-cylinder gas power to give V-6-like acceleration and fuel economy in the city ranging from 35 to 40 mpg. The prices, Ford says, are about $3300 to $3425 above the price for comparable gas-only Escapes.

charliemike

Now is this 35-40 mpg in real driving or the EPA's BS emissions equivalent test?



<edit>

I just read the article ... driving habits dictate mpg but it looks like it would be very well suited for city life and driving in highly congested areas. It got a very good review and I've always liked the Escape. It will be very interesting to see how the Hybrid Lexus 400h and Toyota Highlander do with Toyota's new technology.

</edit>

dom

For our US freinds this equates to about 500 miles to a 15.2 Gallon tank of gas in City driving.

A loaded CR-V, Rav 4, V6 Escape and Liberty will run you about 33K CAD. This thing can be had for 35. Of course at sticker as I'm sure there will be zero negotiating on this thing.

I'm guessing its about 26K US, or has US pricing already been announced?


http://www.canadiandriver.com/articl...ape_hybrid.htm







Not a bad looking Int either.

dabuda

seems like they have on the ford site...

http://www.fordvehicles.com/escapehy...dex.asp?bhcp=1

Front Wheel Drive MSRP starting at $26,970**
Four Wheel Drive MSRP starting at $28,595**

btw, noticed ur two posts away from 7000 domn...gonna wait till friday again?

dom

$28,595 US vs $35,925

With todays' exchange 28K US should be about 39K CAD. As usual we're getting this thing at a good price. But compared to a V6 gas version, its a great price.

No waiting til Friday this time.

TSX 'R' US

The SUV is allready maxed out on pre-orders I heard... It's actually not that bad..

leftride

iTrader: (1)

This is definately a step in the right direction! I am still weary about buying a ford...

dabuda

yup, plus you also get a $2k tax break for buying a hybrid here in the US

Junkster

Best Ford out there for the money... A good little package with Toyota Hybrid technology.

Junkster, who wouldn't buy it since it's a Ford

Helicobacter Pylori

Ha, I wonder how much Ford paid for all the Toyota Hybrid patents. Must be a rip off.

sauceman

Waiting for the Accord V6 Hybrid. Much rather stay Honda than go along with Ford. You always know some major gremlin is going to stick out with them.

dabuda

whats funny is on the Ford website it doesnt mention toyota at all...in fact it claims to have its own hybrid technology

http://www.fordvehicles.com/escapehy...sp?bhcp=1#faq1

ClutchPerformer

Ford Math:

Gas engine generates 133HP.
Electric motor generates 93HP.
Total HP = 155.

DEVO

i don't think it's 2k (tax break) any more... when i got my hybrid it was 2k, but it was suppose to drop by some amount each year after 2003 or 2002

dabuda

that sucks, do you know where i could find more info?

EDIT: nm, i googled it and here's the breakdown:
http://www.bankrate.com/brm/itax/tips/20030219a1.asp

mg7726

wait for the toyota highlander hybrid

dabuda

when's that coming out? i thought the RX400h would come out first?

1SICKLEX

It uses Toyota technology all right. The 400h should be out this fall.

TMQ

Neither the interior or exterior look that attractive. The steering wheel just looks terrible. The price also seems a bit high compared to standard models. I'd say get a Toyota now, or wait for the Accord.

provench

Ford Escape sets you free from gas price worries; Gas/electric hybrid gets great mileage -- and this is an SUV

07/26/2004, 09:35 [Charlotte Observer (NC)

Imagine peeking at the instrument panel display reading that the vehicle is getting 60 mpg as it passes the gas station advertising unleaded regular for $1.99 a gallon.

You can do that with the compact '05 Ford Escape SUV with gas/electric power, which goes on sale this fall.

Hybrids are designed for the electric motor to take some of the load off the gas engine when starting the car and to add needed muscle to merge, pass or climb hills.

Escape is powered by Ford's new 2.3-liter 4-cylinder gas engine and a 70-kilowatt electric motor with a nickel-metal-hydride battery pack.

Individually, they'd deliver so-so pep, 133-horsepower from the gas engine, 94-hp from the electric motor. Collectively, they act as if a 155-hp V-6 was under the hood. No hesitation or delay. Press the pedal and go.

Combining gas with electric power means you don't stop to plug into a socket to recharge the batteries like you would with a car run totally on batteries. With a hybrid, the batteries recharge as you drive.

Mileage is estimated at 35 to 40 mpg in city driving, 29 to 31 mpg in highway driving, which compares with 23/28 with Escape's 2-liter 4-cylinder and 18/23 with its 3-liter V-6 gas engines.

Only ranges are available because the EPA hasn't finalized the figures. The rating will be lower with all-wheel-drive, but there's no estimate yet.

The hybrid is offered with a continuously variable transmission with an infinite variety of gear ratios that also contribute to higher mileage. Gears change based on power demands as you press or release the fuel pedal.

To understand the Escape hybrid system, you have to add the $1,850 in-dash hybrid energy display, which includes audiophile/navigation system displays, too.

A schematic shows when electric motor or gas engine or both are working or the batteries are recharging.

A companion schematic gives a real-time mileage reading and an average over the previous 15 minutes. It demonstrates how quickly mileage can switch from good to poor in climbing or passing, or from poor to good (that 60 mpg reading) if you feather the pedal or coast down an incline.

Our best 15-minute reading was 35.6 mpg on a rather even mix of flat and uneven roads.

Ford boasts the hybrid 4-cylinder has the spirit of a V-6, and it lives up to the boast. Most wouldn't know a hybrid was under the hood. But there are a couple of oddities you need to get used to, such as silence when you turn the key and start the vehicle and when you sit at the light waiting for it to turn green.

By using the electric motor to get started and move, there's no sound until you reach about 20 mph and the gas engine joins in to get you up to cruising speed. When braking to a stop, however, you'll hear a muffled whine from the electric motor.

The hybrid Escape will be available first in the five states this fall that have stricter emissions regulations than the other 45: California, New York, New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts.

Base price of the Escape hybrid is $26,380 with front-wheel-drive and $28,005 with AWD. That's about $3,300 to $3,400 more than with the V-6 and about $5,000 to $7,000 more than with the 4-cylinder gas engine.

Ford offers an eight-year/100,000-mile warranty for the hybrid nickel metal hydride batteries and motor. The gas engine is covered by the regular three-year/36,000-mile warranty.

No one knows what it will cost to replace the batteries in eight years, though a Ford official points out that eight years/100,000 miles is a conservative life expectancy and "as we add more hybrids in the future, we'll find ways to get the cost down."

2005 Ford Escape Hybrid SUV WHEELBASE

103.1 inches.

LENGTH

174.9 inches.

ENGINE

2.3-liter, 133-hp, 4-cylinder gas engine teamed with 94-hp, 70-kilowatt electric motor.

TRANSMISSION

Continuously variable automatic.

FUEL ECONOMY

Estimated 35-40 mpg city/29-31 mpg highway because EPA rating not official.

BASE PRICE

$26,380.

PRICE AS TESTED

$30,150. Includes $575 for leather comfort group; $595 for safety package with side-curtain air bags and front- and side-impact air bags; $110 for 110-volt accessory power outlet; $75 for retractable rear cargo cover; $565 for Ford-MACH six-disc in-dash CD player; and $1,850 for in-dash display of hybrid energy and audiophile/navigation systems. Add $590 for freight.

PLUSES

A hybrid to conserve fuel in a sport-utility vehicle. This SUV has the power of a V-6, but better mileage than a 4-cylinder gas engine (23 city/28 highway). Four-wheel-drive an option.

MINUSES

Conservation doesn't come cheap, with the base price $3,300 to $3,425 higher than Escape with V-6 or $5,000 to $7,000 higher than Escape with 4-cylinder gas engines. Hefty option prices.


[Copyright 2004 The Charlotte Observer. All rights reserved. ]

bbbradley

So, doing some quick back of the napkin calcuations, assume you drive 15k miles per year the Hybrid gets 35/29 and the 6 cyl. gets 23/18 it takes almost 7 years before you break even on fuel costs. Oh, by they way, next year you get to replace those batteries for an undetermined amount. Hmmm, doesn't sound like a very compelling product to me. Put the Escape at 4-banger levels (which a fuel-economy minded purchaser is likely to do) and your break even point is 26 years! Good luck with that...

/bill

provench

Give the ecomomies of scale time to kick in. Also don't forget the benefit to the environment ... it's not all about the cash (well - maybe it is ).

bbbradley

I hope so, but buyers now don't get any of those benefits. I wonder how many Insight owners are now realizing they are driving an ugly car that in the long run is more expensive to own.

As for the environmental aspect, don't forget the big batteries that are now going to have to be dealt with as hazardous waste!

/bill

DEI99662

"DEARBORN, Mich. - Ford Motor Co. said Friday it is recalling about 474,000 Ford Escape sport utility vehicles worldwide because of an accelerator problem that can cause the engine to race.

The automaker said it does not know of any accidents or injuries related to the problem."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6694130/

Ford

ABP-CL9-TSX

very interesting problem, nice to see Ford recalling these Escraps.....now if only Honda will recall those 2003-2004 CR-Vs and have those oil plugs and gaskets replaced to prevent those engine fires.

SPUDMTN

That is kind of obnoxious, that Honda refuses to make a recall. Did Honda ever recall the TLs for their transmission issues, or was it a beneath the table, "we'll fix it for free if you've got the problem".

The question is, do owners appreciate recalls? In other words, do you think issuing a recall might affect brand loyalty?

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

Ford once again demonstrating their fantastic build quality...

ABP-CL9-TSX

I think its better if the manufacturer issues a recall instead of letting these problems escalate. Its good that manufacturers hold themselves accountable for these problems and are willing to fix it.

If they hide it and not tell owners then it could be disasterous, case in point Mitsubishi Motors, they hid problems and didn't issue recalls on their cars for many years until 2000 and recently when it was discovered....their sales are way down in Japan and the US.