Ford to debut 1st ethanol hybrid

Escape won’t go into production

Two days after pledging more fuel-efficient vehicles as part of a massive corporate restructuring, Ford Motor Co. is to unveil today an ethanol-powered hybrid test vehicle it says will point to ways to reduce dependence on foreign oil.

But the problem is that the flex-fuel Escape Hybrid being unveiled at the Washington Auto Show gets worse fuel economy and doesn’t meet the same emissions standards when it runs on ethanol instead of gasoline. These shortcomings highlight two of the challenges ethanol has to overcome before it can make an impact on U.S. energy consumption.
Ford said the Escape Hybrid research vehicle was the first to combine hybrid technology with the ability to burn a mixture of gasoline and up to 85% ethanol known as E85. The vehicle isn’t destined for production, but meant to explore ways to improve flexible-fuel engines.

The program also will tout Ford’s efforts to build 250,000 hybrids annually by the end of the decade and 250,000 vehicles this year that can run on E85.

Detroit Free Press