I am new to hybrid vehicles and am new to this forum. I recently purchased a 2008 Ford Escape hybrid, and for the life of me, I cannot get the vehicle to start in hybrid mode. According to the manual and some of the reviews I have read, the car should start the gas engine and then go into the hybrid mode. I have tried combinations of having the AC off or in econ mode and keeping the radio and lights off while starting and so far nothing is working. I guess it's not a big deal, just trying to save as much gas as possible. Any suggestions would be great. Thanks everyone. Glad to finally be a part of the hybrid community.

 

The vehicle will not go into hybrid mode until it reaches operating temperature...around 160 F coolant temperature in my 2006.

 

Sounds like that might be the cause of my "problem" Thanks.

 

The best I've seen is about 15 seconds to go into EV, if I have stopped off at a convenience store and the engine is already warmed up.