From the Escape-Central website, there is a thread on Ford Motor Company handing over its first plug in Hybrid for real world testing. Here is the link to the article: http://www.autobloggreen.com/2007/12...hybrid-to-sce/

Here are several mini photos from this article. Note the plug in connection is located at the driver's side engine bay area just posterior to the front wheel. There is also a double din display with cost factors (note the 137 mpg high!) as found in the scanguage and door handles that are recessed.

 

Hope they designed the MPG gauge to read twice has high as the Ford Engineers thought, just in case one of SCE new drivers gets a load of the techniques some of us use here.

GaryG

 

It was nice to see photos of what I had heard so much about.
Nice link. Thanks for posting it.

Did you guys catch that little blurb from Ford that:
"This Escape provides 2/3 better fuel economy in urban environments."

WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!

I already get 100% better FE in the FEH I own now!
But Ford advertises the FEH gets 50% better FE than the regular Escape, and so they are saying the plug increases that to 66%.
Not a lot to get excited over, if they are not putting in a substantially larger battery pack.

In the "Hybrids Plus" PHEV Escape I got to drive, I was able to SUSTAIN 141 MPG for 50 miles. 141 MPG was not my "peak". You all can get over 100 MPG in the FEH you own now for very short sections.

So while I like this, I'm not getting overly excited over it... yet.
Could be Ford is setting the bar low, so it is easy to exceed expectaions.

However, I believe a design requrement set by SCE was that the cars needed to DOUBLE MPG for the first 50 miles, in order for SCE to consider purchasing them. Time will tell.

 

Look at the double din energy display photo. Note the 137 mpg figure and the 36 mpg average. Go figure.

http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/f...e-mailview.jpg

 

That's what I meant. Someone got 137 MPG crossing the parking lot, but averaged 36 MPG. I got 141 MPG ave. for 50 miles. ( 138 shown in this photo taken right before the 50 mile mark )

 

Nice catch, but I'm sure the photo was taken my media after some "playing around" was done. Hopefully. So just like when you show off your Escape to friends, you avg takes a hit until you reset or drive good for a while.

 

Ah Man! I want those recessed ala Aston Martin handles! They can chrome my wheels too... Oh yea, the 100mpg or so isn't bad either.