I agree, that makes a huge difference.

It is not really legal here but I did it anyway (I have done it to my last 3 vehicles) & never had a problem.

~John

 

The hybrid doesn't merely do better on fuel economy when the engine is not running. It does better even when it is running.

The hybrid system using an inline 4 cyclinder engine that using the Atkinson system. A conventional car uses something called the 'Otto' system. The valve timings are different. The Atkinson cycle has much higher efficiency -- but it's trade-off was that it's horse-power is reduced (which is why all cars don't just use them.). On a 'hybrid' system this isn't a problem because the DC electric motor suppliments engine performance by supplying torque and extra horsepower whenever it's needed. The DC motor provides so much extra power, in fact, that not only does it fully compensate for the performance difference between an I4 "Otto" cycle and the I4 "Atkinson" cycle -- it actually far surpasses the Otto cycle I4 engine and provides performance equivalent to the V6 "Otto" cycle non-hybrid Escape!

The least efficient part of a traditional car is acceleration -- because combustion engines can't generate torque until they build up RPMs. Conventional engines are very inefficient off the line. Hybrid systems use the DC electric motor here because a DC motor can deliver INSTANT TORQUE at ANY speed (even a dead stop). This means there's no need to generate RPMs before it has the torque to get the car moving.

Basically the hybrid version of the Escape gets much better fuel economy that the 4-cyclinder version of the non-hybrid Escape and, at the same time, it gets performance which is equal to the V6 version of the non-hybrid Escape.

It gets a very noticable improvement even if the engine never shuts off when you stop (e.g. the A/C is running on 'Max' setting), but does even better if you use one of the economy settings that let it shut off, and even better still if you learn to milk it for all it's worth!

The notion that Houston isn't suitable is wrong. Every climate has its trade offs. If you lived in the north you wouldn't need to run the A/C as hard for as many months, but you _would_ need the engine to run for a long time during winter months just to get it to warm-up to burn efficiently. In Houston you don't have to wait for the engine to warm-up -- which is a big fuel economy advantage in your winter months.

Just remember that even the combustion engine component of the hybrid isn't the same as a combution engine in a non-hybrid car. It's always more energy efficient even if it doesn't get to shut down at slow speeds or stops. Shutting down at slow speeds is just the icing on the cake.

 

I totally agree with the above statement.

I just bought a 70 pound electric scooter.
It goes 17 MPH max.
It goes 15 miles from 400 watt hours.
It holds 1 passenger max., no cargo, and has no amenities.

The FEH is a 4000 pound SUV that has many creature comforts, holds 5 people plus cargo, and goes 2 miles on 400 watt hours.
Simply... Amazing...

Oh... The A/C will not have a dramatic effect on MPG over the highway, or continuous speed driving. It might in city / stop and go.

 

So, because of the pollution (and other factors) in Houston, a hybrid isn't worth owning there. That's ironic.

When you said you "called a guy from ford", would he have been from a local dealership? Not to knock all salespeople at the dealerships, but the ones I have dealt with have been clueless about the FEH. I've bought 2 from 2 different dealerships, and both times I taught the salesmen more about it that he taught me. Actually, I don't think I gained any new knowledge from either of them. Plus, they got a few things completely wrong. One guy told me that you should always keep your foot on the brakes at a stop light (don't shift into park) because the brakes regenerate the battery. This is before I owned one, but it took me about 20 seconds to figure out why he was wrong.

On my last visit to the dealership to get an oil change and tire rotation, I asked a salesman if he knew anything about when or if the Fusion Hybrid would be coming out. He, and another guy he asked, had never heard anything about the Fusion coming out with a hybrid option. That would be the fourth person at a dealership that had told me that either they hadn't heard of it or that I was mistaken and there have never been any plans to do that. But, just by typing "Ford Fusion Hybrid" into Google, you can see that there are, or at least have been, plans to do so. I just can't seem to find anything with any new information about it.
So, speaking of that, does anyone here know anything about the Fusion Hybrid?


Mark

 

Sounds to me like you called a Ford dealership that doesn't have any FEHs in stock or has very low ability to obtain them ('cuz they don't have a hybrid certified tech or because they're a low volume FEH seller.)

I live in San Antonio, Texas. Have for over 25 years. I've driven a FEH since March 2006. I now have a 2 month old infant. I drive around daily and as it gets hotter, or when I'm getting into a parked hot car, I use Max. A/C when starting up (ICE needs to be on, anyway) and when underway above 35 mph (again, ICE needs to be on, anyway). Otherwise, I'm in econ. A/C mode (A/C compressor's on only when the ICE is on). And you know what, baby and I do fine. We splurged and got a sunroof and that sucker seems to help vent the superheated air from the cab quickly when it's been parked in the sun for a bit. Parked at lights at rush hour I might notice an uptick in cabin temp but usually not enough to warrant switching to Max. A/C. The only time I've felt I needed Max. A/C for an entire trip was driving my mother home from an 11-day stay in the hospital in late May of last year... her hospital room had been an iceberg so I didn't want to jar her system with much fluctuations in temp so soon after release from the hospital. (She's fine now, btw.)

I'm not breaking records, but I'm thriled with my MPGs... better than my 1992 Toyota Corolla 4-banger, but with room.

 

 

Back on Topic --
I concur with whomever mentioned getting your front windows tinted. That's what I've been planning to do ever since we purchased our FEH and for various reasons just haven't done yet... but it would definitely make a difference, especially in driver and front passenger comfort sitting at long lights in economy A/C mode.

One of these days we'll get our ride tinted. Just be sure to do your homework and/or find a reputable tinting business so you don't go beyond the legal tinting in your area (though judging by the rides around here, no ones enforcing the tint limits here in South Texas! But that doesn't mean they'll pass their annual inspection!)

 

When tinting your windows I have noticed the following....though it is non-scientific and based only on "how I remember it".

When your vehicle is parked in the shade, the tinted windows don't make much difference. In fact, I've read some "studies" which claim that tinting actually results in hotter vehicles because the black absorbs light thus making the vehicle hotter. This might be true. However, while driving, the tint definitely reduces the heat of direct sunlight. In other words, if you have your window halfway down with the sun shining in, you will feel the difference on your arm where the tint ends and the direct sunlight begins.