15/06/08

Hybrid, ethanol and plug-in systems, all of them in a Ford Escape

Equipped with lithium batteries, it runs 37 km consuming one litre of E85

Fotogallery More and more tests are being conducted on the plug-in technology. Actually, while the Toyota Forum was going on in Tokyo, on the other side of the world, in the USA, Ford was unveiling a special hybrid battery and ethanol powered vehicle. It is a technologically advanced prototype based on the Escape Suv, designed by the American automaker with Edison, in partnership with the California Electric Company and the Electric Power Research Institute. “Plug-in technology holds great promises to reduce gas emissions and the nation’s dependence on petroleum – said Mark Field, president of Ford America – and Ford is well positioned to bring hybrid and flex-fuel technology in a plug-in vehicle.”

“There is enormous interest in the country in the electrification of vehicles," continued Fields . "We recognize commercialization of plug-ins, powered by gasoline or biofuels, may represent part of a long-term energy solution, but significant challenges remain to bringing this technology to market." The Escape Plug-in Hybrid Suv was transformed by using a pack of 10kw lithium batteries which enable the vehicle to run nearly 50 km at a maximum speed of 65 km/h only in the electric mode. When the tank is filled with ethanol, instead of gasoline, the vehicle range can be 37.4 km/h in urban areas and 21 on the highway and its CO2 emissions are 60% lower than any conventional gasoline powered car, and even 90% in case cellulosic ethanol is used. The vehicle will be adopted and tested by the Energy Department and that will help automakers to build an eco-compatible version suitable for service companies and ordinary customers.

"We are moving from an independent set of solutions to an integrated future. With plug-in hybrids, the automotive and utility industries are connected by a common fuel with the potential to significantly change our transportation and energy future," said Nancy Gioia, director of Ford's Sustainable Mobility Technologies and Hybrid Vehicle Programs.