In order to drive the Ford Escape Plug-In Hybrid we had to take a breathalyzer test administered by a security guard and sign a waiver promising not to sue anyone if the car explodes. This is an interesting requirement given the 10 MPH posted speed limit for the 1/8 mile basement test track. Still, driving indoors is always fun.

The Escape Plug-In Hybrid doesn't feel like other concepts we've driven and, honestly, It isn't fair to call the Ford Escape Plug-In Hybrid a concept vehicle since Ford has delivered dozens of these vehicles to utility providers in Southern California for testing. Based on the Ford Escape Hybrid platform, the main difference is the addition of the "plug-in" capability, allowing owners to plug the vehicle into the wall in order to accrue enough juice to drive without using the engine.

As per the rules of the underground track, and probably in light of a desire not to poison anyone, the Escape is set to drive in electric-only mode. Whereas disabling the gasoline drive is a bit misleading on some of the hybrid vehicles on the track, it's appropriate in this case as the plug-in battery provides charge enough to propel the Hybrid 30 to 40 miles sans internal combustion.

Turning the keys on the plug-in is a bit disconcerting as it makes zero noise, forcing us to look over to our passenger to ask him if he thinks the SUV is actually running. It is, so we shift into drive and take off towards the fake woodland path. Unfortunately, around the first turn is a water hazard setup not by the organizers but by the immense amount of snowfall causing gallons of the wet stuff to pour onto the track through a crack in the roof.

Driving the Ford Escape Plug-In is exactly like driving any of Ford's family of hybrid compact SUVs in all-electric mode. In addition to the lack of sound, the electric motor provides surprisingly quick acceleration through the first, well, 10 MPH. Other than the all-electric mode the vehicle is an Escape Hybrid through-and-through. The biggest visual difference is the blue-lit plug on the front left quarterpanel. It's one of the few ways the car hints it is more than a production vehicle.

Ford confirmed it will bring some form of plug-in electric hybrid to market by 2012 and, given the finished product feel of this version, we wouldn't be surprised if it the Escape is what they have in mind.

But first some stats on the Toyota Camry Hybrid. For starters, it's a "dual-mode" hybrid utilizing the same Toyota-branded Hybrid Synergy Drive found in the Toyota Prius. The trim level of the Camry Hybrid is relatively up-featured, including LED taillights, a DVD-based navigational system and most of the features found on the top-of-the-line Camry XLE. Though the Camry was originally advertised with a higher mileage, new EPA standards bring the over-reaching hybrid down to a city and highway rating in the low-to-mid 30 mpg range. Despite the lower rating, the Camry Hybrid is still the sales king for those who want a hybrid, aren't concerned about highway mileage, and want something that looks more normal than a Prius. However, there are alternatives to the super number one best automaker from the land of the rising sun.
City: 33 mpg
Highway: 34 mpg
Combined: 34 mpg
MSRP: $26,150

2009 Honda Civic GX CNG

The Honda Civic GX CNG is an interesting study in alternative fuel sources, their advantages and what-the-hell T. Boone Pickens is talking about. The GX looks just like any other Honda Civic, but runs on compressed natural gas typically added from a home fueling station. This Civic is inferior to the Camry in terms of city or combined mileage, but slightly bests the Toyota sedan on the highway. The Civic GX also has a lower cost of ownership (it needs minimal services), has a significantly smaller carbon footprint and costs about the same. The technology is still in development, though, so less than 1,000 vehicles are typically produced each year.
City: 24 mpg
Highway: 36 mpg
Combined: 28 mpg
Advantage Over Camry: Highway
MSRP: $25,090

2009 Kia Rio (Auto)

The Kia is among the smallest, cheapest new cars for sale in the United States, coming in at more than half the price of the Toyota Camry Hybrid and more than 1,000 pounds lighter. Powered by a 110-horsepower fourbanger tied to a CVT transmission, the little Kia is slightly better than the Camry on the highway, though much worse in the city. While much cheaper, the Rio offers few of the features and almost none of the prestige, comfort, desirability or practicality of the Camry. Even with limited availability for Toyota, the 2008 Rio only bested the Camry Hybrid's sales by 134 cars.
City: 26 mpg
Highway: 35 mpg
Combined: 30 mpg
Advantage Over Camry: Highway
MSRP: $12,145

2009 Chevrolet Cobalt LS Coupe XFE

Essentially a 2009 Chevy Cobalt with a few light tweaks, the Cobalt XFE is modified ever so slightly to improve fuel economy — and prove that an American car can make the grade without a hybrid drive. Adjustments are mostly under the hood where the engineers tweaked the intake and exhaust valve lift duration, swapped the transmission gear ratios for lower operating revs, and put on some low-rolling-resistance tires. The result may only be 1 mpg over the previous year, but that's a step in the right direction. Like the other cars that take the lighter approach, the biggest gains are found at highway speeds.
City: 25 mpg
Highway: 37 mpg
Combined: 30 mpg
Advantage Over Camry: Highway
MSRP: $15,225

2009 Mini Cooper (Manual)

Fans of the Mini Cooper have always been able to boast about all the fun they have driving their itsy-bitsy British bimmer — so much fun that they forget to mention that it gets stellar gas mileage. Though not as useful as a Camry as a family vehicle, the Mini is at least a few hundred times more fun and gets a combined mileage just 2 mpg short of the big hybrid. There are no tricks here. The Mini is just a well-engineered, sufficiently-powered small car offered with a sixth gear.
City: 28 mpg
Highway: 37 mpg
Combined: 32 mpg
Advantage Over Camry: Highway
MSRP: $19,200

2009 Toyota Yaris (Manual)

All of the 2009 Yaris models equipped with the manual transmission get the same EPA mileage, so you're not necessarily stuck with a little three-door hatch if that's your route towards mileage. The five-door S hatch comes equipped with rear-window wipers, fog lights, MP3/CD player w/ iPod interface and other nice features, though you'll have to tack on $3,000 to the base price. Though it can't quite compete with the Camry in city driving, this tiny Toyota does better on the highway and is close on the combined cycle.
City: 29 mpg
Highway: 36
Combined: 32 mpg
Advantage Over Camry: Highway
MSRP: $12,205

2009 Mercury Mariner Hybrid

We found the 2008 Mariner Hybrid to be a fairly decent ride with only a few flaws, many of which were addressed with the 2009 refresh. The Mariner Hybrid, and it's twin brother Escape Hybrid, is most similar to the Camry in that it offers power, luxury and good gas mileage in a single package — an SUV package at that. Though slightly off the Camry's total, this is one of the few vehicles that bests the Toyota in the city.
City: 34 mpg
Highway: 31 mpg
Combined: 32 mpg
Advantage Over Camry: City
MSRP: $29,750

2009 Volkswagen Jetta & Jetta SportWagen TDI (Manual)

Both the Volkswagen Jetta TDI and its wagon sibling the SportWagen are within the Camry's price range and offer the utility, relative luxury and foreign car appeal of the Toyota. Unlike the Camry, the Jettas are both eligible for a tax credit. In the ongoing diesel-versus-hybrid debate the TDI twins step up with a comparable combined cycle and a substantially higher highway experience, a reflection of the efficiency and power of the diesel engine. And there's no risk of running short because of battery supplies.
City: 30 mpg
Highway: 41 mpg
Combined: 34 mpg
Advantage Over Camry: Highway
MSRP: $21,990/$23,590

2009 Nissan Altima Hybrid

Nissan is still technically selling the Altima Hybrid, a car that is a direct competitor with the Camry, but sales have lagged far behind nearly all of its competitors. Why? It may have something to do with battery supply, but it also may have something to do with the reason why people are choosing the regular Camry over the regular Altima: age. The Altima, though refreshed, is a rather tired design that lacks the same appeal and luxury of the Toyota. It trumps the better-selling green sedan in the city, but no one seems to care.
City: 35 mpg
Highway: 33 mpg
Combined: 34 mpg
Advantage Over Camry: City
MSRP: $26,650

2009 Honda Civic Hybrid

It should come as no surprise that the 2009 Honda Civic Hybrid, currently the third-best selling hybrid car behind the Camry, bests the Camry in all areas of fuel economy by a large margin. It's smaller. It's lighter. The Prius is more of a competitor to this hybrid than the Camry, though Toyota has done a good job of making their larger hybrid price competitive with the Civic sedan.
City: 40
Highway: 45
Combined: 42 mpg
Advantage Over Camry: City, Highway, Combined
MSRP: $23,550

2009 Toyota Prius

The king. The reigning champ. The green boss. You can't touch the Prius and neither can the Camry Hybrid — at least not in mileage. Though all of these buyers are likely eco-minded, some hybrid huggers just don't like the Prius, don't want a hatchback or maybe just think the larger hybrid sedan is a perfect foil.
City: 48 mpg
Highway: 45 mpg
Combined: 46 mpg
Advantage: City, Highway, Combined
MSRP: $22,000

[Hybrid Sales Data: HybridCars.com. Fuel Economy Data: FuelEconomy.gov]

Experian claims 47% of hybrid buyers choose another car from the same manufacturer, as opposed to 35% of buyers overall. Sounds like good news, but for whom? While the report may seem like a boost for Honda and Toyota — and it no doubt is — there's also a silver lining for GM and Ford. While the General doesn't have the best name recognition on its hybrid lineup, it does have two new hybrid trucks in the market starting second quarter of next year, which potentially could allow them to capitalize on the trend — especially considering over 30% of pickup buyers buy another pickup. That compares to only 25% of hybrid buyers. Similarly, the Ford Escape Hybrid has a following of its own among green-conscious buyers needing more space, arguably leading to the potential for halo sales of additional Ford products — including other SUVs of the non-hybrid variety.

Jalopnik Snap Judgment: Maybe it's not all roses, but there's an opportunity for domestic manufacturers to build a few more sales off hybrid pickup and SUV purchases. Of course, they'll both need to sell more than the token few hundred (in GMs case) or the token few thousand (in the case of Ford). [Detroit News]

2009 Ford Escape Hybrid
For 2009, although virtually unchanged visually (the only distinguishing difference is a deeper chin spoiler) the new Hybrid Escapes see the 2.3L four cylinder engine upgraded to an Atkinson cycle 2.5L for a total of 177 net horsepower. The CVT gets a more aggressive software package and some improved tuning on the hardware side. Also new for '09 is the inclusion of Roll Stability Control and the fancy pants Limited trim.

Change for the Hybrid program for '09 focused on fixing the annoyances from the '08. The brake pedal feel was the biggest offender, it had been sort of a stepped feel, the first inch of travel was like a weak spring, second inch was like pushing through warm butter and the final was like real brakes, it was very disconcerting. Since the braking is done by wire, simulating the brake feel with a vacuum module was the solution and it is much, much improved. Braking feels direct and linear — just like real brakes!
The next little annoyance was the steering — with electric power steering, the on-center feel was about as natural and smooth as Bush delivering the Gettysburg Address. Tuning the amount of assist through software has greatly improved the feel of things.

And then there's the handing. Across the range a rear anti-roll bar has been added and across the range the ass end feels a lot more controllable, far more confident on high speed sweeping corners and through tight apexes alike. So how is the hybrid on the road? Sports car? Far from it, it still understeers like a pig, but that's the safety police for you. The engine note has moved one notch closer to throaty and the additional power is notable in a straight line. The hybrid system is FAR more willing to go into all-electric mode with the new tune, you find the engine shutting off all the time when lifting off the pedal. Engine on is barely even perceptible, like the best tuned automatic transmission in the world gently kicking down a gear.

Overall, the 2009 Ford Escape Hybrid contains a lot of touchy-feely improvements. The advances come from driver feel more than anything else, as a result its all very subjective. Regardless, the simulated inputs make this feel just like a real car, and if you didn't have that little leafy badge on the side, you'd be hard pressed to guess it was a hybrid.

2009 Ford Escape V6 4x4
The '08 Ford Escape was a lesson in engineering timing. The 200bhp V6 was forced to live with an outdated and unloved four speed automatic which liked to hunt and peck at gears, making spirited driving mean-spirited. With the 2009 model, both engine and trans get makeovers. The massaged 3.0 liter and gets a whopping 40bhp boost up to 240, but it's also mated to the new 6F35 six speed automatic. That new six speed goes out of its way to make the engine seem like a superstar. Combined with the anti-roll bar in the back, the new Escape V6 is... dare I say it? Kinda fun to drive. With the added power and defeated traction control, you can actually get a little tail happy with this thing.

Combined with an improved and easier to use Sync system and the optional and subscription-based Sirius Travelink, the "do I have to drive it?" idea actually starts to shift to "this isn't half bad". You won't find anyone spouting off about quarter mile times or comparing the styling against anything from Italy, but Ford seems to be making progress on its mini-UV's. It says something to note that we wouldn't be averse to actually spending a week with one. What kind of apostasy is this?

FORD EARNS "CLEAN VEHICLE AWARD" FROM INTERNATIONAL ENERGY AGENCY

ANAHEIM, Calif.., Dec. 4, 2007 - Today, for the second time, Ford Motor Company was awarded the "Clean Vehicle Award" from the International Energy Agency (IEA) Implementing Agreement on Hybrid & Electric Vehicles for the company's achievement in obtaining high energy efficiency and lower energy consumption in the transport sector. Ford accepted the award today at the 2007 Electric Vehicle Symposium (EVS23) in Anaheim.

Out of three possible categories, Ford was recognized for achieving sales of more than 50,000 hybrid models worldwide as part of the organization's award given to manufacturers with outstanding sales figures - surpassing thresholds of 25,000; 50,000; 100,000 and more than 250,000 clean vehicles sold.

"Our hybrid program has been an unqualified success and we believe hybrids are important to America's future," said Greg Frenette, chief engineer, Fuel Cell Production Program, Ford Motor Company. "From a technological perspective, our Escape Hybrid was the first hybrid from an American automaker and the first SUV hybrid on the market. It also remains the most fuel-efficient SUV in the world."

Two additional award categories include "The Best Practice Award" which is given to the organizers of an outstanding promotion project and the "Personal Award" which is given to an individual who has dedicated his or her work to the development or promotion of clean vehicles in an outstanding way.

In 2006, the Implementing Agreement on Hybrid & Electric Vehicles recognized Ford for passing the 25,000 milestone in clean vehicle sales.

The IEA launched the Implementing Agreement on Hybrid and Electric Vehicles in 1993 with the intent to produce and disseminate balanced, objective information about advanced vehicle technologies including electric, hybrid and fuel cell vehicles. It has a working group of governments and research organizations from eleven countries. Task forces are formed to investigate topics in depth, such as hybrid vehicles, advance electro-chemical storage systems, and market deployment strategies of clean vehicles.

According to IEA, "Ford Motor Company played an important role as a clean vehicle innovator in the early 1990s. By developing and marketing the hybrid Escape, Ford has been a pioneer among U.S. manufacturers to introduce a sports utility vehicle to the marketplace, and this has rewarded the company with well-earned market success." [Source: Ford]

FORD DELIVERS FIRST ESCAPE PLUG-IN HYBRID TO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA EDISON

* First Ford Escape Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV) delivered to Southern California Edison as part of unique partnership to advance commercialization of PHEVs
* Ford Escape Plug-In Hybrid with lithium-ion battery achieves up to 120 mpg
* Two industries connected through a common fuel, changing the transportation and energy future

ANAHEIM, Calif., Dec. 3 - Ford Motor Company's first demonstration Escape Plug-In Hybrid is ready to roll on California roads. Ford today delivered the first of 20 research PHEVs to Southern California Edison to begin road testing as part of a unique partnership between the automaker and utility.

The Ford Escape Plug-In Hybrid, a research vehicle using high voltage, lithium-ion batteries, can deliver up to 120 miles per gallon which would mean far fewer trips to the gas station. The vehicle uses common household current (120 volts) for charging. Full charge of the battery takes six to eight hours. When driven for the first 30 miles following a full charge, the Ford Escape PHEV can achieve up to 120 mpg when driven on surface streets. The vehicle is not range limited by the amount of charge available in the high-voltage lithium-ion battery, because once the charge in the battery has been depleted, the vehicle continues to operate as a fuel efficient, standard Ford Escape Hybrid. The transition is automatic and unnoticeable to the driver.

The delivery comes just five months after Ford and Southern California Edison announced their collaboration to advance the commercialization of plug-ins by exploring the values of new technologies and new business models when the battery is connected to the home and, in time, the electrical grid.

"The electrification of vehicles has sparked significant interest in this country. The delivery of this Ford Escape Plug-In Hybrid research vehicle today represents another step in our development and understanding of the technology and its place in the overall energy picture," said Sue Cischke, senior vice president, Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering. "PHEVs are one element of our blueprint for sustainability that includes actions ranging from refinements in gasoline fueled engines and transmissions, to the development of hydrogen fuel cells."

"We are united in a common cause," said Lynda Ziegler, Southern California Edison's senior vice president, Customer Service. "We bring our expertise in energy production, delivery and management, and combine it with Ford's expertise in hybrid technology. Together, we are seeking solutions to address the needs of our shared customers and to ultimately help this nation achieve energy independence and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. "This is not about simply connecting the car to the grid. It's about integrating vehicles and energy storage technologies into the energy system of the future".

The two companies are exploring new business models related to the electrification of vehicles that could help lower the cost of PHEVs to make them more affordable to consumers.

"Although the energy infrastructure is in place, significant challenges remain for widespread adoption of PHEVs," said Cischke. "Cost, durability and reliability issues all need to be addressed before these vehicles can make a significant impact on the global issues of climate change and energy security."

Ford and SCE will jointly conduct testing of the vehicles, some of which may be evaluated in typical customer settings to model overall home and grid values. The testing will provide valuable data related to the durability, reliability and safety of new battery technology. The cost of advanced lithium ion batteries means the technology is currently not economically feasible for widespread vehicle application. [Source: Ford]