2005 Ford Escape Hybrid, Vroom Vroom!

Reviewing this Escape is a interesting tour of technology. With no alternator, and 12 volt everything, like power brake booster, power steering and a 110v outlet on the dash for my computer, you don't notice much different from any other Escape. The power in the city and on Interstate 25 fills like a V-6 instead of the 2.3L 4 banger that it is. But when accelerating the gas engine and electric motor combine for power and it's all seamless. You don't feel or hear anything different when transferring from gas power to electric power. You can look at the energy screen on dash above the radio to see where the power is coming from.

According to the Ford mpg computer onboard, it was getting in the high thirties for fuel economy in the city and when I was passing people on the freeway with the power to the pedal, it dropped to the high twenties. In the city stop and go traffic, I could get over 40 mpg if I braked often. And that is so cool to have the energy from applying brakes, transfer to the electric motor, which doubles as an alternator and then takes that free energy from the brakes and charges the main battery. Think of it as when you use your engine braking by down shifting to slow you down coming down a hill. That same kind of force turns the electric motor in the Escape Hybrid producing a charge from just applying the brakes.

When Ford introduced the Tonka concept truck at the Detroit Auto Show a few years ago, that would use braking force to transfer hydrogen to different tanks and then reverse the hydrogen to a different tank to help launch the truck from a stop. I remember thinking how great that would be to capture and reuse braking force (free energy that only produces heat and wear if not used again.)

The 330v Nickel Metal Hydride battery (left) takes up the floor under the rear hatch, you don't see it under the carpet. The spare tire is under the body anyway. But this powerful battery has a 8 year or 100,000 mile warranty, so no worries. The left rear window panel (right) is vented for the battery compartment.

And then there's the transmission, a Electronically Controlled Continuously Variable auto tranny. Think of the main variable belt drive on older combines or a snowmobile and you get the idea of how it works. The eCVT has a planetary gear set (like in your farm tractor's rear axle) that transfers power from the permanent-magnet traction motor (equals 94 hp), or the gas engine (133 hp) or both to power the Escape. You won't fill it shift because the eCVT matches the engine or motor's power curve. Talk about efficiency.