Ford Escape Hybrid SUV

The Ford Escape Hybrid is a milestone for green transportation. It is the first domestic full hybrid vehicle. Perhaps more significantly, the Escape Hybrid is also the first mass production gas-electric hybrid SUV, coming to American roads months ahead of its rival hybrid SUVs, the Lexus RX 400h and Toyota Highlander Hybrid. Considering the environmental battle lines drawn over sport utility vehicles in recent years, the introduction of an Advanced Technology Partial Zero Emission Vehicle (AT-PZEV) SUV that delivers fuel economy on par with a compact car is a coup for Ford Motor Company.

Billed as the “world’s cleanest and most fuel-efficient sport utility,” Escape Hybrid offers a green alternative where once there was none. The small SUV platform is actually a very practical candidate for hybrid applications. Packaging gas-electric hybrid hardware into an existing body structure can be quite a challenge, but Ford has accomplished the full-hybrid transplant quite well while maintaining SUV attributes, including five passenger seating, cargo handling flexibility, and off-road capability.

Considering the added bulk and truck-like qualities inherent with most SUVs, some folks might wonder just how much of a difference hybrid technology can make. They needn’t be concerned. The AT-PZEV rating afforded by the small four-cylinder gasoline engine is obviously a huge advantage for tailpipe and evaporative emissions. The most amazing gains, however, are on the fuel economy front. SUVs are at a disadvantage in start-and-stop situations since their added mass requires more energy to set them in motion. The standard V-6 Escape delivers an EPA City fuel economy rating of 20 mpg – quite respectable for an SUV – but there’s obviously room for improvement.




The 2005 Escape Hybrid variant is rated at an EPA estimated 36 mpg city and 31 mpg highway fuel economy. That’s a significant improvement that exceeds the fuel economy bragging rights of many compact cars. To prove their point in a publicity ploy during this year’s New York Auto Show, Ford topped the tank of an Escape Hybrid and drove the streets of Manhattan until the 15-gallon fuel tank was empty. This was mid-week, encompassing both morning and evening rush hour traffic. The Escape Hybrid was driven in stop-and-start conditions for 37 straight hours and 576 miles before sucking fumes…achieving a quite impressive 38.4 mpg along the way.

The Escape Hybrid is able to accomplish this because of the many engineering advances built into this vehicle. As we’d expect from a gasoline-electric hybrid, this Escape’s gasoline engine automatically shuts off when unneeded, meaning there’s no fuel wasted while idling in traffic or at signals. Import-antly, though, its hybrid configuration also allows the Escape to operate solely on electric power under certain driving conditions. In city driving, it can accelerate up to 25 mph on its 70-kilowatt electric motor alone before the Vehicle System Controller (VSC) seamlessly kicks in the gasoline engine, with start time less than 400 milliseconds. Fuel economy is maximized in typical stop-and-start driving conditions because the Escape Hybrid can run solely on electric power as much as 40 percent of the time. The hybrid’s motor-generator also works in concert with the hybrid’s gasoline engine for added power under heavy load. Overall acceleration and performance is engineered to be on par with a conventionally powered, 200 horsepower gasoline V-6 Escape.

Electrical energy is stored in a sealed 330 volt nickel-metal-hydride (NiMH) battery pack located beneath the rear cargo area load floor. A small cooling vent in the left rear quarter window is one of the few clues to the battery pack location. A thermal management system is employed to control battery temperatures and extend service life, which Ford obviously believes will be substantial since the batteries are warranted for 8 years / 100,000 miles.

The battery pack is recharged by a combination of regenerative braking, which recaptures energy during deceleration to generate an electrical charge for the
batteries, and the electrical current generated when the gasoline engine is running. Like other hybrids, the Escape Hybrid’s electrical system is a closed loop that generates its own electricity and never needs to be plugged in to an outside energy source.

The hybrid system uses a 2.3-liter DOHC four-cylinder gasoline engine rated at 133 horsepower at 6,000 rpm, with 129 lb-ft of torque at 4,500 rpm. Stop/start cycling of electric and gasoline motive power is handled by the VSC with no input necessary from a driver. To achieve the AT-PZEV emissions rating, Ford engineers employ a special Atkinson valve timing cycle that slightly delays intake valve closing to improve energy conversion in the combustion process. Emissions goals are also met through the use of four valves per cylinder and fuel injectors featuring four orifices for better fuel atomization.

The Escape Hybrid comes standard with an electronically controlled, continuously variable transmission (eCVT) integrated with the motor-generator, which harnesses power from both the electric motor and the internal combustion engine to power the Escape. The eCVT is designed to provide acceleration that’s extremely smooth, devoid of the normal discernable shift points that punctuate acceleration with a traditional automatic transmission.

The electronic mastermind behind all these components is the VSC. It ensures seamless power flow between the gasoline engine and electric motor while controlling the eCVT transmission, battery pack, regenerative braking system, and engine generating system. A total of seven microprocessor-based control modules manage the various systems. While advanced technology can be quite complex, Ford has conducted extensive durability and reliability testing to validate the various systems before they see consumer sales. A fleet of 170 prototype test mule Escape Hybrids has been punished on three continents and in five diverse climates, enduring a wide range of weather and temperature extremes.




On the inside, the Escape Hybrid is just as practical as the standard Escape. The rear seat features a 60/40 split folding design, which in the upright position provides 27 cubic feet of cargo space in the rear hold. If you need more room, removing the rear seat cushion provides 66 cubic feet of cargo volume out back. The battery pack doesn’t consume any of this space since it’s located entirely below the floor.

Need to plug in a laptop, camcorder battery charger, or blender? No problem... there’s a convenient 110 volt AC outlet provided between the front seats so the Escape Hybrid can serve as a mobile power station. If you have the juice, you might as well use it. The Escape Hybrid will be offered in both front wheel drive and with a fully automatic 4WD system. The “intelligent” 4WD system integrates sensors at each wheel that calculate the amount of torque to send to the drive wheels up to 200 times per second, maximizing traction under changing conditions. For added utility, the Escape Hybrid can tow up to 1,000 pounds, which is enough for a small utility trailer or compact pop-up camping trailer.

While the Escape platform is Ford’s first foray into the hybrid market, it certainly won’t be its last. Ford has announced plans for a hybrid iteration of its new mid-size sedan to be followed by a hybrid Mercury Mariner compact SUV for the 2007 model year. Additional models are expected as Ford’s Sustainable Mobility Technologies group furthers its hybrid vehicle program efforts, along with work on hydrogen powered vehicles.

Clean and fuel efficient, Ford’s Escape Hybrid presents a welcome and guilt-free green choice for SUV buyers who want it all.