Hi All:

___In regards to the threads title, Defrost/A/C use in the winter as well as A/C and accessory use year round will affect a hybrid’s FE more then a comparable automobile with a larger ICE. There is nothing we can do about a 3 - 6 HP load on a 67 - 129 HP ICE vs. a 3 - 6 HP load on a 130 - 255 HP one. The smaller ICE’s can be far more fuel efficient of course but they cannot escape the higher percentage of their available power needed to run the A/C and accessories no matter if said accessories are electrically driven or not.

___And with the above, I still believe the Escape HEV 2 and 4WD although far heavier (3,600/3,800 #’s respectively) are worth far more then my 3,100 # Ranger XLT … They have a lower Cd (FEH = .404) but higher frontal area although I cannot for the life of me find a Cd for the Ranger P/U. The FEH more then likely has a much taller top ratio and final drive with their CVT’s then the Ranger’s 5-speed manual. Along with the gearing, the FEH has the Atkinsonized intake vs. the std. on the Ranger. There are too many high FE pieces going for the FEH vs. my lowly Ranger but the results to date have not shown this to be the case.

___Sdctcher, you bet I cannot wait to get my hands on a 2WD FEH in particular because I still think it is a 40 + mpg automobile diving the same roads and conditions I drive on a daily basis. The utility of the Escape is a huge boon for all hybrid enthusiasts although there is still the issue of price … If I could only convince Mary Ann Wright to let me take her own FEH for a spin for a 5 tank run just to see what is worth on my lower speed city/highway commute EricBecky has far better connections then I do as posted above so maybe he will get a shot again later on this spring/summer? Didn’t you receive a nice mid-40 mpg segment on your test segment in and around California somewhere a few weeks ago?

___Lakedude, no one has really taken the FEH to its limits other then possibly Sdctcher or the Ford sponsored - Fuel Economy run in California where an Automotive writer received 60 mpg over an ~ 2 mile segment. I spoke with both Mary Wright and David Wagner (PhD - Tech Lead - Vehicle Design) about that feat and it wasn’t something that could be reproducible over a distance given the severe pack depletion from full at the start of the run to its depleted condition at the end. We all know the ~ segment limits of an Insight 5-speed (115 - 120 mpg), HCH w/ CVT or manual (Hot_Georgia_2004 and yourself will hit ~ 72/75 mpg respectively by early summer), and a Prius II (Krousdb’s 85 - 87 mpg), but the FEH and the AH are still question marks. I cannot wait to see it but I have a feeling there might be a 45 - 47 mpg high lengthy segment and maybe a 43 - 45 mpg tank in its future. It is just that we haven’t seen it yet so there is no way to post a Hypermiler high and maybe a CR’s overall, City, Highway, and 150 mile run in terms of FE alongside the EPA’s own City/Highway … as of this writing anyway.

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net