Are You Optimizing Your Escape Hybrid's Fuel Economy? Would You Like to Provide Feedback for Future Development of Ford Hybrid Vehicles?

The Escape Hybrid development team, designers of the first American-made hybrid SUV, would like to invite you, a guest and your Escape Hybrid to attend an exclusive, invitation-only free event where you will interact with the people who designed your Escape Hybrid.

As an owner of the world's most fuel-efficient SUV, you know you've made a smart choice. Now you and a guest can learn how to maximize your fuel economy in a special up-close-and-personal experience with the engineers who created the Escape Hybrid. During this behind-the-scenes three-hour session at Ford Motor Company, you will:

* Meet with Ford engineers, including Mary Ann Wright, Director of Sustainable Mobility Technologies and Hybrid Programs, to discuss your hybrid and its fuel economy

* Have your vehicle visually inspected by Ford technicians

* Attend a classroom presentation with Escape engineers, during which you will learn techniques to help maximize your Hybrid's fuel economy as well as participate in a Q & A session with the Escape Hybrid team of subject matter experts

* Experience a short drive in your Escape Hybrid through the Dearborn area with a Ford engineer as your fuel economy coach. You will even have the opportunity to ride in the original fleet of Escape Hybrid development vehicles!

* Get a sneak peak at the new Mercury Mariner Hybrid, as well as Ford's upcoming family of hybrid vehicles

* Participate in the future development of Ford hybrid products, by providing feedback to the hybrid engineering team

* Receive an Escape Hybrid gift bag

Where:
A restricted location in the Ford Motor Company complex, Dearborn, Michigan. Specific location and directions to be provided via a confirmation e-mail that will be issued upon event registration.

When:
8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m., Saturday, October 8, and Sunday, October 9. There will be 3 sessions per day, each lasting approximately 3 hours with a limited number of participants in each rotation.

Session times each day:
8:30 - 11:30 a.m.; 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.; 2:30 - 5:30 p.m. Slots will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

To register:
Call Program Headquarters at 800-246-0065 by Tuesday, September 27, to ensure registration.

 

Hi Sdctcher:

___I wish I would have seen this note 5 hours ago! I just called and found that there are still some Sunday classes open … I will call first thing in the morning. A good friend of mine just purchased a Demo 2WD Escape HEV last week and I will be sure to get some time in her before I head on out to Detroit!

___Thank you very much!

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net

 

I hope you get in Wayne. You are right. The 300 possible spaces have disappeared fast in the first three days after invitations were delivered. I will promise to do my best to pass on to Ford our hopes that the next few events will be staged about once every couple of months in California, Atlanta, New York, Oklahoma City, Toronto, Seattle, and (Fill-In-The Blank). Even if you cannot get a spot this time please try to register because Ford is keeping track and may stage the next one, if possible, in an area in which a high number has tried to register.

I believe this is both a good outreach experience to Ford customers and a great opportunity for Ford to expose the masses (via first-hand contact or publicity) to their efforts to give us what we need and want. I think they will be able to justify the cost and the inconvenience of moving parts of the Hybrid Team around the country with the increased number of people who will buy their product in the future. I would hope they would offer a stipend to the Team Members who might volunteer. The positive personal contact with the end users of their creativity should inspire the Team to continue to give their utmost.

 

Hi Sdctcher:

___I sent you a PM a few minutes ago with the same.

___Try as I might, I failed I had the “Experience” person on the phone this morning at 09:30 AM CST, I had one of the last slots available (08:30 - 11:30 AM on Sunday morning), and even had my name and guest just about registered when she asked what kind of hybrid do I own? I said I do not own an Escape HEV and she said that is OK because she needed to know if I needed an Escape HEV available when I arrived. She then asked again. What type of hybrid do I drive … I answered none. She said if you do not currently own a hybrid, you cannot take the course as she had to input its VIN for registration … I should have just given her my retired Insight’s VIN but that would have been dishonest. Even after telling her of my participation here, IC, and Edmunds, she wouldn’t budge

___Back to square one. If you no anyone that has a guest spot they wouldn’t mind me filling on either day at any of the times available, I would greatly appreciate it.

___Thanks again …

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net

 

Wayne-
Do not give up yet. My friend John (GPSman) on my Yahoo forum has reserved a place for a guest and might be able to pick you up on his way in from CO. I have already emailed him with your email addie.

If you want to contact him email me and I will give you his addie.

I think it is important you be there.

If that does not work I might be able to get you in as a guest another way.

 

Hi Sdctcher:

___I will E-Mail GPSman tonight when I get back home from work. I hope he can use the company I will offer to pay some of the fuel and even invite him into home for a Friday night layover which should help reduce his expenses and up the comfort level as well …

___Thanks to you for the help along these lines to date.

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net

 

When I called and tried to get in, I was told that the everything was filled. But they told me that there would be future classes scheduled and they took my information to be scheduled for a future class.

 

Since I live in Dearborn, I can provide some local tips & info.

"The Henry Ford". This is a HUGE museum of americana. It is not owned by nor related to the Ford Motor Company in any way. Henry Ford (the man, not the museum or the company) started it by collecting things that he thought Americans would want to remember in the future. There's both an indoor and outdoor museum. The indoor museum was formerly named "The Henry Ford Museum" and the outdoor museum was "Greenfield Village". They've since renamed the whole complex from "Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village" to simply "The Henry Ford". The museum owns (so I'm told) about 5 times as much stuff as you can see on display). The place is massive. There's an indoor museum as well as an outdoor village. The museum is so large that it could take you a couple of days to get through it if you really wanted to see everything. If you go through quickly you should still plan to spend a half-day in there. It houses a history of trains (yes - real trains and some of them are VERY big), loads of cars, all the presidential limos (yes, the Kenedy car -- the real car -- is in the museum). Basically it competes with the likes of the Smithsonian. Some of the items in the museum are replicas... for example, "The Spirit of St. Louis" is on display, but this is a replica... the real plane is in the Smithsonian.

The outdoor museum contains many famous buildings -- some of which are real (Henry Ford had them disassembled board by board or brick by brick and re-assembled inside the village) and some of which are replicas. The Write-Brothers Bicycle shop is a replica as is Thomas Edison's Menlo Park lab. I think the Daniel Webster home is real.

There's also an IMAX theater on the complex for those who want to see the movies. The website will tell you what's showing.


Hotels:

(spendy hotels)

The Dearborn Inn (this is a Marriott Renassaince hotel)
http://marriott.com/property/propertypage/DTWDI
- this is the closest hotel and is located adjacent to the Ford campus where the event will take place. It's actually a very beautiful hotel done in a turn-of-the century style. The Henry Ford is across the street.

The Hyatt Regency Dearborn
http://dearborn.hyatt.com/property/index.jhtml
- this is close by. It's basically the corner of Michigan Avenue (M-10) and the Southfield Freeway (M-39) and is located in the parking lot of the Fairlane Town Center (a big shopping mall in the area). You can enter the parking lot on the Southfield Freeway's southbound service drive, or on Evergreen Road (which is the west side of the mall) -- even though the hotel is on Michigan Avenue, there are no entrances to it from Michigan Avenue -- and this really confuses out-of-town guests. Basically you follow the signs to go to Fairlane Town Center and just know that the hotel is located in their parking lot.

The Ritz Carlton Dearborn
http://www.ritzcarlton.com/hotels/dearborn/
- this is in the same location as the Hyatt Regency (above). The Hyatt is in the southeast corner of the mall complex, the Ritz is in the northeast corner of the same mall parking lot.

(more reasonably priced hotels)

The Hampton Inn Dearborn
http://www.hamptoninn.com/en/hp/hote...tyhocn=DTTDRHX
- you'll notice that Hampton calls this "The Hampton Inn @ Greenfield Village" -- "The Henry Ford" outdoor village was formerly named "Greenfield Village". The hotel is located on the north side of the village -- basically the backyard abuts the railroad. Since the Henry Ford owns several steam engine trains, you'll occasionally hear the whistle as the train goes by the back of the hotel. Don't worry... they put the trains away at dark. =)

The Courtyard Inn Dearborn
http://marriott.com/property/propert...rshaCode=DTTDB
- This hotel is located about a mile northeast. Across the freeway from the mall area (where the Hyatt and Ritz are located) is the Ford Motor Company corproate headquarters building (what we locally call "the glass house") The road just on the east side of that building is Mercury Drive. The Courtyard is about .5 miles north on Mercury Drive.

The Best Western Greenfield Inn
http://book.bestwestern.com/bestwest...ertyCode=23089
This hotel is located along the I-94 Freeway (on the service drive) -- it's roughly located at I-94 and Oakwood Blvd. (south of the Ford complex)

There are other hotels that I wont bother to list. Many hotels are located at Detroit Metropolitan Airport (which is about 15 minutes away). Westin's new hotel is located inside the airport. I haven't seen the rooms but it's got a quite a trendy looking lobby. =)
There's a Red Roof Inn on the west side of downtown Dearborn (Michigan Avenue). That hotel is on the corner of Michigan Avenue & Telegraph Rd.

Downtown Detroit is about 20 minutes East. I should warn you that although there are some very nice downtown hotels and restaurants (Sweet Georgia Browns, Coach Insignia, & Opus One are all _very_ nice restaurants), downtown Detroit is not very cosmopolitan. There's Greektown and the three downtown casinos (for those who want to lose all their money) -- but most people don't tend to hang out in downtown (it's not like New York, Chicago, or San Francisco.) Royal Oak (technically a suburb) on the north side of Detroit is probably the most trendy place where people hang out (tons of people walk the sidewalks in downtown Royal Oak -- lots of restaurants and small shops.) Royal Oak is a good 30 minute drive north (take Southfield Freeway up to I-696. Take I-606 East. Exit at Woodward Avenue / Main St., take Main Street north about 3-4 blocks (and DON'T speed in Royal Oak or forget to feed the parking meters... the Royal Oak Police Dept. has perfected the fine art of "revenue enhancement"!)

If you want restaurant recommendations, send me a note and tell me what sort of food you want and whether you're looking for something impressive vs. a jeans & t-shirt kinda place.

Regards,
Tim

 

Which reminds me to mention... if anybody who's already registered finds that they cannot go, it'd be great if you would call to cancel and let others know since there is a waiting list of people that would like to get in.

 

And might I add that Ford is still keeping a count on people trying to register to gauge the need for the next seminar in certain areas. If you have not called - please call now and tell the operator where you live so you can be counted.

To register:
Call Program Headquarters at 800-246-0065 by Tuesday, September 27, to ensure registration.