The shared bolt really holds the black conduit to the frame. The actual high voltage is in the orange conduit that is then encased in the black housing when it runs by the door. I will try to post a photo as soon as I can.

 

I'm told that there are two reasons why they don't include the side-steps on the FEH.

#1 - Weight. If you want good fuel economy, don't add unnecessary weight to the vehicle. The step-side rails are basically pure vanity - there's really no functional reason to have them.

#2 - Manufacturing complexity. The FEH is built on the same line as the stard Ford Escapes. There are certain build operations that are easy, and some are hard. A moonroof, for example, requires two people to install. One on the inside and and one suspended up over the roof of the car. They must ride with the car for 3 stations before the install is complete. The plant can't build two adjacent cars with moonroofs - only every third car can have one. This adds to line scheduling comlexity (the process of figuring out the optimal build order of cars on the line is called "blending"). It turns out those step-sides are a royal pain in the @#$ to install. The holes never line up and they have to fuss to get them on. It's like the moonroof in that they wont allow adjacent vehicles to have them because of this (I don't remember learning the spacing between cars required, but I was told it is probably the worst option to install.)

Since the FEH already has a ton of special handling required to build it, I'm told Ford didn't want to add any more complexity to the build process than was necessary. Hence the pain-in-the-@#$@ factory options were omitted.

 

That doesn't explain why things like a full-size spare and side steps aren't sold as aftermarket accessories though. You can buy them but they are not listed for the Hybrids.

 

Excellent info on point #2. As for #1 I need to disagree. My wife is 5 foot tall and when she wears a dress those side bars come in real handy. As for me I have no problem getting in with no help.

 

Photo in recent issue of My Ford.

 

I just put Westin side bars on my FEH and that brand didn't share the bolt with the high voltage wire. As for the need for them, they are good for my 80 year old Mom and also for standing on (to tie down the kayaks) :-).

I just bought this car and I am grateful for this site!

 

Welcome to GH! If you're in Michigan, don't forget to check in on the Michigan Roll Call. (Link in my signature)

 

Yep.

 

I just bought off eBay, a set of Ford "chrome" side steps.

They were quite easy to install. Far, far easier than, say, Ikea furniture. It took me less than 1/2 hour from start to finish.

All the holes lined up perfectly. I had not one problem with any of the 24 bolts.

All the holes in the frame where already tapped, and all I had to do was pull out the soft rubber plugs that Ford sticks in each to protect them.

Yea, I did find that the rear most bracket on the passenger side shares one bolt with the bracket that holes the HV cable conduit. The hole is at the far end of a long bracket, and I don't really see it ever interfering with the conduit, let alone the HV cables themselves. I will admit this worried me before I bought the side steps, but now I see that it really nothing to worry about.

Here are a couple of really quick pics...

 

That's a NICE looking Hybrid!
-John