The Escape Hybrid customer service line (866-637-2273) says Ford has
submitted documentation to the IRS to qualify the 2005 Escape for a
clean-fuel tax deduction for this year. Ford says they expect a
decision from the IRS "in a couple of weeks" in the form of a
release on the IRS web site.

Car makers must request the deduction from the IRS and certify the
cost of hybrid production. As of today, the only approved hybrid
models are listed here:

http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/...104549,00.html

From the IRS release:

"These vehicles qualify for the clean-fuel vehicle deduction:

Toyota Prius — Model Years 2001 through 2005
Honda Insight — Model Years 2000 through 2004
Honda Civic Hybrid — Model Years 2003 and 2004"

Hi Ogakor:

___This is not really directed at you nor anyone in particular but it is directed at our Government using my tax dollars in an inappropriate manner.

___I am getting real tired of this tax deduction and especially if it is going to be given to over-priced Escape and Accord Hybrid purchases. This is my tax dollars at work to subsidize automobiles that will never reach what I achieve in the Ranger XLT, the Corolla, or anywhere near what I receive in the Insight. I don’t drive in an HOV lane state but if I did, I would have a conniption given these (2) hybrids in particular are receiving less FE then a std. Civic or Corolla even for the average purchaser. If they want to speak in terms of emissions, the Accord Hybrid doesn’t qualify and the Escape HEV is a PZEV just like the std. Accord, Camry, and any other number of PZEV’s available in the clean fuel states. This is beginning to make me sick in fact given the average income of a hybrid purchaser is supposedly ~ $100,000 K per annum. Hybrid’s are selling faster then the supply thus do not need any incentives and especially since these incentives are directly adding to our already bloated 7,300,000,000,000 US Government deficit :angry:

___Good Luck

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

Fair enough... but how about the tax deduction for Hummers and other 6k+ pound gas hogs that lets owners write off the ENTIRE purchase price?

Hi Ogakor:

___IIRC, the H2 1 year write off was pulled but it wasn’t meant for H2’s in the first place. Imagine if I were to really expand my business and needed a 1-ton dually with dump that was over the tax advantaged weight limit. Instead of stretching its depreciation out over years, the tax break was to let me write off the entire amount in one fell swoop. Yes, it would help the small business man as there are tens to hundreds of thousands of these purchases per year. The H2 just happened to fall into this category. With that, even though these automobiles are gas pigs, businesses should be able to deduct there capital expenses because it is a business expense taking away from business income on which they are taxed in full (minus the deductions of course).

___In my case, the Ranger XLT 4 w/ a stick is barely large enough to do the job yet is Greenercars guides #1 choice for small P/U’s (albeit just a LEV) in the 2003/2004 MY’s. With that, not only is the Ranger capable of FE far exceeding that of the Ford Escape Hybrid in the real world, it also moonlights as a nice landscape truck.

___Good Luck

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

I agree with xcel. I don't see why a 25 mpg SUV deserves a tax deduction. What's next? A $2000 rebate for a 10 mpg Ferrari Hybrid?

Nuts.

I don't know where you got the 25mpg figure-- probably the same place as the Ferrari Hybrid-- but the fact is the Escape is the only 4WD hybrid.

Hi All:

___A small point although it is still way to low in comparison to what most here receive in whatever they drive … The Ford Escape HEV 2WD/4WD is worth 33.5/31 mpg combined respectively.

___Another interesting note is that it does not include the PZEV HW in some locations of the US including Chicago and Milwaukee! This thing is rated as a very low level LEV in fact which doesn’t make any sense whatsoever … My 03 Ranger P/U is cleaner and receives better fuel economy then the Escape HEV that some will be able to purchase here in the Chicagoland area. How about that for an interesting factoid or two?

___Good Luck

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

It gets 30 highway, which is still too low to allow it a deduction. Why should a 30 mpg suv hybrid get a ~$600 handout, while 40 mpg Civics/Echos/Jettas are excluded?????

I know I'd be pissed if my SUV neighbor said "I got $600 from Uncle Sam" while my smaller, more efficient 40 mpg car was excluded.

Troy

P.S. The reason it's LEV in the central U.S. is because it's cheaper for Ford to provide a 5 year/50,000 mile warranty than to provide a PZEV 10 year/150,000 mile warranty.

Hi ElectricTroy:

___Of course Ford saves money when they only have to warranty the emissions for 5/60. This is the case anywhere in the country including the 5 green states when it is not marketed as a PZEV.

___As for the rot gut, many places in the country are still stuck with > 150 ppm sulfur fuels, not just the Midwest … In your spare time, look up Blueplanet fuel (sold in the upper Midwest) in case you were interested in HQ low sulfur and benzene fuels for our automobiles. It is just a bit too far of a drive (~ 250 miles) for me to fill up there is all :( Then again, I could always fill up with BP Ultimate as it is a LS fuel in my locale but at a $0.20 premium, I pass. 2006 is almost here :)

___Good Luck

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

Personally I don’t believe the tax credit is constitutional… period.

If I should get a $ ~1,000 break on my taxes because I bought a hybrid car, the government isn’t going to just write off the loss, but impose a higher tax to other vehicles.
I don’t think other people should be forced to pay for part of my more expensive vehicle.

I understand the incentive for cleaner air….but I don’t think anyone buys these cars for the tax write off. I’ve heard it described as “icing on the cake” but my neighbor pays for my sugar.

Ok I’ll get off my Libertarian soap box already!

I currently drive a Mercury Mountaineer that gets about 15 mpg in city driving and 21 mpg highway. I need an SUV to haul grand daughters, their karate gear, pine bark mulch and items to Goodwill.
I have ordered an Escape Hybrid as a replacement for the Mercury because it will get beter fuel economy, emit much lower emmissions, qualify for a tax incentive and possibly permit me to drive solo in the HOV lanes in Atlanta. Plus it will give me bragging rights about getting 36 mpg in city driving (80% of our driving).
I estimate that I will achieve payback on the $3,000 higher price of the Hybrid within 5.5 years.
I recognize that I could buy a small, underpowered vehicle that gets better fuel economy but it would not have the performance I desire, nor the carrying room or safety that I want.
Why the Escape? Because it is a full hybrid that can operate on battery power only for 2 to 3 miles and up to 25 to 30 mph. Much of our driving is to the store, daughters, school, etc. where we will be on battery only (except for recharge).
I would think that everyone would see the benefit of achieving 36 mpg city vs. 15 mpg. The fact that the Government encourages that is OK by me.
I hope Ford wins the arguement and the legislators see the value in permitting HOV solo driving in the Hybrid Escape. Just another reason for SUV owners to consider Hybrids and the attendant positive impact on fuel consumption and emmissions reductions.

Hi Red:

___The following thread entitled “You aren’t going to believe this …” should help improve your various SUV’s FE by a rather nice margin. I was driving a Mercury Mountaineer back from the U of I (University of Illinois) earlier this year and had a nice 27.9 mpg after ~ 100 miles showing on its rudimentary FCD before my daughter took over and drove it right into the ground …

___Anyway, in warmer weather, I usually receive ~ 25 mpg around town and > 30 out on the highway in the MDX if that helps … The wife? Well, she can’t drive for FE if her life depended on it imho but it is just my opinion ;) Take off 20 - 30% and you would be in the ball park …

___Good Luck

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

I'm not sure I understand what the drivers did to improve their mileage.

Hi Ogakor:

___That was my own thread and although it is filled with the disbelief of many who do not know what their automobiles are actually capable of, it describes my first experiences at figuring out what “driving with load” was, the study of the game gauge and how it relates to FE during accelerations, decelerations, and steady cruise in various mostly highway, city, and various traffic environments.

___Your Escape has an instantaneous fuel consumption display, IIRC? Make sure it is up and in view and take a glance at it every few seconds to 10’s of seconds over the next few months. Using it for data feedback, you can adjust your acceleration, steady cruise (steady cruise is a misnomer), and braking habits for maximizing FE under many different terrain and traffic conditions to a skill you did not know existed before. After a period of time, you will not only have a feel for the techniques, you can actually “feel” how the ICE is performing in terms of its gear ratios and fuel consumption and what to do to maintain the highest FE in whatever you drive. In other words, your Escape HEV’s game gauge can help teach you how to drive your other automobiles for max FE even though they do not include a game gauge themselves. Mainly, the game gauge study helps you see in real time how much each action of your right foot actually costs in terms of fuel consumption on a second by second basis.

___I can add that since our SUV’s and P/U trucks are rather ungainly as far as cheating the wind cleanly (high Cd’s) but are relatively stable in side winds, they draft like you wouldn’t believe. You will learn the various draft techniques later on as well but use the game gauge to judge what works and what doesn’t with general generic driving first. Get the feel for various RPM’s and how the car accelerates and decelerates from the prospective of your rear end as well as the tach and the game gauge. After a short period, you will become “one” with your Escape and it will happen in a very shorter period of time.

___In terms of setup, you really have to get your tire pressures up. The pressure you use is up to you given high pressure in all of my vehicles tires do not really help my wife or son very much. In our case however, it adds 10’s of percent to what will be your own hypermiling capabilities in a very short period of time.

___Good Luck

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

Wayne,

Thanks very much for the good advice. Yes, the Escape (with the optional synergy screen) does have an instantaneous fuel economy display, along with a 15-minute average graph, electrical/mechanical power flow and battery state of charge icon. A charge/dischage instrument panel guage is standard.

I'm still experimenting with various suggestions on fuel economy. One that I tried was to run the ICE wide open as often as possible when it was in use and then coast. The theory is that the ICE runs most efficiently at a higher RPM. It seemed counter-intuititive and my results showed slightly less mileage, but others say they have had better luck. I dunno.

Almost all of my driving is at freeway speed up and down a very long, very high mountain, so there may not be much room for improvement, aside from keeping the speed down. I seem to be getting about 29 mpg +/- with my 4WD no matter what I do, which is what I honestly expected.