Ford is working on a plug-in hybrid capable of 120 mpg. The car, a Escape PHEV, runs mostly on electric while commuting, achieving around 30 miles of high-efficiency electric drive after an overnight charge of its high capacity Lithium-Ion battery pack. For longer trips it reverts back to normal hybrid operation.
âTo deliver the superior fuel economy of our PHEVs to the customer â at a value that is not cost prohibitive, we are working with our partners, Southern California Edison, to identify new business models,â said Sherif Marakby, chief engineer for Fordâs Global Core Hybrid Engineering...
âSuch models could address battery ownership issues and customer, utility and automaker value as it relates to the electrification of vehicles.â
Full story here.
Full story here.
texases says:
07:53 AM, 01/30/08
How do they come up with mpgs on these plug-ins? Is there some standard? It all depends on the amount of short distance driving, I know, but what's the assumption they make for that?
firstwagon says:
08:36 AM, 01/30/08
Are they including the big jump in your monthly hydro bill?
tryan says:
11:18 AM, 01/30/08
I am constantly amazed at the number of people who think that electricity just "shows up" at their breaker box, with no concern as to how it's actually being PRODUCED. Fossil Fuels are responsible for about 80% of the global power generated and consumed, Nuclear sits at about 19% and Hydro, Solar & Wind fight over the remaining 1%. In other words, depending on your proximity to the nearest Nuclear Power Station grid, you might still be burning up fossil fuels to drive an electric car or plug-in hybrid.
firstwagon says:
01:08 PM, 01/30/08
tryan
I agree with your point but I think you might be off on hydro producing less then one percent. There are a number of giant dams that produce huge amounts of hydro electricity.
They may not produce the majority of electricity like they do here in Canada but it must be more then 1%.
I also question why anyone would imagine that nuclear could be called clean energy. Did someone come up with a solution the nuclear waste recently?
estreka says:
01:31 PM, 01/30/08
Three Rivers Dam produces 10% of all of China's electricity. Many dams in Europe are sources of power there. Unfortunately, that's rare here in the States. We do have nuclear power, but the vast majority is coal and oil.
Actually, nevermind. I just looked it up. Hydroelectricity produces 19% of the world's electricity.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydroelectricity
firstwagon says:
01:38 PM, 01/30/08
Thanks... (I love that website!)
thegreenguy says:
02:14 PM, 01/30/08
Very nice to see the focus of competition switch from MPG to HP.
tryan says:
04:48 AM, 01/31/08
I retract my figures from earlier. I was conufusing U.S. figures with Global ones. I just checked the DOE's website and the power generation figures for the US breakdown like this for 2006 (all figures rounded):
Fossil: 71%
Nuclear: 19%
Hydro: 7%
Other (solar, wood, etc.): 3%
Here are the DOE's fogures for World Production in 2005 (all figures rounded):
Fossil: 87%
Nuclear: 6%
Hydro: 6%
Other (solar, wood, etc.): 1%
The truth is, no matter what power generation method you support, you are affecting the environment. For example, Solar might not polute in it's production of electricity, but you have to look at how much land area is taken up to produce usable amounts of electricity, not to mention the production methods used to produce the panels.
ateixeira says:
09:53 AM, 01/31/08
120mpg is a myth.
They have to change the measure to miles per kWH (kilowatt hour) or something like that.
Or maybe cost per mile, so it can be compared to gasoline costs.
120mpg makes it sound like electricity is free.