Escape Hybrid

[Bwana Bob]

Well, to me, the E85 issue is irrelevant. We can't get E85 here in NJ. E10 is available from BP, but its the same price as regular gas. It is my understanding that E85 delivers only 60% of the fuel economy of gasoline. If it costs the same, what is the advantage?

A more realistic approach would be a diesel-electric hybrid, with the capability to run bio-diesel. Perhaps the Explorer should go this way, too. With the new CAFE standard of 35 mpg, even the Escape hybrid won't survive, let alone the Explorer.

Bob

 

[Bwana Bob]

Another Escape hybrid question

I'm considering buying an Escape as a daily driver. I'm not fond of the V6 version since it gets only about 1-2 mpg better than the Ex, but I would consider the 2.3L or the hybrid.

Question on the hybrid: With the engine shutting down at every stop sign or red light, won't there be excessive wear on the starter motor and gear? Also, when the engine shuts down, oil pressure goes to zero, so there will be many, many more "dry starts". How will this affect the longevity of the engine?

Thanks.

Bob

 

[dogfriend]

Question on the hybrid: With the engine shutting down at every stop sign or red light, won't there be excessive wear on the starter motor and gear? Also, when the engine shuts down, oil pressure goes to zero, so there will be many, many more "dry starts". How will this affect the longevity of the engine?

Thanks.

Bob

This question gets asked over on PriusChat also and the answers are the same for the FEH (Ford Escape Hybrid).

http://priuschat.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29467&highlight=1000

1. It doesn't have a conventional starter. The smaller MG (motor/generator) provides the torque to start the engine. On the Prius, this is a 10kW permanent magnet 3 phase motor.

2. Before ignition and fuel, the engine is spun up to ~1000 rpm. The oil pump is delivering oil before the coil(s) and injectors are fired. Think of it as a built in pre-oiler system.

3. Longevity of the engines are very good, FEH and Prius(s) are used in taxi cab service - several FEH have over 175k, there are Prius(s) which have 200k, the highest mileage Prius in North America is over 320k.

http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5719&highlight=Jesse

 

[Bwana Bob]

Thanks, Dogfriend. Excellent info!

1) That's what I figured about starting; that they would use the electricmotor and crank the engine through the planetary drive.

2) Spinning up the engine is clever. I wouldn't have guessed that, but it makes sense, if you want a smooth, seamless start.

Other things I like about the FEH: Disc brakes all around. The conventional Escapes went back to drums in the rear. I also like regenerative braking. Its more like the compression braking that I use all the time with my manual transmission Explorer.

Thanks again.

Bwana Bob

 

[dogfriend]

Regenerative braking also means that your brake pads will last a very long time, possibly the life of the vehicle. On the Prius, the car uses regenerative braking down to about 7 mph where the friction brakes take over.

 

[pbzmag]

Well I test drove a FEH and was impressed on how smooth it transitioned to gas. The ride felt good and handled good. I didn't buy because of one small detail... it was kiwi green. I did check the online inventory and found a tungsten grey one near me. I'll be heading to the dealership tomorrow to check it out. Who knows, I may even come home with a new FEH!

btw - does anyone know if there is some type of website that rates dealerships?

 

[E.B. Cornburner]

Well, to me, the E85 issue is irrelevant. We can't get E85 here in NJ. E10 is available from BP, but its the same price as regular gas. It is my understanding that E85 delivers only 60% of the fuel economy of gasoline. If it costs the same, what is the advantage?

Here, E85 is considerably cheaper than gasoline. To the tune of 50-90 cents per gallon less in most cases. The MPG difference isn't that much either. I gained maybe 2-2.5 MPG running mine on gasoline a couple times, so it's nowhere near a 40% MPG loss running E85. I tend to average 12-14 MPG in mixed driving on E85.

E10 isn't considered an alternative fuel...It's simply there as an oxygenate for emissions since MTBE was outlawed. Oxygenated gasoline is mandatory in many areas, including the southeast corner of WI. Here it's not.

 

[Bwana Bob]

I read last week on Blue Oval News that the 2009 Escape will be getting new engines and transmission. The 4-speed CD4E (a weak transmission with a history of failures) will be replaced by a 6-speed trans. The I4 will go from 2.3L and will get VVT. The V6 will also get VVT. There will be increased HP and 1 mpg better fuel economy. The 2.3 L Atkinson Cycle Hybrid engine will also get the VVT.

Bob

 

[gijoecam]

My parents have a Mariner Hybrid.... They LOVE it. Personally, I'm not a fan, but they love it!! My mom drives all of 5 miles at 35 mph to and from work, and they cruise around town with it. They complained because they only get 28 mpg on the freeway on the way to Florida every year, but once there for 4 months out of the year, mileage jumps back up to 32-34. Around town up here in the summertime, mileage varies based on how much AC use it sees, but they've never complained about it.

Nobody knows how much replacement batteries will run... they're not readily available yet... Time will tell.

-Joe

 

[dogfriend]

The 2.3 L Atkinson Cycle Hybrid engine will also get the VVT.

Bob

Doesn't it have VVT already? The Toyota hybrids use VVT (they call it VVT-i) to delay the closing of the intake valves which makes it an Atkinson cycle rather than a Otto cycle engine.

Do you have any links to technical info about the Escape / Mariner Hybrids? I looked once at Ford.com so I could see similarities and differences between Ford and Toyota designs, but I didn't find any good info on the Escape Hybrid.

 

[Bwana Bob]

I've done some reading on the Escape owners web site, http://escape-central.com and I never see any complaints about the hybrid, other than how hard it is to get one in some parts of the country. A lot of them are used in taxi fleets. Last year I went to New York City on business and saw some Escape hybrids that belonged to the Central Park Zoo. It seems to be a very reliable car/SUV. The major complaint I see on Escapes is with the 4-speed automatic transmission, which is not the CVT that is used in the hybrid.

I like the Escape hybrid design, but I don't know if it would pay for me because most of my daily commute is on highway. Also, I tend to keep my cars a long time, typically over 100,000 miles, which is about the time the battery warranty runs out. I have not heard of any battery failures on the Escape or on the Prius.

I'm thinking about buying a 2009 Escape with the I4 for a daily driver and keeping the Explorer for the big messy jobs. I would not buy an Escape V6 because its fuel economy is the same or slightly better than the Explorer. What I would really like is one with a manual tranny, but its only available in the base 2WD model.



Bob

 

[RHJH99A]

Mark: We have a New 2010 Escape Hybrid and Ford has Fixed the A/C Problem on these
Now. Very Satisfied with the Car so far after 3 weeks. Great mileage in town with lots of
Stop & Go Driving depending on Who is Driving It. Not as Good on the Freeway of course.

 

[manaen]

wow holy thread resurrection.