After achieving success stateside with the Ford Escape Hybrid, Ford has plans to add more hybrid models to its range for the 2010 model year.
The green cars making their debut next spring will be hybrid versions of the Fusion and Mercury Milan models. These are expected to beat the Toyota Camry Hybrid by at least 5mpg as they attempt to break the stranglehold Toyota has locked on America’s car buying public.
As an added bonus the 3.0 litre model will also be flex-fuel and can run on E85, helping Ford to deliver on an earlier pledge to double annual production of vehicles capable of running on renewable fuels by 2010.
So just what fuel-saving technology does the new Fusion include?
Well, the vehicle will include electric power steering (EPS) with energy consumption typically seven per cent less than that of a conventional hydraulic rack. It will also feature aggressive deceleration fuel shut-off for an efficiency improvement of approximately one per cent.
The new hybrid system is undoubtedly the environmental highlight however. The Fusion and Milan hybrids support operation in all-electric mode at speeds up to 47mph with a nickel-metal hydride battery adapted to produce 20 per cent more power.
In addition the system includes a new high-efficiency converter that provides a 14 per cent increase in output; a smarter climate control system that only runs the engine as needed to heat the cabin; a regenerative braking system with nearly 94 per cent energy recovery; and an improved brake system.
