| In January, 2007, I purchased a Ford Escape | | | | used on other vehicles in the past and is nothing |
| Hybrid four wheel drive vehicle. The Escape is a | | | | new. But, since I bought this car with the intention |
| mid sized SUV that is smaller that the Chevy | | | | of increasing my fuel economy significantly I |
| Blazer I had been driving for the past 4 years and | | | | watch this little gauge a lot. |
| is rated at 31 miles per gallon or about twice the | | | | The most gratifying time is when you are going |
| 15 miles per gallon I was getting with the Blazer. | | | | down the street running on battery power with |
| The four wheel drive system on the Escape is | | | | the gas engine tachometer on zero and the fuel |
| automatically engaged when needed and unlike | | | | economy gauge is all the way over to the highest |
| many four wheel drive owners I actally need four | | | | fuel economy limit. A little pressure on the |
| wheel drive to get in and out to the road during | | | | accelerator and you can watch you fuel economy |
| the worst winter weather. | | | | drop. |
| Under the hood is a gas engine and an electric | | | | The Escape hybrid system is set to go from a |
| motor and in the rear of the vehicle is a large | | | | dead stop up to 26 miles per hour on the electric |
| battery that gets charged when you drive and | | | | motor. But, this is variable depending on how |
| when you brake. Like any new car you can lift | | | | quickly you accelerate. A quick acceleration will |
| the hood and look at what is under there but you | | | | start up the gas motor almost immediately. With |
| might as well just close it back up because you | | | | a lighter touch and a subsequent slower |
| are not going to do anything other than look | | | | acceleration I have been cruising at about 35 miles |
| unless you have the thousands of dollars of | | | | per hour before the gas engine starts up. |
| equipment needed to work on one of these | | | | Going down hill my speed has gone up to about |
| engineering marvels. | | | | 40 miles per hour before the gas engine begins to |
| You start the car up like any other vehicle by | | | | run. So economy in this vehicle, and really any |
| turning the key but you do not here the motor | | | | other vehicle, is dependant upon how you drive it. |
| crank and then fire up. There are a couple of | | | | What is really apparent when you start to drive in |
| clicks back in the back and the motor starts | | | | a more economic fashion is how fast everyone |
| running so you head off down the road. | | | | else wants to go. |
| The instrument panel is like any other car with a | | | | When you want to pass someone or otherwise |
| speedometer, a tachometer, and a fuel gauge. In | | | | accelerate the electric motor comes on to assist |
| addition, there are two more gauges. One is a | | | | the gas engine for more power. When you are |
| needle gauge that tells you when the big battery | | | | driving on the gas engine and you decelerate the |
| in the back is either assisting the gas engine or | | | | system charges the battery. Also when you |
| powering the vehicle on its own. The other gauge | | | | brake the system charges the battery. |
| is a digital readout that can be changed to show | | | | By the time you come up to a stop light the |
| various types of information about the fuel | | | | motor is off and you sit there waiting for the light |
| consumption of the car and the electrical charge in | | | | to change and you are not burning any gas or |
| the battery. | | | | giving off any emissions or making any noise. I |
| The most watched gauge, and the one I usually | | | | have seen reports of people getting up to 35 |
| have in use, is a series of blocks that light up or | | | | miles per gallon with these vehicles and maybe |
| darken in real time as your fuel economy goes up | | | | with careful driving techniques I might some day |
| or down. This type of real time readout has been | | | | be able to achieve that level of economy. |