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