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With the local layoffs at Disney, the depressed stock market, and the cost of gasoline inching up at area gas stations, residents are continuing to search for new ways to live frugally. As one consequence, interest in hybrid electric cars is surfacing once again.
But do these new-technology vehicles really deliver better fuel economy and save money overall? Do they have enough power to accelerate safely on to I-4 or the Greenway? Are they as comfortable as a conventional sedan? 
To find out the answers to these questions, the Independent arranged a test drive of one of the newest hybrid sedans, the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid.
The Fusion is a mid-size 4-door that competes with the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord; it was introduced in 2005 and is built on a CD3 platform designed by Ford’s Mazda unit. The 2010 model is the next generation design; it adds a hybrid model that competes with the Camry Hybrid, the Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid, and the Nissan Altima Hybrid.
Before continuing, “hybrid” means that the car has at least two power sources. Most of the hybrid cars sold in the USA have a small conventional gasoline engine and an electric motor, both of which can propel the vehicle, separately or together. Some hybrids, such as the Honda Insight, Honda Civic Hybrid, and the Malibu Hybrid, use the electric motors to give a boost of power to the small gas engine; they are called “mild hybrids.” Others are more sophisticated and feature the electric motor operating at low speeds and the gasoline engine kicking in at higher speeds; these include the Toyota Camry Hybrid, Toyota Prius, and the Fusion Hybrid. The electric motor is powered by a lithium or nickel-metal hydride battery that is recharged by energy from the brakes (regenerative braking) or by the gasoline engine.
There has been talk for years about vehicles that could be plugged into a conventional home or office electric socket and recharged. After all, Celebration residents have been driving NEVs around town since the late 90s. But shortcomings in battery technology have slowed progress to produce a full-size car that can travel at American highway speeds and have an acceptable range between charges. Though no mass-produced plug-in electric or hybrid cars are sold yet in the USA, Ford, GM, and Toyota all report that they will be in production by 2010-2011.
Returning to our test of the Ford Fusion Hybrid, except for its unique road-leaf badge, the Fusion Hybrid is pretty much indistinguishable on the outside from the conventional gasoline-only powered Fusion. But a difference is immediately apparent upon opening the driver’s door, as the Hybrid’s unique high-resolution, full-color, liquid crystal display (LCD) softly illuminates the instrument panel and driver cockpit area. The instrument cluster features a clever group of displays that provide varying degrees of detailed information about maximizing fuel economy, including a delightful, eco-reminding system of tree leaves. Motor Trend magazine described it as “a real charmer ... drive the Fusion Hybrid frugally and watch the display leaves and vines grow (when the virtual branches become truly lush you’re doing especially well) ... on the other hand, make jackrabbit starts, drive too fast, brake late and hard (producing little brake regeneration), and you’ll start dropping leaves like Vermont sugar maples in October. Sounds silly perhaps, but from behind the wheel it’s a remarkably effective motivator.” (http://www.motortrend.com)
Starting the engine brings another distinction of the Fusion Hybrid – silence. And I mean absolutely no audible evidence that the electric motor is running. The instrument cluster displays a small green icon that the electric motor is running.
Operating controls are identical to those of a conventional car --- steering wheel, accelerator pedal, brake pedal, light switches, etc. Nothing new to learn. Just get in and drive.
It’s possible to accelerate from a standing stop in electric-only mode, but very slowly, probably too slowly for most people. The gasoline engine starts up and kicks in instantly and imperceptibly – I could not detect the gasoline engine coming on except through an indicator on the instrument cluster. With my driving style, I could get the gasoline motor to shut down at about 20-25 mph or so. Then the electric motor can operate by itself again up to about 47 mph (unless the driver accelerates hard). Remember, when the electric motor is operating by itself, there’s no gasoline consumption – zero.
But there’s plenty of power when it’s needed. The Fusion Hybrid passed the I-4 merging test from World Drive, with muscle to spare. Motor Trend rates the 0-60 mph time at a respectable 8.4 seconds, about the same as the Camry Hybrid, the Honda Accord EX and the Scion xB; it’s noticeably quicker than the 2010 Honda Insight (10.4 sec.) and 2010 Toyota Prius (10.6 sec.). (By comparison, many of the super-premium speedsters displayed at the recent 2009 Celebration Exotic Car Show are capable of reaching 60 mph in about three and a half seconds!)
Now the downside – because hybrid vehicles have two engines and more complex drivetrains, they are not surprisingly more expensive than comparably equipped, conventional gasoline-only engine cars. How much varies considerably from one manufacturer to another.
The Fusion Hybrid (base sticker at $27, 270) is priced at roughly $3000 higher than a comparably-equipped Fusion SEL. For Fusion Hybrids purchased before September 2009, there’s a $1700 tax credit that reduces the premium to $1300. Assuming 15,000 miles per year of driving, gas at $2.50 per gallon, and 15 more mpg for the Fusion Hybrid, it would take about two and a half years to break even.
On the other hand, for some people it may be more important to be reducing carbon particulates and having the latest technology than worrying about the initial cost premium. For example, hybrids have much lower CO2 emission levels, as measured by the EPA’s Carbon Footprint rating (see data on http://www.fueleconomy.gov). The Fusion Hybrid is rated at 4.8, compared to the regular Fusion at 8.7. The Toyota Camry Hybrid is rated at 5.4. The best rating goes to the Toyota Prius (4.0); the worst is the Lamborghini Murcielago (18.3).
The other disadvantage of the Hybrid version of the 2010 Ford Fusion is that the luggage compartment (at 11.8 cubic feet) is 40% smaller than the conventional Fusion. That’s because its nickel-metal hydride battery is located behind the rear seat.
Ford wouldn’t provide an estimated average life of the hybrid battery, but says that Escape SUV Hybrids being used in a New York City taxi fleet have logged over with over 300,000 miles with no problems. The battery and electric motor are covered by an eight year, 100.000 mile warranty.
Hybrids have much higher fuel economy ratings based on EPA estimates (the 2010 Ford Fusion is rated at 41 mpg in the city). But can typical drivers in real world driving conditions expect substantially better mileage than conventional cars? My personal experience says yes. Admittedly, I used feather-light pressure on the gas pedal whenever possible, though careful not to hold up other drivers. But in one hour of driving around Celebration, with fairly frequent stops for stop signs and occasional stoplights, I averaged 43.4 mpg. My dad, who taught me how to drive in his 1961 Falcon, would have been proud.
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