Ford Delivers First Ford Escape PHEVs

Ford Motor Co. has delivered the first of 20 research Ford Escape Plug-In Hybrids (PHEVs) to Southern California Edison (SCE) to begin road testing. The vehicles use high voltage, lithium-ion batteries and deliver up to 120 miles per gallon. Common household current (120V) fully charges the battery in six to eight hours. For the first 30 miles following a full charge the Ford Escape PHEV achieves up to 120mpg. Once the charge has been depleted, the vehicle automatically operates as a standard Ford Escape Hybrid.

Ford and SCE will jointly conduct testing to obtain valuable data related to the durability, reliability and safety of the new battery technology. Some of the vehicles may be evaluated in typical customer settings to model overall home and grid values. Options that could lower the cost of PHEVs will also be explored to make the vehicles affordable to customers.