American Hybrid Carmakers: Racing Against Time



In the 1990s, the U.S. Department of Energy collaborated with GM, Ford, Chrysler, to challenge the dominance of their Japanese and European counterparts in the development of hybrid cars. Millions of dollars were put into the huge project of developing American hybrid cars.

Ten years after, Ford came up with one model entry into the market, competing against six Japanese hybrid cars. Ford started selling the Escape SUV Hybrid in September of 2004. The other two American manufacturers are having a hard time in delivering their hybrids to the consumer public.

Whatever happened to the big American hybrid dream cars can be anybody’s guess.

Below is a short update on the status of American hybrid car manufacturers.

Ford

The public release of the Ford Escape Hybrid was finally materialized in September 2004. The original schedule however, was in 2003. The Ford’s answer to the call for American is a fully hybrid electric vehicle, able to run on its gasoline or its electric motor, or both. This is to meet the requirements set by driver demand to optimize performance and limit fuel consumption.

The Ford Escape was first ever among American hybrid cars. It produces less than one pound of smog-forming pollutants for every 15,000 miles. This is more significant when compared with all light trucks average of 105 pounds of smog-forming pollutants for every 15,000 miles. The average for passenger cars, with the same number of miles, is 67 pounds.

At present, hybrids, particularly, American are the hottest topic in the U.S. The populace is interested in finding out how hybrid will benefit the environment. , including their small as well as their own budget for fuel. And perhaps, the consumers are interested if the hybrids would really consume small amount of fuel.

And Ford is clever enough to make the first American hybrid car as SUV. For obvious reason, SUV is considered as very American, which help the Ford hybrid to sell.

The Ford Hybrid has the looks and performance capabilities of a normal car. This allows the American hybrid car to evade the “image-look” problem of Honda’s earlier version of hybrid cars. The improved fuel economy usage of the Ford Escape has also impressed American buyers.

To show its

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