Well just like Pocatello said earlier in this thread, when people buy a hybrid, they want other people to know that it's a hybrid. The Volt will sell better since it's much more unique and you can tell it's different like the Prius.
Originally posted by: Pandaren
Originally posted by: BarneyFife
This looks like a volt killer.
Yup.
27 grand for this mid-size sedan, or 40 grand for a cramped car that costs as much as a bimmer but looks like a corolla. No contest. Ford will beat the snot out of the Volt.
But the dominating impression of the interior I came away with is "cramped." I'm well over six feet tall and currently drive a car (a Toyota Matrix) with huge amounts of head room, so I asked some of the other reporters for their impression; people both shorter and slimmer than I am felt the same way. One woman who was roughly my height sat in the back seat and said she felt that closing the hatch would have slammed it onto the top of her head.
Originally posted by: SonicIce
I don't understand how city mpg can be higher then highway mpg. Wouldn't stopping and going be less efficient than moving at a constant speed?
Originally posted by: SonicIce
I don't understand how city mpg can be higher then highway mpg. Wouldn't stopping and going be less efficient than moving at a constant speed?
Originally posted by: NAC
Originally posted by: SonicIce
I don't understand how city mpg can be higher then highway mpg. Wouldn't stopping and going be less efficient than moving at a constant speed?
1. Hybrids "regenerate" energy when braking, and put the energy into the batteries. They can then use the energy when accelerating again.
2. The highway cycle is run at higher speeds, which is inherently less efficient than the lower speed city cycle.
Put 1 + 2 together - and many hybrids have higher city MPG than highway.
My questions I have:
How much of the hybrid technology in the Fusion did Ford buy/license from Toyota, and how much did they create themselves?
And how much does it cost Ford to create a hybrid as compared to Toyota?
Originally posted by: MIKEMIKE
Originally posted by: NAC
Originally posted by: SonicIce
I don't understand how city mpg can be higher then highway mpg. Wouldn't stopping and going be less efficient than moving at a constant speed?
1. Hybrids "regenerate" energy when braking, and put the energy into the batteries. They can then use the energy when accelerating again.
2. The highway cycle is run at higher speeds, which is inherently less efficient than the lower speed city cycle.
Put 1 + 2 together - and many hybrids have higher city MPG than highway.
My questions I have:
How much of the hybrid technology in the Fusion did Ford buy/license from Toyota, and how much did they create themselves?
And how much does it cost Ford to create a hybrid as compared to Toyota?
The thing w/ Ford and Toyota "liscensing" is basically the fact that as Ford went along their business trying to create their own full hybrid, they discovered that Toyota owned most of the patents to what they wanted to do. Instead, Ford just licensed whatever, and used their own system so they would not be sued. Toyota had NO input on Ford's setup...
Still sitting in the lab, I'm sure, like most new technology. Probably because it's (A) too expensive or (B) doesn't work.Originally posted by: Aimster
there was some technology that was created a year ago at some universities that made batteries hold 2-8x more charge. Wonder what happened to that.
Originally posted by: PowerEngineer
Aside from the improvements mentioned, the Fusion seems like a Ford clone of the Toyota Camry I've been driving around for over two years now. The technology seems pretty reliable. Too bad the new Fusion doesn't come out until 2010; I'm betting that Toyota will be matching it with their own second-generation system by then.
Originally posted by: PowerEngineer
Aside from the improvements mentioned, the Fusion seems like a Ford clone of the Toyota Camry I've been driving around for over two years now. The technology seems pretty reliable. Too bad the new Fusion doesn't come out until 2010; I'm betting that Toyota will be matching it with their own second-generation system by then.
Originally posted by: vi edit
Good job Ford. It's sad that I have to spell it out, but so many people can't seem to comprehend that this isn't some overnight thing they cooked up in the face of bankrupcy and begging at the feet of congress.
This is tech that has been in the works for years along with the refresh and it's just getting ready for production. Same goes for GM and the Equinox. These companies are getting their crap together and it's not a knee jerk rush to the market thing in light of current events.
I just hope that both are solvent enough over the next 12-18 months to actually get these things on the lots.
Originally posted by: Cheesehead
Originally posted by: PowerEngineer
Aside from the improvements mentioned, the Fusion seems like a Ford clone of the Toyota Camry I've been driving around for over two years now. The technology seems pretty reliable. Too bad the new Fusion doesn't come out until 2010; I'm betting that Toyota will be matching it with their own second-generation system by then.
I suppose it's a case of "wait and see". The three main issues are reliability (ford is getting better, toyota has been slipping), fit and finish (IMO, toyotas = ick) and, most importantly, price.
Hopefully Ford will realize that hybrids are going to drive like a moose no matter what you do, and instead make the suspension as cushy as possible. If anything, the increased weight might make it more comfortable.