Ford Escape -- impressive
Bob Wilson
front-wheel drive unit on Friday. Not a bad, second generation machine:
"Test Driving Ford Escape
Woody Anderson Ford obtained several hybrid electric Escapes and I test
drove the front-wheel drive, utilitarian unit. I wanted to find out if
this vehicle could replace my aging 1991, 32 mpg in the city, Toyota
Camry with equivalent fuel efficiency.
Idle Warm Up
The vehicle had been sitting in 40 degree weather and it was well past
sunset when they brought it to the front. The gas engine continued to
idle while sitting in park as we did an initial inspection.
We found a very clean installation under the hood. The usual jungle of
wires and pipes were hid under a maintenance cover so the engine
compartment looks very efficient. The fluids and air cleaner were
readily accessible but I was surprised to find a traditional, 40 lb.,
lead-acid starter battery. This may be a hold over from the legacy of 12
V. electric systems. Regardless, the engine maintenance cover also says
it is not a vehicle that encourages untrained tampering with the engine.
I also noticed over a foot of 'crush' room between the engine and sloped
firewall to protect the driver and passengers. A quick Google search
found "Ford Escape improves crash test rating Redesigned 2005 SUV earns
2nd highest rank; Volvo S40, Titan excel By Dee-Ann Durbin / Associated
Press"
We then went to the back and looked at the top of the battery
compartment. The rear, fold-down storage space is filled with the NiMH
batteries located under the floor at the rear. I would have preferred to
see a welded or solid floor with battery access from underneath. A
battery fire is a significant hazard which means it should be as far
from the passengers and isolated as possible and this location is a
reasonable. Still, I was grateful for the open floor space that allows
easy transportation of luggage, groceries, and odd sized home
improvement supplies.
I was a little disturbed that the engine continued to run during this
inspection. But as I was sitting in the fully electric, adjustable
driver's seat adjusting the mirrors and controls, the gas engine turned
itself off. There was no dimming of the headlights and everything else
was as before but no engine noise (or further gas wasteage.) This means
the car can be started in the morning and warm up but once there, it
shuts down the engine . . . neat!
Way cool, we stayed on electric the whole time we drove through the
dealer lot to the exit.
Driving Patched Road
We drove west out Jordan and then took a well patched short-cut to
Rideout Road (now called Research Bouevard). The car handled the rough,
patched road well as would be expected in an SUV designed to handle
off-terrain driving. Steering was comfortably crisp without being mushy
or sport car brisk. Rough road feedback is muted so driving is 'point
and go.' Speeds averaged 35-40 mph but I wasn't trying to test the
hybrid drive control rules, yet.
When we got to the intersection with Rideout Road, the high seating made
it easier to see traffic coming. It was night and the beams seemed a
little narrow so it wasn't easy to see to the curbs in the divided
section of the highway. A little more side illumination in the
headlights would help but it was not objectionable.
Highway 65 MPH Cruise
Highway speed testing looked at acceleration , road and wind noise,
tracking and comfort. Acceleration was interesting as the engine really
spins up versus trying to torque up to speed. It sounds different but
not bad if you've ever driven a small, sportscar. The SUV reached
cruising speed reasonably fast but I wasn't trying to 'floor it.' This
is family car.
Reaching cruise speed, 65, the engine speed falls off and it cruises
with a touch of wind and tire noise. Normal conversation works but it is
not a "cone of silence." I don't know how well it tracks in windy
conditions and there were no semi-trailer trucks around to test passing.
The wider tires gave a bit of the American boat ride without being
sloppy. Regardless, setting the cruise control worked fine and spending
a couple of hours on a trip would be fine. There is enough room to move
a leg and stretch a bit.
Profile of City Traffic
We pulled off at Research Park and used Enterprise Way to test slow
speed, city driving and investigate the hybrid-electric control rules.
One key test goal was to find what speed the SUV will sustain speed on
electric only. You do this by accelerating over the target speed and
letting the vehicle coast down to the target. In the Escape, the maximum
appears to be 30 mph on a level road. This means driving in a
neighborhood should be mostly electric . . . no gas fumes and almost no
noise. The same would be true in a shopping center parking lot (or Ford
dealer's lot.)
The test vehicle did not have enough information to evaluate
regenerative braking. Soft braking should be used to maximize energy
conservation but the disk brakes provided more than enough capacity to
STOP RIGHT NOW with those road hugging, fat tires. Furthermore, the
transition from regenerative to mechanical braking in the final 2-3 mph
range is seamless which is a difficult engineering control problem. Well
done.
A key measure of hybrid quality is the motor/generator rating, 65 KW
(~86 hp) / 29 KW (~38 hp) (Motor Trend report.) There is plenty of
electric power to augment the engine but only 38 hp to provide
regenerative braking force. To maximize energy savings, we need
something to indicate the relative amount of regenerative braking energy
being recovered. Trying to do it 'by feel' is impossible because of the
excellent brake-generator integration.
Profile on Hills
Next we drove down Bradford Drive to Sparkman. The hills provided an
opportunity to see the engine cut off going down hill and back on going
up. However, there appears to be a 3-5 second delay in the engine
shutdown which means smaller hills might not see the energy savings.
Regardless, the transitions were smooth and unremarkable.
Cruise Control Operation
On Sparkman, I tried setting the cruise control to a speed that would
support electric operation. After several tries, we found that 29-30 mph
was the highest speed that worked in electric drive mode. By driving on
cruise control at 29-30 mph, the vehicle would transition from gas to
electric and back seamlessly . . . very cool.
Conclusions
Overall, this is a pretty, second generation, hybrid-electric. It is
hampered by legacy 12 V. electronics and needs driver feedback to
optimize regenerative braking. Furthermore, the 30 mph limit on electric
cruise seems a little low for our Huntsville 'rush minute.' But it would
silently ghost through neighborhoods and parking lots. The rated highway
mileage is reasonable for the body style.
The SUV body style will haul a good load with a large, flat floor.
Adding a trailer hitch would let it handle oversized loads on a trailer.
It could go on vacation towing a small trailer and once it is parked,
the Escort could scamper about without burning up a lot of fuel.
Matching Vehicle to Driving Profile
The two-wheel drive Escape would be a fine commuter / light weight
utility vehicle. It won't burn a lot of fuel below 30 mph and has the
extra capacity to support hauling a reasonable load. It is a reasonable,
light utility vehicle along the same lines of what an SUV version of a
Toyota Prius might be.
The four-wheel drive is interesting but appears to sacrifice fuel
efficiency and adds complexity. If someone worked construction or a farm
where there was a regular need for off-road use, it would be a fine
vehicle. But it wouldn't be a good choice for an urban dweller except in
areas with substantial snow on the streets.
Optimal Configuration
The first year of any new technology often combines startup problems
with premium price, especially for a popular vehicle. Rapid advances are
expected but often the law of supply and demand forces pioneers to pay
for more than is needed. In engineering, we say pick any two of three
from: (1) good, (2) fast, or (3) cheap.
Looking at the Ford Escape, I would order and wait for:
o Front-wheel drive
o Tow package
o Built-in 1.5 KW inverter
o AC
o Electric doors, seats and windows (standard)
o Silver
There are some options I would look at:
o Satellite radio
o Hands free cell phone
o Side and rear object detection (perimeter guard)
o Aluminum wheels
o Step (for wife)
I would not pay for:
o Eye candy trim
o Over specified sound systems
o Tinted windows (old eyes don't need a darker night!)
o Leather anything
o Cargo anything"
Where is the political aspect?
- My test drive was Dec. 17, 2004 instead of 2002
- Ford is buying a lot of their technology from Japan, Inc.
- The hydrogen fuel program killed the US high-milage / hybrid electric
program
Bob Wilson
ps. Dang busy time of year, this year. Hopefully time will be more
available after Christmas, before New Years . . . you know, the midway
break in the "Happy Holidays."