Series-hybrid vehicles are driven by the electric motor with no mechanical connection to the engine. Instead there is an engine tuned for running a generator when the battery pack energy supply isn’t sufficient for demands.

This arrangement is not new, being common in diesel-electric locomotives and ships. Ferdinand Porsche used this setup in the early 20th century in racing cars, effectively inventing the series-hybrid arrangement. Porsche named the arrangement “System Mixt”. A wheel hub motor arrangement, with a motor in each of the two front wheels was used, setting speed records. This arrangement was sometimes referred to as an electric transmission, as the electric generator and driving motor replaced a mechanical transmission. The vehicle could not move unless the internal combustion engine was running.

Hybridmann, Two mpg improvement may not seem like much, but replacing a 18 mpg vehicle with a 20 mpg vehicle will save more fuel than replacing a 40 mpg vehicle with a 51 mpg vehicle. At some point, it is better to put effort into improving large vehicle fuel economy.

If you think back several years back when gas prices first hit $4 a gallon, Ford immediately raised its price of its hybrid Escape $5K. Ford never lowered the MSRP and has maintained the price at that level. One year later, they quietly removed rear disc brakes and replaced it with drum brakes. Is this improving the vehicle? (No, it’s saving money for them and cheaping out the public who buys it)

Every car manufacture has stated at one point or another that the price of hybrids would be the same or nearly the same, not at a premium. It has not happened yet and hybrids have been here for ten years now.

As others have commented, Ford and other American manufactures need to be more serious about making a comparable car with a matching price point. Not a car that’s larger and more expensive. Example is GM’s hybrid SUV; the Tahoe only gets two more miles per gallon than the normal gas version. Get serious!

They are only fooling themselves

It’s understandable that the economy played a big role. Sales of most vehicles suffered a drop-off since the recession, I guess. But there are other factors at work, the current Prius, which gets a little bigger and improved fuel economy, debuted in 2009 and may draw away some customers, Camry is getting a bit long in the tooth – most customers who are interested in it may have got one, it is five years old – which historically is when it is replaced by a new model and there are rumours/speculations that a new model may arrive by the end of the year/early next year. In view of that, I’m not surprised if sales of Camry hybrid is depressed at the moment.

i’m not 100% sure but doesnt ford use toyota’s synergy drive? how american of ford to buy their technology from toyota, then turn around and proclaim how much more inferior their product is on their commercials. when they should be thankful, they could even get the opportunity to stick their foot in the door, of a segment they would have never had a chance at in the first place.

Toyota has sold 76,821 Camrys through March of this year to Ford’s 65,023 Fusions. But Fusion Hybrids out sold Camry Hybrids 3,814 to 3,290. So the Fusions Hybrid’s take rate is 5.87% and the Carmy’s only 4.28%. Looks like the public thinks the Fusion Hybrid is a better than the Camry Hybrid and is willing to pay for that difference.

I do hope that Ford does a hybrid Focus hatchback and that it is priced between the Insight and Prius. That will not happen until Ford has more control over its hybrid parts. Ford is building battery and transmission plants in Michigan. When these plants are on line we will then see how serious Ford is about hybrids.

Total car sales data is from the WSJ, hybrid sales data is from this web site.

Ford should either get serious or get out of the market.

It is not fair to compare a Fusion Hybrid to the cheapest Fusion. Just as it is not fair to compare a Prius to a Yaris as some fool did.