Daily Auto News 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid Nets 41 MPG
Daily Auto News
The Environmental Protection Agency has officially released city/highway fuel economy figures for the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid — rating it at 41/36 mpg. According to a press release issued by Ford Motor Co., that makes it “America’s most fuel-efficient mid-size car..
USA Today writes, “That will make it the second-most fuel-efficient vehicle on the road, according to a ranking published on the EPA’s website, behind the smaller Toyota Prius and ahead of the smaller Honda Civic hybrid.” In fact, Ford’s press release notes that it even beats the “Toyota Camry hybrid by 8 mpg in city and 2 mpg on highway” and “can travel more than 700 miles on a single tank of gas in city driving.”
The 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid operates on “a 106-hp electric motor and a 156-hp, 2.5-liter inline-4; the combined rating of the pair is 191 hp,” writes Car and Driver.
According to Autoblog, “Credit goes to Ford and its engineers who developed the Fusion Hybrid’s new hybrid drivetrain, which is based on the same one used in the Ford Escape Hybrid but features many advances like smaller and lighter nickel-metal hydride batteries and the ability to run up to 47 mph on electric power alone.” The Detroit Free Press explains: “The Fusion’s nickel-metal hydride battery is lighter and produces 20% more power than the Ford Escape hybrid. It also devised a way to get 28% more power out of the battery cells, said Praveen Cherian, program leader for the Fusion Hybrid.”
“The company also has improved its regenerative braking system, which captures energy lost through brake friction and stores it for battery usage,” adds the Detroit Free Press. “Ford said 94% of brake friction energy is recovered in the new model.”
The 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid features other fuel-saving features as well — including an AC system that operates on electric-power not gas power, and SmartGauge, which teaches drivers “eco-driving” techniques via two instrument cluster display screens that allow drivers to monitor the Fusion Hybrid’s performance.
For more information and a full Fusion Hybrid photo gallery, continue with US News’ reviews of the 2009 Fusion and 2010 Fusion Hybrid. Also, be sure to check out US News’ Rankings and Reviews of all 2009 Hybrid Cars.
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