Just as gas prices start to fall slightly and we felt like there might be hope along comes Ike and causes them to spike to an all time high. Families everywhere are wondering where else they can cut back to cover the cost of fueling up the family vehicle to get back and forth to work and take care of the necessities of life. There is no money left for relaxation and family fun. The stress level continues to rise. Most areas of the country have seen a sharp rise in their electric bill as power companies pass their increased production costs on to consumers. The price of a gallon of milk is almost as precious as a gallon of gas. The cost of every consumer product has risen sharply. Americans are stretched to the limit. Jobs are being lost, foreclosures are increasing at an alarming rate. Seems even the family pets are suffering the high cost of fuel as almost daily a sad new story is on TV about shelters being forced to euthanize record number of surrendered pets from those forced out of their homes due to foreclosure or they simply can't afford to feed them anymore. The energy crisis in our country is far reaching and needs immediate attention. Our economy is in a sorry state of affairs directly related to the high cost of fuel. We have become so dependant on foreign oil that we have neglected to fully utilize such natural sources of energy such wind power & solar power. Along with modern technology such as plug in cars, hybrid cars, v2g technology ,and regenerative braking, technology we still seem to be floundering as a nation as to devising the best plan utilize all that is available to us and lift ourselves out of this mess we are in. We need to take our closest look at which candidates put our economy and energy crisis at the forefront of their agenda. The Manhattan Project of 2009 by Jeff Wilso

That is the most naive statement I have ever heard. By the time the consumer wants a hybrid, someone else would have come up with it.
Ford needs to try their best to predict what the consumer wants, and deliver it when the time is right. Don't let GM and Toyota beat you.

I dont think I would need a hybrid . But Ford can put something really cheap in all its models that will automatically shut down while waiting for stoplights at intersections. Or at least use that idle time to generate electricity that can be used to charge a small battery pack that can be used to power an electric motor for moving again in the low speed extremes while restarting the engine again. I do not think it will take too long to implement that. It can do wonders for city gas mileage especially.

Many 35 plus mpg cars has really lousy city mileage like way below 30 or even 25. Take Aveo 27/34 or Focus smoething like 26/35. There is a wide disapirity between city and highway mpg that can be narrowed with a small battery pack and a small electric motor of probably 5-10 kilowatt that is powerful enough to push it up to 5 to 10 mph before switching back to the main engine propulsion. That way , none of the idle energy you waste parking while warming up or stopping so frequently at the intersections during your shopping sprees or whatever. If this will add less than $1000 to the model price, I will go for it. You will probably need just a pair of lead acid batteries to go along with an extra alternator and that small electric motor attached to one of the wheels.

Many 35 plus mpg cars has really lousy city mileage like way below 30 or even 25. Take Aveo 27/34 or Focus smoething like 26/35. There is a wide disapirity between city and highway mpg that can be narrowed with a small battery pack and a small electric motor of probably 5-10 kilowatt that is powerful enough to push it up to 5 to 10 mph before switching back to the main engine propulsion. That way , none of the idle energy you waste parking while warming up or stopping so frequently at the intersections during your shopping sprees or whatever. If this will add less than $1000 to the model price, I will go for it. You will probably need just a pair of lead acid batteries to go along with an extra alternator and that small electric motor attached to one of the wheels.

Many 35 plus mpg cars has really lousy city mileage like way below 30 or even 25. Take Aveo 27/34 or Focus smoething like 26/35. There is a wide disapirity between city and highway mpg that can be narrowed with a small battery pack and a small electric motor of probably 5-10 kilowatt that is powerful enough to push it up to 5 to 10 mph before switching back to the main engine propulsion. That way , none of the idle energy you waste parking while warming up or stopping so frequently at the intersections during your shopping sprees or whatever. If this will add less than $1000 to the model price, I will go for it. You will probably need just a pair of lead acid batteries to go along with an extra alternator and that small electric motor attached to one of the wheels.

A pair of lead acid battery is powerful enough to push your car on electricity for a couple thousand feet at least, dont they?? This is good enough for me especially for using it on the low speed and restarting the engine from the stop go. I can have an extra heavy duty altenrator that can do double duty as charging the main battery and the extra couple separate lead acid batteries used for elecricity to feed the electric motor used to push you from stop.

A pair of lead acid battery is powerful enough to push your car on electricity for a couple thousand feet at least, dont they?? This is good enough for me especially for using it on the low speed and restarting the engine from the stop go. I can have an extra heavy duty altenrator that can do double duty as charging the main battery and the extra couple separate lead acid batteries used for elecricity to feed the electric motor

ford has dropped the ball for fuel economy. Twenty five years ago a six cylinder full size pickup could get 15-20 mpg. I know I had one. with all our technology we cant beat the torque and mpg of an inline 300 cubic inch six cylinder with a tiny one barrell carb. My 07 freestyle consistently gets 24mpg or better. The Taurus X it's younger sister gets a BIGGER less fuel efficient motor and six speed auto and consistently gets 3-4 mpg less than the car it replaces. Wasn't that smart! The US auto makers need to pull their executive heads out of their asses and show the world the US can build quality fuel efficient cars that can compete in any market.

Even though Ford is saying they are going to take a conservative approach to hybrids they are only months away from introducing the Fusion/Milan hybrids that are reported to get north of 40 mpg. Once again they are limited on the numbers they can sell (30K) due to component constraints but these models will have a waiting list even longer than the 2 month waiting list for the Escape Hybrid. Fusion/Milan are larger than Prius but will be relatively (7-10mpg) close to the Prius in MPG. Much better than the Camry Hybrid which is the nearest real competitor. Additionally, the Edge hybrid is just over a year away. Ford appears to already be into hybrids in a big way. So their statement doesn't make a whole lot of sense. But with oil in the low 90s today you might see a slowdown in all small car sales due to the stupidity of the American consumer.

FORD should exploit its European diesel technology which is very successful in Europe. They should downsize thier engines using turbochargers for the power boost , improved engine controls and 6-speed trannies. Americans need to drive long distances and carry kids and "stuff" but with improved efficiency. We do not need 0-60 in 6 seconds. I am trying to understand why FORD wastes resources developing two large crossovers, the Taurus X and the new F---? crossover. The decision on hybrids may be appropriate due to the hybrid complexity and the battery costs. Wait until the current batch of hybrids need batteries replaced and you will start hearing some real objections to hybrids. GM is letting the world believe that the VOLT will save the company . That is a fools game because people in the US need a vehicle with more range than the VOLT and that will haul stuff. Look at whats on the road today while many of the vehicles may be TOO large the desire for hauling capability is still there. Europe has had high gas prices for years and they have more appropriate sized vehicles that are functional.

The R & D people at Ford are doing a poor job. The people that want to buy hybrids are generally not the same people that want to buy SUV's. Why did Ford start with a hybrid SUV that gets at best 28mpg? Why has Ford not gone into CNG or electric vehicles?