Set to arrive soon in the U.S. market is Ford’s C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid, which is expected to run on 20 miles on purely electricity. Ford said that it has a 550-mile overall range, which gives it the only hybrid that could be driven from Sacramento to San Diego with just one tank of fuel. Ford claims that the C-MAX Energi can achieve a 95 MPGe combined rating. It has a starting price of $25,995, undercutting the Prius V (its biggest rival) by $1,300. It is powered by a 2.0-liter Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder engine, which when combined with a battery-driven electric motor, gives the car 188hp. This makes it boast of 50p more than the Prius plug-in hybrid. In Europe, over 144,000 C-MAX (both gas and diesel powered) have been sold. The model has been available there since 2010. Kevin Layden, the director of Ford electrification programs and engineering, said that C-MAX Energi doesn’t only offer leading efficiency. It also offers more power and features class-exclusive technologies like the hands-free liftgate and active park assist that makes parallel parking easier.“We are proud C-MAX Energi is the first plug-in hybrid that can deliver a 550-mile overall range and more than 20 miles of electric range as it gives customers great flexibility to commute to work, then take off for a road trip while passing many gas stations along the way,” says John Davis, chief nameplate engineer for Ford’s compact cars and utility vehicles. “C-MAX Energi is a great symbol for the leading fuel economy we’re delivering across our lineup to give customers the power of choice to save money at the pump.”
Ford C-MAX Energi will have an electric-only range of 20 miles
by Andrew Christian, Email, 22 Jul, 2012
