Featured 2019 Ford Escape to get plug-in hybrid, plus Expedition SUV hybrid, Lincoln versions too: report

if i may piggyback the bigger battery location quandry (& dovetail into my prior post re volvo pics) - it would seem Volvo solved the issue ah la bmw's i3. Here's Volvo's pretty large-sized offering - sucking up juice in our employee parking lot;







got on line to get the skinny on how it's configured, ice, motor & traction pack;



Seems they'd have been better off to go skateboard to lower center of gravity rather than the volt type tunnel set up. but what do I know.

In any event - how unlikely is it that either Toyota or Ford will ever go with a rear engine ice to facilitate locating all of the plugin goodies.
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I remember test driving the 36V, Saturn Vue hybrid. Perhaps this time our understanding will improve. <grins>

The biggest problem is Toyota came up with a standard body style which I suspect was designed for crash tests, not power battery packs. In contrast, a battery based, body design puts them on the bottom like the Tesla, Volt, and BMW i3. Fortunately even with the 'wasted space,' the Prime fully meets our requirements.

Bob Wilson

 

i think hyundai managed to squeeze a battery box in there, not sure about the bev.

 

Is it still a through the road hybrid like the original XC60 diesel PHEV that was a hit in Europe?
Volvo still puts the ICE up front.

With that you have to take into account the exhaust and catalytic converters when placing the battery pack. The the ICE model likely had a transmission tunnel in place for the AWD system that the PHEV could use for the battery.

No, Toyota's problem is that they forgot that a PHEV uses a bigger battery.

The Ioniq PHEV loses cargo spacecompared to the hybrid; about 4 cubic feet for 23 total. It keeps the hybrid's independent rear suspension. The Electric goes to a torsion bar rear, for battery space, so it has the same cargo volume as the PHEV.
Compare Side-by-Side

 

well, it's 2019, from every calendar I've looked at.

 

I have fond memories of test driving an Escape hybrid.

Bob Wilson

 

Glad to hear it, that’s probably all you’ll ever have

 

2020 Ford Escape to offer PHEV variant - report | CarAdvice

Looking at a 2020 model year.
Ford is likely more focused on the new Explorer for 2020 in terms of publicity. it has a hybrid option, and the Lincoln version PHEV.

 

Putting it off year to year is a winning strategy

 

Well, people have actually driven the Aviator PHEV.

The current Escape is on its seventh year. Considering the market, I don't see Ford coasting on the design, and 2020MY should be a redesign. Still plenty of time and auto shows for Ford to say anything official. The New York Auto Show is in April.

 

Rear or mid engine phev requires a clean sheet design to really take advantage. Ford doesn't appear to have deep enough pockets to do it, so I would bet against it. Toyota has plenty of cash to do such a design, and the question is really the will. I would think that perhaps a dedicated AWD crossover phev with subaru or mazda as a partner makes a lot of sense. I would not expect it for another 5 years though.

 

hindsight being 20/20 ....
Ford CTO Raj Nair: Ford won&#039;t release hydrogen car in 2017 - Business Insider
Perhaps if they hadn't been blowing all that money on the dead-end hydrogen Highway fiasco, they could have had a nice warchest for a skateboard platform. Maybe they could team up with others, who knows. Either way I wish them the best.
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know your audience
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a neighbor 5 Doors Down has one. He's had it since it was new - around two thousand five or six. Says it's still running great. I recall both Ford & Prius cross licensed their Synergy drives since they were so very similar.
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from what i'm reading, ford may be the next gm. they're losing all over the world.

 

Very belated quote but anyway:

I don't see that. By variant you mean take the hybrid vehicle and shoehorn in at least 100% more battery? That seems a strain on both variants, more so on the plug in version.

Personally I'm only interested in a hybrid vehicle, the presence or absence of a plug in variant makes no difference to my interest.

 

removing the spare and storage renders the shoehorn unnecessary

 

The 2020 Escape has been unveiled, and details are starting to come out. There is a hybrid and PHEV option. No official EPA figures yet.
2020 Ford Escape revealed: Hybrid returns teasing nearly 40 mpg, plug-in hybrid version with 30 electric miles
I read elsewhere that the model should start appearing on dealer lots in the fall.

 

I am out of the market looking for a SUV, but future looks brighter. At least there seems to be more choices next time around.