A flex-fuel hybrid?

You know what a flex-fuel vehicle is, right? (Hint: a vehicle that can use either gasoline and/or ethanol, or any combination thereof.) And you know what a hybrid vehicle is, right? (Hint: a vehicle with an electric motor and battery pack mated to an internal combustion engine.)

What do you get when you combine the two? You got it: a flex-fuel hybrid. And it looks like they're starting to infiltrate the cavalry. Ford has flexed the popular Escape Hybrid into the Ford E85 Escape Hybrid, and recently delivered four of these ethanol-fueled hybrids to the State of Missouri and the Kansas City Power & Light Plant. While these vehicles are part of a research project, no plans have yet been made for production. According to a Ford Motor Co. press release, the E85 Escape Hybrid produces about 25 percent fewer greenhouse gases than a gasoline-fueled Escape Hybrid. In the same press release, Ford also states that they have committed to making half their annual vehicle production capable of running on alternative fuels by 2012.

For 2008, Ford will be offering hybrid versions of the Fusion and Mercury Milan, joining some other current flex-fuel contenders such as the F-150 pick-up we recently reviewed. And in the meantime, if you've got an eye for hybrids, check out our recent road tests of the 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid and the 2008 Mercury Mariner Hybrid.

2008 Ford Escape Hybrid - photo © Adrian Gable