2001 Ford F150 Xlt on 2040-cars

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Big electric trucks won't save the planet, says the NYT

When The New York Times decides that an issue is an issue, be prepared to read about it at length. Rarely will a week passes these days when the esteemed news organization doesn’t examine the realities, myths and alleged benefits and drawbacks of electric vehicles, and even The Atlantic joins in sometimes. That revolution, marked by changes in manufacturing, consumer habits and social “consciousness,” may in fact be upon us. Or it may not. Nonetheless, the newspaper appears committed to presenting to the public these pros and cons. In this recently published article titled, “Just How Good for the Planet Is That Big Electric Pickup Truck?”—wow, thatÂ’s a mouthful — the Times focuses on the “bigness” of the current and pending crop of EVs, and how that impacts or will impact the environment and road safety. This is not what news organizations these days are fond of calling “breaking news.” In October, we pointed to an essay in The Atlantic that covered pretty much the same ground, and focused on the Hummer as one particular villain, In the paper and online on Feb. 18, the Times' Elana Shao observes how “swapping a gas pickup truck for a similar electric one can produce significant emissions savings.” She goes on: “Take the Ford F-150 pickup truck compared with the electric F-150 Lightning. The electric versions are responsible for up to 50 percent less greenhouse gas emissions per mile.” But she right away flips the argument, noting the heavier electric pickup trucks “often require bigger batteries and more electricity to charge, so they end up being responsible for more emissions than other smaller EVs. Taking into consideration the life cycle emissions per mile, they end up just as polluting as some smaller gas-burning cars.” Certainly, itÂ’s been drummed into our heads that electric cars donÂ’t run on air and water but on electricity that costs money, and that the public will be dealing with “the shift toward electric SUVs, pickup trucks and crossover vehicles, with some analysts estimating that SUVs, pickup trucks and vans could make up 78 percent of vehicle sales by 2025." No-brainer alert: Big vehicles cost more to charge. And then thereÂ’s the safety question, which was cogently addressed in the Atlantic story. Here Shao reiterates data documenting the increased risks of injuries and deaths caused by larger, heavier vehicles.

New Ford Escape spied inside and out

For the 2016 model year, the Ford Escape receives the Blue Oval's latest Sync 3 infotainment system and some minor tweaks to the color and trim options. Based on these new spy shots, it would appear that the crossover is due for some much bigger changes not too far into the future, as well. The thorough refresh isn't just an exterior styling update, either. Ford's designers are giving the future Escape a front end that's a bit more in the style of the latest Edge, at least based on these shots. Peek behind the mesh obscuring the grille, and the styling there now appears to have a hexagonal shape with horizontal slats and a smaller, lower intake. At the same time, the headlights are narrower and come to a sharper point as they wrap around the fender. The heavy camouflage makes the changes at the back harder to spot, although the taillights seem subtly tweaked with a similar overall shape but a clear stripe cutting through the center. The Escape also seems to be receiving a completely different center stack inside, but the area is still well concealed. The gearshift moves down between the seats, and that allows physical controls for the radio and HVAC to take that real estate. It's possible that the infotainment screen might pop up from the mesh-covered area you can see at the top of the interior photos. Take a look through the gallery for some detailed shots of Ford's camouflaged crossover.

Will the Ford GT make 630 hp?

Ford intends to build just 250 examples of the next-generation GT annually when production begins next year. That's low even by supercar standards, but anyone with an Xbox One can drive the highly anticipated model right now in the demo for Forza Motorsport 6. The car is even on the cover of the retail version, but the game might be giving a glimpse at one of the upcoming vehicle's biggest secrets. According to the specs page, the GT makes 630 horsepower and 539 pound-feet of torque, according to Motor Authority. Weight is shown at 2,890 pounds with a front/rear distribution of 43/57. Until now, Ford's only comment on the GT's output from its 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 is "more than 600 horsepower," and that's certainly the case here. If accurate, the figures make the new model 130-hp more powerful than than the last GT, while also being hundreds of pounds lighter. Compared to modern competitors, the GT would be less powerful than a Ferrari 488 GTB and heavier than a McLaren 675LT. Unfortunately, Ford isn't commenting on the numbers in the game. "As we stated back at NAIAS, the Ford GT will produce more than 600 horsepower, and we can't speak to what Forza includes as specifications in their video game," company spokesperson Matt Leaver said to Autoblog via email. Don't think this is all doom and gloom, just yet. For one thing, more than numbers make a great car. Plus, the GT is still quite some way out from production, and spy shots still show it under development. Even if these figures are accurate at the time of Forza's development, that doesn't mean that they can't change in the meantime. Related Video: