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Road tripping in a Ford Fusion Energi PHEV

Following my earlier Chevy Cruze Diesel trip and recent press-launch drives of Volvo XC90 and Hyundai Sonata plug-in hybrids, an opportunity arose for another road trip. I wanted to do it in a plug-in hybrid, primarily to learn whether its higher price vs. gas-powered and conventional hybrid versions of the same vehicle – is justified by its capability to operate as an EV, burning no fuel at all with its engine off, at least for short distances. I've been skeptical of plug-in parallel hybrids. As I've written before, I've been skeptical of plug-in parallel hybrids because they are generally good for very limited electric miles (typically 10-15, depending on driving style, terrain, and temperature) at fairly leisurely speeds before their engines kick in. But I've recently spent time in two new examples – the 2016 Volvo XC90 T8 and the 2016 Hyundai Sonata PHEV – that offer more EV range, mostly because they tote bigger (thus more expensive) batteries. Both promise 24-25 miles of battery-only range, and the latter can recharge on the fly. Unfortunately, neither was yet available for my July road trip, nor was a Honda or Toyota plug-in, but Ford anted up a Fusion Energi borrowed from its Marketing department. "The state-of-the-art lithium-ion battery and electric motor combined with the gasoline engine offers maximum efficiency," says Ford about it. "This strategy offers the best of both worlds, providing the 2016 Ford Fusion Energi the capability to be driven as an electric vehicle for short trips and as a hybrid for longer trips." I've been a fan of Ford's Fusion since the first-generation debuted a decade back, and the handsome Gen II version launched for 2013 has been Detroit's best answer to the Honda Accord/Toyota Camry/Nissan Altima Japanese juggernaut in the popular US mid-size sedan segment. Beyond its leading-man looks, it offers an array of highly-functional features (some exclusive), a choice of three gas engines (a base 2.5-liter four and 1.6-liter and 2.0-liter direct-injected, turbocharged EcoBoost fours) and both parallel and plug-in parallel hybrid versions. The regular hybrid originally boasted 47 mpg before Ford adjusted it to be more realistic. The gas engines drive through a 6-speed automatic transmission (a 6-speed manual is standard with the 1.6-liter EcoBoost), the hybrids through an electric continuously variable transaxle (eCVT), and all-wheel drive is available with the 2.0-liter EcoBoost four.

Obama Administration wants 200-mile EV that charges in under 10 minutes

When it comes to electric vehicles, you can find issues preventing mass adoption pretty much anywhere. Which is why you can then also look for solutions pretty much anywhere. That's the method the Obama Administration announced yesterday and it involves everything from shorter charging times to more public chargers, from bigger government fleets of electrified vehicles to an "Electric Vehicle Hackathon." The new plan is looking into blistering charging speeds of up to 350 kW. Perhaps most exciting, there was a commitment made to try and increase the speed of fast charging. Today, Tesla's Supercharger network has the fastest public charging available ( up to 145 kW), but the new plan is looking into blistering speeds of up to 350 kW. That's fast enough to recharge a 200-mile EV in under 10 minutes. Another cool future was promised by the Battery500 Consortium goal, which wants to create better batteries that cost under $100 per kWh. There was no actual technology revealed at this time, but announcements like this are about new ways to approach the future, not the nitty-gritty technical details. That's why the new announcement touts the fact that 12 utilities and charging companies have committed to increase their deployment of EVs and charging infrastructure, that there are 35 new partners (businesses, non-profits, universities, and utilities) for the DOE's Workplace Charging Challenge, and that there will be an EV "Hackathon" this fall to, "discover insights and develop new solutions for electric vehicle charging." The White House's announcement comes on the heels of the first-ever Sustainable Transportation Summit (STS). The STS was sponsored by the Department of Energy (DOE) and was held earlier this month in Washington, DC. After all this activity, almost 50 companies and organizations have signed on to the new "Guiding Principles to Promote Electric Vehicles and Charging Infrastructure" document, including the usual suspects: Tesla, BMW, Nissan, Ford, General Motors, Chargepoint, the California Air Resources Board, and the State of California (notably, the usual suspects are also missing). You can read the entire announcement from the White House here, but we've put the Guiding Principles below. The Obama Administration has made strong pushes for electric vehicles before, including proposals to increase the tax credit for EV buyers to $10,000, among other things.

RWD Lincolns are coming, fate depends partly on MKZ success

The product portfolio at Lincoln may seem a bit sparse at the moment, but if a report is to be believed, new products are on the way. TheDetroitBureau.com spoke with sources at Lincoln and Ford, who claimed the American premium brand is working on, perhaps more than one, rear-wheel-drive vehicle.
Lincoln would likely platform-share with the next-generation Ford Mustang to develop those RWD offerings in the early going. Moving forward, the report indicates that Lincoln could take the lead on other rear-drive projects in the future. As the RWD architecture continues to take shape, "most or all" of the front-wheel-drive portfolio will also be offered with all-wheel drive as an option, ala Audi.
But wait, there's more! The report also suggests that a replacement for the full-size MKS is on the way, as well as a new Navigator and a luxury crossover based on the current Ford Escape.