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[loosus]

That was actually really impressive until they told about the caveats.

My neighbor has a Toyota hybrid that really averages 52 MPG, even while driving like a 'tard. That is, in real life -- the life we all live in -- he can average that much. Ford needs to do the same test, except without the stupid strings attached.

 

[speculawyer]

When automakers quote a number, it's usually the best scenario which usually aren't realistic. Does 100 miles includes stop & go traffic or constant 55-60 mph, using AC / heat, radio, headlights and/or etc.? Plus your commute into the city maybe 30 to and 30 back (60 miles total), but you might be trap in traffic for hours.

As long as you are not blasting the heat or AC, being stuck in traffic for hours would be just fine. Electric motors don't idle . . . if you are not moving you are not using electricity (except for the accessories such as radio, lights, etc.).

If your commute is 30 in and 30 back for a car with 100 mile range, you should be fine . . . but it sure would be nice to have charging ability at work. This is something the government should start moving on now . . . start working on regulations that mandate charging facilities for employees. They can start very small & limited . . . but this really is an issue that they should start with now.

 

[speculawyer]

http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13746_7-10230024-48.html
<ford fusion hybrid stuff>

Damn, that is impressive. And an interesting new hybrid model . .. sort of the medium-speed only.

People will really need to figure out their driving habits and match them to the car they need. If most of your driving is below 45mph, that new ford sounds great. However, if you drive 60+ on a freeway every day, it won't be so good . . . you'll be better off with the Chevy Volt that will go full-freeway speeds on pure electric.

 

[Phobophile]

I'd hate to be behind this jackass, and considering I rarely am, based on my anecdotal experience I feel confident to say that hardly anyone drives this way.

I drive like that all the time. I'd rather coast than tap on the brake. I put enough distance between me and the person where if they tap on the brake, 4/5 times I only need to coast to decelerate.

Fuck the assholes who brake hard and accelerate hard. You're not going anywhere any faster.

 

[Keylime]

I drive like that all the time. I'd rather coast than tap on the brake. I put enough distance between me and the person where if they tap on the brake, 4/5 times I only need to coast to decelerate.

Fuck the assholes who brake hard and accelerate hard. You're not going anywhere any faster.

When you're stuck at the light and I go through it, I beg to differ.

Spoiler

I hear you, but I hope you recognize that that type of driving is not the norm at all

 

[Ace 8095]

Not really:

* Slowing down and maintaining even throttle pressure
* Gradually accelerating and smoothly braking
* Maintaining a safe distance between vehicles and anticipating traffic conditions
* Coasting up to red lights and stop signs to avoid fuel waste and brake wear
* Minimize use of heater and air conditioning to reduce the load on the engine
* Close windows at high speeds to reduce aerodynamic drag
* Applying the "Pulse and Glide" technique while maintaining the flow of traffic
* Minimize excessive engine workload by using the vehicle's kinetic forward motion to climb hills, and use downhill momentum to build speed
* Avoiding bumps and potholes that can reduce momentum

I'd hate to be behind this jackass, and considering I rarely am, based on my anecdotal experience I feel confident to say that hardly anyone drives this way.

You've never been in the car with my father. He somehow had the ability to get 32mpg in our 1990 Lincoln Town Car.

 

[Phobophile]

Anyway, I've been impressed by these cars Ford's gonna be putting out. For me it's a toss up between another Ford when I'm done with my 03 Focus in about 3-4 years or something like a Subaru Impreza.

 

[mr stroke]

for all those complaining about the Euro Fords looking better-good news! Ford is supposed to make all there cars a global platform over the next 5 years so what you see in UK is what you should see in US(starting with the nest gen Focus and Fiesta)


also the New Explorer looks good-

 

[Slizz]

for all those complaining about the Euro Fords looking better-good news! Ford is supposed to make all there cars a global platform over the next 5 years so what you see in UK is what you should see in US(starting with the nest gen Focus and Fiesta)


also the New Explorer looks good-
wtfisthis.jpg
areyouserious.jpg

that looks horrendous

 

[twinturbo2]

that looks horrendous

It's a concept, it'll change.

 

[NinjaFridge]

for all those complaining about the Euro Fords looking better-good news! Ford is supposed to make all there cars a global platform over the next 5 years so what you see in UK is what you should see in US(starting with the nest gen Focus and Fiesta)


also the New Explorer looks good-

That looks like complete ass. Hopefully US gets the EU version of the cars and not the other way about.

 

[Slizz]

It's a concept, it'll change.

k, thought it was the actual production model lol. reminds me of those wierd suzuki jeep things

 

[Raistlin]

Half of electricity generated in the USA is from coal, but the other half is is divided between nuclear(20%), Natural Gas(20%), hydroelectric(7%) and the rest is renewables.

As a random side-point, I'd consider hydroelectric to be renewable for all intents and purposes.

 

[Dazzla]

Am I wrong for expecting more?

It's pretty common for brand new diesel cars (including Fords) in the UK and Europe to have 40+ MPG around the city, ~80MPG on long runs and around 60MPG combined.

All whilst having emissions hovering around 120g/km...

 

[Raistlin]

I'm just telling you some reasons why people are so resistant. It's the vocal minority who are paranoid by stuff just like the people who complain that 32-64GB isn't enough storage for their phone. Will/do they need all that space? Most likely not at all. It's the same situation with cars, people don't want to be tethered whether it affects them or not.

I personally do travel > 100m enough that it would be problematic for me to have one as my only car. Having to rent as often as I would need to would be pretty pricy and annoying.

I really hope some of the ideas to have standardized batteries so you can actually swap at stations pan out. That would really solve all of the issues.

 

[gcubed]

Am I wrong for expecting more?

It's pretty common for brand new diesel cars (including Fords) in the UK and Europe to have 40+ MPG around the city, ~80MPG on long runs and around 60MPG combined.

All whilst having emissions hovering around 120g/km...

no you arent wrong, but you're dealing with the US here, where there is a preconceived notion that diesel is dirty loud and bad, coupled with the fact that diesel is a premium of about $1 a gallon more then unleaded, you have a tough time getting diesels to take hold in this country... unfortuantely

 

[Zyzyxxz]

As a random side-point, I'd consider hydroelectric to be renewable for all intents and purposes.

renewable but not without its one time, longterm consequences of having to fill up a valley full of water and displacing tons of habitat for wildlife.

 

[Raistlin]

does the "average" family only own 1 car anymore? I'd argue that isnt "average" anymore.

The family you use to set up your example that lives in the suburbs and has to drive to work, wouldn't really be average, if they only owned one car

The problem is, most average families have let's say two parents that both work. They each have a car. Then maybe one or more of the kids have a car. The issue is, they are all normally used cars, none of them are something like a 'summer' car. So considering both parents commute, they would both like to have this sort of high-effeciency car. But what happens when they need to travel? Borrow the kids car?

So, even though they average family has more than one car, I really don't think it's average that one is relegated to part-time usage. Obviously this scenario can still work, but that's only if one of the parents' cars is electric (in this example, I'm disregarding kids cars).

That isn't ideal for the future. That means we still have to have a gas or hybrid in normal rotation.

 

[Raistlin]

So the thing goes 1400+ miles on a single tank if you drive like a grandma.

Fantastic progress!

Spoiler

It is awesome, but come on...not at all realistic

And if you drive like an ass, it will probably gets near 1000. How is that unrealistic? What's you current car get?

It's obviously still a huge improvement in effeciency, even if not perfect.

 

[Zozz]

The problem is, most average families have let's say two parents that both work. They each have a car. Then maybe one or more of the kids have a car. The issue is, they are all normally used cars, none of them are something like a 'summer' car. So considering both parents commute, they would both like to have this sort of high-effeciency car. But what happens when they need to travel? Borrow the kids car?

Even though they average family has more than one car, I really don't think it's average that one is relegated to 'summer' usage. Obviously this scenario can still work, but only if only one of the parents' cars is electric (in this example, I'm disregarding kids cars).

That isn't ideal for the future. That means we still have to have a gas or hybrid in normal rotation.

Stop whining already, it's new. People would bitch if they didn't get this out quicker. If they said to wait more until it could get 200 miles on a charge, people would bitch.

If anyone is going to buy this they will know the limitations, If you can't do less than 100 than don't buy it. It would be dumb for a family to own two of these. When it's still so primitive.

 

[Phoenix]

for all those complaining about the Euro Fords looking better-good news! Ford is supposed to make all there cars a global platform over the next 5 years so what you see in UK is what you should see in US(starting with the nest gen Focus and Fiesta)


also the New Explorer looks good-

No... that looks bad - criminally bad!!!

 

[The Librarian]

for all those complaining about the Euro Fords looking better-good news! Ford is supposed to make all there cars a global platform over the next 5 years so what you see in UK is what you should see in US(starting with the nest gen Focus and Fiesta)


also the New Explorer looks good-
http://i42.tinypic.com/2qltyj4.jpg[/I
[IMG]http://i40.tinypic.com/9ap8oy.jpg[/I][/QUOTE]
That does look good.

 

[Phoenix]

That does look good.

Just because it looks like its from the DS9 set doesn't mean it looks good

 

[speculawyer]

The problem is, most average families have let's say two parents that both work. They each have a car. Then maybe one or more of the kids have a car. The issue is, they are all normally used cars, none of them are something like a 'summer' car. So considering both parents commute, they would both like to have this sort of high-effeciency car. But what happens when they need to travel? Borrow the kids car?

So, even though they average family has more than one car, I really don't think it's average that one is relegated to part-time usage. Obviously this scenario can still work, but that's only if one of the parents' cars is electric (in this example, I'm disregarding kids cars).

That isn't ideal for the future. That means we still have to have a gas or hybrid in normal rotation.

So we shouldn't move to electric until it is a perfect replacement for gas cars? That is damn silly.

Evolution . . . not revolution. Start with one car in a two-car family. And start with PHEVs with a short electric-only range, not 200+ mile range EVs like the Tesla.

As gas prices continue to go up and battery prices come down, things will continue to move toward electrics.


BTW, battery prices are never going to come way down as some people would like to believe. I think that with mass production and the proper battery chemistry selection, the prices for automotive batteries will drop down to the $250 to $300/Kwh level. That will still be damn expensive. However, it will be cheap enough to make EVs economically viable.


But I'm sorry to have to tell people this . . . but you are eventually going to have to start accepting smaller & more efficient cars and trucks. The days of the Hummer are limited (literally actually since GM is gonna kill them off.). In order to make a cost effective EV, they will need to be small, aerodynamic, and light. But don't blame smaller cars on EV problems . . . you'll be buying smaller gas cars too. When gas starts costing more than $6/gallon (as it will eventually) gas cars are gonna be shrinking down too.

 

[reggieandTFE]

The Euro-styled Focus will be my next car as I'm currently still driving an 06 Focus ZX4. Hopefully they'll have a hybrid model out by then.

 

[Phoenix]

But I'm sorry to have to tell people this . . . but you are eventually going to have to start accepting smaller & more efficient cars and trucks.

And to tell you the truth, most of the "small" cars aren't that bad. I sat in a bunch of them in Rio and while they seem small, they really aren't that small. One of the things lost on a lot of people when they speak about Brazil's oil independence is that pretty much all of the cars (and bikes - they have a lot of motorcycles) on the road are no bigger than a civic.

 

[Lathentar]

I have been contemplating buying Ford stock the last few months. Despite all of the bullshit they've put on the market in the past, they've been making very good moves over the past few years. Reliability is improving, and they're planning on models that people will want. They've reduced their debt so they can keep credit lines and cars selling.

Would have been a smart move! Up ~50% from April 13th.

 

[J-Rzez]

Not enough range, and too much downtime for electric only vehicles. It maybe fine for niche markets, like perhaps elderly / freshly retired people who may not go far, but it's not even realistic enough for "soccer moms".

Glad to see the SHO having some nuts to it though, and more power than the mustang GT :lol

Ford needs to get their AWD Turbo Focus/Hatch/RS over here to the states. There's still a market for these cars if priced right. Especially for people like me that lives in shitty weather areas where AWD is needed, but I still want to have fun.

 

[Raistlin]

renewable but not without its one time, longterm consequences of having to fill up a valley full of water and displacing tons of habitat for wildlife.

I agree, though that is a separate issue. Obviously, the ecological effects can be large.


I'm lucky though, I live right next to Niagara Falls.

 

[Raistlin]

Stop whining already, it's new. People would bitch if they didn't get this out quicker. If they said to wait more until it could get 200 miles on a charge, people would bitch.

Why don't you stop whinning ... and read all of my posts.

I'm VERY happy they are coming out. I'm arguing against the people that think the global population can realistically jump en masse to this as their only vehicle.

It's a start, but as it currenty exists, is not the solution.

If anyone is going to buy this they will know the limitations, If you can't do less than 100 than don't buy it. It would be dumb for a family to own two of these. When it's still so primitive.

Read through this thread ... it would seem plenty of people seem to think there is no limitation.

 

[mr stroke]

It's a concept, it'll change.

Here is an updated pic, this is pretty close to what the production model will look like.(should know in about 6 months)

fuck the haters! This thing looks hot, and I have never been a fan of Explorers. Plus brand new suspension!!!!!and Hybrid sooner or later too.


and I will cross my fingers the 2011 Focus looks close to this-

Fords looking much better IMO. Not up to Japan yet, but the best of the Big 3

 

[Raistlin]

So we shouldn't move to electric until it is a perfect replacement for gas cars? That is damn silly.

blah blah blah

read my posts

 

[bone idle]

Oh I agree ... I'm just saying it's too bad. Not everyone wants, or can afford two cars.

Road trips will be a thing of nostalgia.

 

[Raistlin]

Road trips will be a thing of nostalgia.

:lol

 

[Phobophile]

and I will cross my fingers the 2011 Focus looks close to this-

Fords looking much better IMO. Not up to Japan yet, but the best of the Big 3

Dude that's the 2011 Fiesta

 

[mr stroke]

Dude that's the 2011 Fiesta

That is a concept render of a 2011 Focus(and how long ago I don't know)
looks close but I think that is what Ford is aiming for.


2010 Fiesta-