New Ford Hybrids Showing Record MPGe Rates

The escalating ‘pain at the pump’ over the last few years has proven to be just what the hybrid and electric car industries have needed to increase consumer demand for their vehicles – that, as well as improved performance technologies, and government incentives have also sweeten the deals improving sales.

These trends haven’t gone unnoticed by Ford, which has been working overtime of the last few years to ramp up its hybrid and electric fuel efficiency technologies and drive down its vehicle prices to levels the average consumer can afford – under the $50,000 range.

In the latest news, the 2013 Ford Fusion Energi plug-in hybrid – which was also recently named Green Car of the Year by the Green Car Journal – has been certified by the EPA at up to 108 MPGe city, which according to Ford bests the Toyota Prius plug-in hybrid by five MPGe.

The EPA also certified the Fusion Engeri to deliver up to 92 MPGe highway and a combined 100 MPGe, which Ford estimates “could potentially help save consumers an estimated $6,850 in fuel costs compared with an average new car over the course of five years.”

Two other vehicles in Ford’s electrified lineup – the Focus Electric and the C-MAX Energi – have also received EPA ratings of 100 MPGe or more.

The Focus Electric has an EPA estimated rating of 110 MPGe city, 99 MPGe highway, and 105 MPGe combined.

Falling slightly shorter, but still impressive on performance, the C-MAX Energi has an EPA estimated rating of 108 MPGe city, 92 MPGe highway, and 100 MPGe combined.

Ford said that it has been pushing hard on developing its electrified vehicles based on industry research showing increased consumer demand with “for the first time ever, electrified vehicle sales capturing nearly four percent of the total industry in November.”

Ford has also seen its own electrified sales jump, reporting that the company “achieved its best electrified vehicle sales month ever in November with 7,157 units sold.”

November also marked the first full month that the C-MAX Energi and the lesser performing C-Max Hybrid were available on dealer lots.

Ford C-MAX Energi. Image courtesy of Ford.

The C-MAX Hybrid delivers an EPA certified 47 MPG city and 47 MPG highway, fallings far short of the C-MAX Energi’s 108 city MPGe and 92 MPGe highway, but still beating the Toyota Prius v on the highway by 7 MPG, according to Ford.

The C-MAX Energi is really proving to be one of Ford’s prides with the company announcing that “the vehicle is certified to deliver up to 620 miles of range on a single tank of gas and a fully charged battery, giving the vehicle the capacity to make trips to and from key destinations, such as Detroit to New York City, or Los Angeles to Las Vegas.”

Ford also says the C-MAX Energi can save an estimated “$7,000 in fuel costs over five years,” and touts the vehicle’s affordability, saying consumers can receive a “$3,750 federal tax credit,” bringing the car down to about $30,000, with the company now saying it beats the Toyota Prius as “America’s most affordable plug-in hybrid vehicle.”

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