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Ford's newest hybrids will be able to outpace the competition in a test of all-electric operation as they'll come with a battery-pack and power management system that will enable them to hit speeds of up to 47 miles an hour without cranking over their internal combustion engines, the company says.


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The 2010 Fusion hybrid will look a lot like this Ford image of a conventional 2010 Fusion Sport model, but with special badging and a world of difference under the hood.


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That's an 18 percent improvement over the 40 mph top electric speed of the company's present hybrids, the Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner gas-electric SUVs and beats Toyota's Prius by 12 percent, or 5 miles an hour.


The new hybrids, to be launched in the first quarter of 2009 as 2010 models, also are expected to deliver up to 700 miles of city driving on a single tank of gas, Ford said. The company didn't specify the size of the hybrids' fuel tanks, but it uses a 17.5-gallon tank in the conventionally powered models


The automaker unveiled details of the upcoming 2010 Fusion hybrid and 2010 Milan hybrid sedans in a press conference today at its headquarters in Dearborn, Mich.


In addition to the all-electric top speed (which beats Toyota's Prius by about 15 miles an hour), features include a 2.5-liter, 155-horsepower four-cylinder gas engine coupled to an electronically controlled continuously variable transmission (CVT).  (At least for year one, the new hybrids won't get the new turbocharged, direct-injection,1.6-liter Eco-Boost engine that Ford recently announced it will be building in Europe.)
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Tags: Ford, Fuels & Technologies, Hybrid, Mercury, 2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid, Ford's New Hybrids; 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid

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Ford's 2010 Fusion, Mercury Milan Hybrids Get Electric Power and Gas Economy was originally published by Green Car Advisor. Read the full story by clicking here.