World's First Ethanol-Fueled Hybrid

At the Washington Auto Show, Ford Motor Co. unveiled the Ford Escape Hybrid E85 (pictured on cover), a research vehicle marrying two petroleum-saving technologies – hybrid electric power and flexible-fuel capability. Escape Hybrid E85 is the world’s first hybrid vehicle capable of operating on blends of fuel containing as much as 85% ethanol, a renewable fuel that can be produced from American-grown corn or sugar beets. And ethanol use releases no fossil-based CO2, so its use as a fuel in place of gasoline reduces the release of greenhouse gases.

If just 5% of the U.S. vehicle fleet were powered by hybrids operating exclusively on E85, imports of oil could be reduced by about 140 million barrels a year. Ford recently announced a project with VeraSun Energy Corp. to encourage the further availability of E85 fuel at retail filling stations. Today, E85 is most commonly available in parts of the Midwest.

Ford plans to introduce a Mazda Tribute Hybrid next year and hybrid versions of the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan mid-size sedans in 2008.