Green News: An Green Car Escape to Cleaner Pastures

When many automakers in the United States failed financially, a massive amount of money was spent to keep them afloat. Taxpayers became the partial owners of these blue chip corporations, which included some of the biggest names in the automotive industry. There was however, one brand that refused any real assistance from the U.S. government, Ford.

It was only a year ago that Ford’s selling price was a measly $1/share. Naturally this was due to lack of consumer confidence in the entire automotive system that had clearly been failing for at least a decade. Foreign imports were taking away the motor market from the Big 3, imports particularly from the nation of Japan. These cars were popular, built with higher quality, thus lasting longer. In addition, they had better gas mileage than their American counterparts. Yet there is now another shift in the automotive marketplace, towards cars that utilize green energy; a concept that Ford has begun to take to the next level.

Enter the Ford Escape Hybrid, touted by Ford to be the most efficient SUV on the planet. It gets an average of 34 city/31 highway miles per gallon (mpg), and uses no gas when the vehicle is stopped or driving slowly. In addition, the Escape Hybrid uses an innovative braking system to recharge the battery that powers the car while stopped or moving slowly. The heat caused by applying the brakes is captured, and transformed into energy, thus recharging the battery which is stored in the back of the car.
With optional 4WD, the question remains, does the Escape Hybrid live up to the designation of SUV? Sport Utility Vehicle denotes the ability to “escape” from the everyday grind and journey to places where there are no paved roads. The Escape Hybrid allows the driver 8.3 inches of wiggle room under the chassis for that very purpose. While you may not end up driving the Escape Hybrid over boulders or through rivers, it does possess the ground clearance to spice up an excursion to the countryside.

With an improved lineup and semi-restored faith in the U.S. automotive industry, Fords price per share has increased to $8.