I was just reading an article in which Ford Motor Company announced that their all-new Ford C-MAX has been EPA-certified at 47 mpg city, 47 mpg highway and 47 mpg combined. As far as I can remember, that is the first hybrid or car for that matter, to have the same city, highway and combined mpg rating. Other hybrids usually have a higher in city mpg where the electrical portion of the hybrid is used the most.
The C-MAX will be arriving later this year but is currently available for order at select dealerships. With the launch of the C-MAX, Ford has added another option to their power of choice strategy, thus giving consumers several choices of fuel efficient cars to meet their needs.
The all-new 2013 C-MAX Hybrid and its sister, C-MAX Energi, are advertised as a five passenger MAV (multi-activity vehicle) hybrids. The main difference between the two is that the C-MAX Energi is a plug-in hybrid where the C-MAX Hybrid does not have a plug-in capability. The C-MAX Energi has an external charge port and a larger advanced high-voltage lithium-ion battery for an electric-only driving mode. The C-MAX Energi can be fully charge overnight using a standard 120V outlet or in approximately three hours using a 240V charging station outlet. The 240v charging station requires a separate home installation of the 240-volt Leviton charging station.
Both the C-MAX Hybrid and C-MAX Energi are powered by the new 2.0L hybrid I-4 powertrain when combined with the dynamic electric motor generates a projected 188 total system horsepower.
Both utilize a powersplit architecture, which allows the vehicle to drive in either electric mode, gas mode, or a combination of both. Only the C-MAX Energi has a feature called EV mode where with the click of a button you switch the car between EV Now, Auto EV and EV Later.
Both models use an air cooling system to regulate battery temperature and maximize battery life. The C-MAX Hybrid and Energi use electronically controlled continuously variable transmission (eCVT) which combines power from the engine and electric motor to deliver power to the wheels when requested.
The dual-LCD next-generation SmartGauge® with EcoGuide display provides you, the driver, with real-time information to assist you in maximizing efficiency. The various screens can be controlled by a five-way steering wheel-mounted control. The display can be configured to display such information as: instant fuel economy, fuel economy history, odometer, engine coolant temperature, plus trip data including fuel economy, time-elapsed fuel economy and miles to empty.
One efficiency display is a leafy vine visual on the SmartGauge screen where efficiency is indicated by the number of vines displayed. More vines are displayed as efficiency increase and vines fade away as efficiency is reduced.
“The all-new C-MAX Hybrid is a great symbol of how Ford has transformed into a fuel-economy and technology leader with 47 mpg across the board and a highway rating 7 mpg better than Toyota Prius v,” said Ford Vice President of Powertrain Engineering Joe Bakaj. “We’ve done this with innovation – represented by nearly 500 hybrid patents – while driving costs down 30 percent so we can bring these fuel-saving vehicles to more customers.”
For more information about either the C-Max Hybrid or C-MAX Energi, visit the Ford website.
With gas prices on the rise again, the Ford C-MAX will definitely help relieve the pain felt when buying gas.
Photo Source: courtesy of Ford.com Media Center
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