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Hybrid and Alternative Fuel Vehicles

We were recently given the opportunity to kick the tires of a wide variety of hybrid-electric and alternative-fuel vehicles. There were clean diesels, a hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle, and a couple of hybrids, including the new Dodge Durango Hybrid, which we took home. Look for a review soon!

Antuan Goodwin
Antuan Goodwin gained his automotive knowledge the old fashioned way, by turning wrenches in a driveway and picking up speeding tickets. From drivetrain tech and electrification to car audio installs and cabin tech, if it's on wheels, Antuan is knowledgeable.
Antuan Goodwin
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1 of 19 Antuan Goodwin/CNET Networks
We were recently given the opportunity to kick the tires of a wide variety of hybrid-electric and alternative-fuel vehicles. There were clean diesels, a hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle, and a couple of hybrids, including the new Dodge Durango Hybrid, which we took home. Look for a review soon!
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2 of 19 Antuan Goodwin/CNET Networks
Essentially a rebadged Ford Escape Hybrid, this Mercury Mariner Hybrid will also be paying a visit to the CNET Garage in the coming weeks. Look for a full review in early November.
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3 of 19 Antuan Goodwin/CNET Networks
The gauge cluster of the Mercury Mariner Hybrid isn't much different from that of a conventional Mariner. Look closer and you'll see that the tachometer doesn't begin at 0 RPM. Instead, there's a green segment just below zero. When the needle is here, the Mariner is running on all electric power.
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4 of 19 Antuan Goodwin/CNET Networks
Also, in the Mariner's instrument cluster is this gauge that lets the driver know whether the electric motor is helping to motivate the crossover, or charging the batteries.
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5 of 19 Antuan Goodwin/CNET Networks
Ford also brought along this Escape Plug-in Hybrid. Though only a prototype, we were able to take it for a spin. The special "Plug-in Hybrid" livery and graphics attracted a little attention during our ride, but the hybrid's mostly silent running kept us off of the public radar.
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6 of 19 Antuan Goodwin/CNET Networks
The Escape plug-in is a prototype for study and exhibition, so some parts of the vehicle have been enhanced for show--like this machined gas cap--while other parts still need work--like whatever was incessantly rattling in the rear hatch during our test run.
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7 of 19 Antuan Goodwin/CNET Networks
This 110V port is essentially the only thing that separates the plug-in Escape from the standard Escape Hybrid. According to Ed Kjaer, a representative from Southern California Edison, plugging in electric vehicles on an overnight cycle is better for the electricity grid, because it evens out the grid usage over a 24-hour cycle, resulting in less switching on and off of power plants and resulting in cheaper electricity across the board. He also stated that there's enough surplus power in the United States to plug in 73 percent of all vehicles on the road without a single upgrade to the system.
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8 of 19 Antuan Goodwin/CNET Networks
Nissan was also on hand with their Hybrid Altima.
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9 of 19 Antuan Goodwin/CNET Networks
Nissan bases their hybrid system off technology borrowed from Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive.
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10 of 19 Antuan Goodwin/CNET Networks
Of course, you can't talk about green cars without talking about the Prius. Toyota was on hand with two plug-in versions of the poster child for green driving. This one is a modified Prius that has been upgraded to a plug-in configuration by Hymotion.
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11 of 19 Antuan Goodwin/CNET Networks
Out back, we find the plug-in port for 110V power. At a glance, it doesn't look much different from the plug on the back of a computer or household appliance.
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12 of 19 Antuan Goodwin/CNET Networks
In the trunk, we found the Hymotion plug-in conversion module. More information about how this all works can be found at http://www.a123systems.com/hymotion
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13 of 19 CNET Networks
Toyota's own plug-in Prius was a bit more polished than the Hymotion mod. If this funky paint job looks familiar, it's because we've seen it--and more detail about the plug-in Prius--at the 2008 Paris Motor Show.
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14 of 19 Antuan Goodwin/CNET Networks
Getting back to Ford's showings, there was a hydrogen fuel-cell first-generation Ford Focus on hand.
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15 of 19 Antuan Goodwin/CNET Networks
Though there's no way of telling what's going just by looking at it, the hydrogen fuel-cell Focus is unlike the conventional petrol-powered Focus in almost every way.
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16 of 19 Antuan Goodwin/CNET Networks
A large portion of the trunk and undercarriage of the Focus have been rededicated to housing the hydrogen fuel cells and the electric batteries. Ford says that these vehicles have over a 95 percent up-time in fleet use.
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17 of 19 Antuan Goodwin/CNET Networks
Bosch brought out a BMW 745d, which isn't available for purchase in the U.S. The diesel powered V-8 outputs 325 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque, while maintaining a combined cycle of 24 miles per gallon.
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18 of 19 Antuan Goodwin/CNET Networks
Bosch also brought out a diesel version of the Honda CR-V. We just reviewed the gasoline-powered version of the Honda CR-V and found torque to be lacking. However, with a 2.2-liter, diesel, four-cylinder engine, we're sure Bosch has been able to fix the torque deficit. The impressive thing is that they've also managed to do so to the tune of 50 highway miles per gallon when equipped with the six-speed manual transmission.
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19 of 19 Antuan Goodwin/CNET Networks
The 2.2-liter diesel four cylinder in this prototype CR-V is the same engine that, according to the Bosch representative, will be under the hood of the upcoming 2010 Acura TSX diesel.

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