TBT: How a 37-Hour Drive in NYC Traffic Helped Escape Hybrid Pave the Way

To demonstrate the vehicle’s superior fuel mileage capability to consumers unfamiliar with hybrids, Ford invited media and celebrities to drive the all-new SUV through the congested streets of New York City on a single tank of gas. 

In 2004, a Ford Escape Hybrid was driven nonstop for 37 hours through Manhattan — including morning and evening rush hours — managing 576 miles on a single 15-gallon tank of gas. Actor Kevin Bacon and former Ford NASCAR Cup Series champion Kurt Busch were among those behind the wheel.

An auto start-stop feature helped the vehicle preserve fuel while stopped in traffic or at a traffic light. Meanwhile, a 70-kilowatt traction motor generator restarted the vehicle in less than 400 milliseconds. The SUV also conserved energy in gridlocked conditions through reclaimed energy captured during regenerative braking, which charged its hybrid storage battery. Ultimately, the Escape Hybrid qualified as an Advanced Technology Partial Zero-Emissions Vehicle.

Escaping the gas station

The Escape Hybrid was rated at 36 mpg (in front-wheel-drive configurations) in city driving scenarios — a more than 75% improvement over the conventional gas-powered Escape. The SUV exceeded even Ford’s internal estimates of at least 500 miles of range in city traffic during the New York City demonstration. 

Ford Executive Chair Bill Ford, who had championed the SUV’s development, proudly announced the mileage results at the New York International Auto Show, where the Escape Hybrid made its official debut. The SUV went on to win North American Truck of the Year in 2005, years before the venerable honors added an SUV category. The Escape Hybrid topped 11 other all-new trucks, utilities and other vehicles on the market, including the Ford Freestyle, which was also a finalist.

A legacy of sustainable transportation

Ford sold 4,000 Escape Hybrid SUVs in its first months and has sold more than 230,000 of them to date. The success of the Escape Hybrid didn’t happen by chance, though. In the early 2000s, Ford sold more alternative-fuel vehicles, including natural gas, propane, and ethanol vehicles, in addition to electric and diesel-powered vehicles, than all other manufacturers combined. At the same time, the company was researching the use of hydrogen power and producing partial zero-emissions vehicles (PZEV), the Ford Focus and Ford Focus Diesel. The company had also developed a Focus hydrogen internal combustion engine, a hydrogen hybrid research vehicle, and a Focus Fuel Cell Vehicle (FCV), the industry’s first hybridized fuel cell vehicle, which was used in demonstration fleets in North America. 

Today, Ford has sold more than 1.2 million hybrid vehicles, as the company remains committed to the powertrains. Ford intends to offer hybrid vehicles across 80% of the U.S. lineup over the next four years and across the Ford lineup by the end of the decade.

While the Escape Hybrid may have been the introduction to hybrids for many consumers, it was enabled by a foundation built on decades of research and development of hybrid, electric, alternative-fuel, and other low-emissions vehicles. As Ford looks toward a future of hybrid and electric vehicles today, the Escape Hybrid stands as a testament to the company’s dedication to sustainable transportation.

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