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Ford Fusion hybrid hypermiles to 81.5 mpg: AutoWeek Magazine

Ford Fusion hybrid hypermiles to 81.5 mpg
By GREG MIGLIORE

A picture of This 2010 Ford Fusion cranked out 81.5 mpg.
This 2010 Ford Fusion cranked out 81.5 mpg.
FordThe 2010 Ford Fusion hybrid gets up to 41 mpg--officially. But with a little effort, you can easily double that.

That’s what a team of Ford engineers, a hypermiling legend and NASCAR star Carl Edwards managed to pull off this week, registering an average of 81.5 mpg in a 1,445.7-mile journey designed to show off the eco prowess of the new hybrid sedan.

The crew left Mount Vernon, Va., on Saturday morning and finished on the George Washington Parkway in Washington, running out of gas just before dawn. They clicked off the 1,000-mile mark--the original goal-- Monday morning, with Edwards at the wheel.

The EPA has rated the Fusion hybrid at 41 mpg in the city and 36 on the highway, besting other hybrids including the Toyota Camry. By using hypermiling techniques, such as accelerating smoothly and coasting to red lights, the Fusion drivers were able to considerably increase the car’s fuel economy.

Its official estimated range is 700 miles on a tank of gas, which the hypermilers doubled. The car was not modified and drove around Washington nearly continuously for 69 hours.

The drivers had hoped to get 57 mpg, but were able to easily better that. Other mileage tricks included closing the windows to reduce drag, shutting off the heater and air conditioner to cut the strain on the engine, and using momentum to help carry the car up and down hills.

They broke up the drive into two- and three-hour stints. Edwards, fresh off a dramatic crash Sunday at Talladega that saw his No. 99 car get airborne, said he was excited to be a part of the drive. He noted that he owns a Fusion hybrid.

Hypermiler Wayne Gerdes also was part of the team, which raised $8,000 for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
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This article was last updated on: 04/28/09, 15:37 et

Take that Japan!!! American Autos arent dead!!!! Take another look at buying an american product before one of our largest industries is owned by other countries!!!


Plus... Its a Ford!!!!! Ohhh yeah

rocco79 Wrote:Plus... Its a Ford!!!!! Ohhh yeah

+1 on the Ford

They need to bring back the festiva. I get a lot of customers calling my shop for their tires (155R12s) and they report that their cars can get up to 60mpg.

The car industry is so backwards. I'm sure the technology has been there for a long time to produce a cheap safe high mpg car.

Try hypermiling around Chicago....you'll get great mileage as the semi's push you down the road....coast to a light? RIGHT!!! And downhill costing in a hybrid is cheating, it's generating electricity into the batteries! The 81mpg is not a real world "practical" number. That's why they estimated 57mpg, they figured they would be driving like semi-normal people. You can be sure they were using tactics during the dead of night that would never hold up during daytime traffic.

Dave nobody should expect 81mpg but c'mon thats a great display of what the care COULD accomplish (under perfect driving and traffic conditions )

Actually some of the hypermiling is possible, I did some of that on my last trip into Chicago when Dad and I went to the auto show and managed to get a bump in mileage from my Jeep instead of a major drop in mileage like trips past! A car like that could do great in a trip like that to be honest, most of the time I was either coasting or running below 45mph for much of the trip, that car would either be running on battery or charging for most of what I was doing that day.

I know Roc, I was just poking fun.

Now if everyone got on the samemindset, no telling what could happen.

Kind of like if guys would quit speeding up just to slam on the brakes, change lanes every 50 feet, all the typical Chicago rush hour crap, think about how smoothly traffic COULD flow. It just takes soem discipline and calm thinking.

Oh, and get all the trucks off the road during rush hour! Sorry to you guys that drive for a living.

#1!!!

I mean, I dont think 81mpg is going to be the norm... but shit! Sure beats 19mpg of my grandprix!

I don't care if it does get 81mpg, I ain't drivin' a Fusion.

Krosenqu Wrote:I mean, I dont think 81mpg is going to be the norm... but shit! Sure beats 19mpg of my grandprix!

19 HA, I get less than half of that in my truck. 8 MPG on a downhill with a nice tail wind.

DAVEC-NITRO-RS4 Wrote:I don't care if it does get 81mpg, I ain't drivin' a Fusion.

I know, I'd almost prefer the Volt or Town & Country hybrids myself, and if set up right that JK Wrangler hybrid could be interesting too!

My wife's cousin has a fusion. One of those awd ones. Believe it or not it's a nice ass car.

They averaged 20.95 mph. Sooooo realistic. Haha

FreeRideFrosty Wrote:They averaged 20.95 mph. Sooooo realistic. Haha

Actually.....depending on how heavy and/or slow the traffic is, you could probably be getting 100+ mpg in a car like that

Haha I actually like the Fusion. Seems like a great car for someone who just needs a daily driver.

My Honda 80 scooter gets about 90mpg. But is only goes 45-48 mph, so no freeway. And its no fun in cold or rain, but hey, its a toy.