California Autos Examiner

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Ford Fusion Hybrid Attempts 1,000 Mile Single Tank Run

I've said it before, I'll say it again: the holy grail for any family sedan is to achieve a 1,000 mile range between gas stops. Granted, this Ford stunt won't be achievable by average drivers, but it's a step in the right direction!

This weekend, the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid is being put to the ultimate fuel-efficiency test. A team of drivers, including NASCAR star Carl Edwards and world-record breaking hypermiler Wayne Gerdes, will attempt to drive more than 1,000 miles on a single tank of gas, raising money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation in the process.

The 1,000-Mile Challenge starts at around 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 25, from Mount Vernon, Va., and ends the morning of Monday, April 27, in Washington, D.C. The team will drive for more than 43 hours continuously to reach the 1,000-mile goal. The drivers will do stints of between two and three hours each and will have regular breaks to ensure safe driving is maintained. Already rated as the most fuel-efficient, mid-sized sedan in America, the Fusion Hybrid will need to average at least 57 mpg to achieve its goal. During preliminary testing in preparation for this challenge, Ford engineers have reached as much as 70 mpg in the Fusion Hybrid by using Eco-Driving techniques.

source: FORD TEAM AIMS TO DRIVE 2010 FUSION HYBRID 1,000 MILES ON A SINGLE TANK OF GAS | Ford Motor Company Newsroom

3 comments:

Tony W said...

WOW! That could save me a lot of money.

NHB said...

I was part of a sneak peak test drive yesterday in front of Heal the Bay's Santa Monica Pier Aquarium.

It was a really nice ride (especially compared to my current Honda Civic Hybrid) and it had some pretty cool features -- like a blind spot radar detector in the driver side mirror.

waxner said...

I predict the Ford Fusion hybrid will be a real game changer for Ford. If my Saturn survives 3 more years, and if Ford continues their incredible advances with hybrids and plugins