Ford Plugs in the Escape

[M. Oiseau]

Me likee this battery lease idea. Maybe, if we're lucky, Toyota will consider something similar.
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Auto shows: Consumer Reports Cars Blog

September 30, 2008
The plug-in version of the Ford Escape looks and feels a lot like a regular Escape hybrid: the main difference being, you can’t buy one yet.
Using a 10 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery, Ford claims the cars can go up to 30 miles on an electric charge and up to 40 mph on battery power only. We didn’t have a chance to drive 30 miles, but were easily able to hit 40 mph on our test-track ride evaluation loop.

As with any plug-in hybrid vehicle, fuel economy depends mostly on how you drive it. The more time you spend at lower speeds on electric power, the better mileage you’ll get. However, Ford says the batteries are so expensive that it is looking at alternative business models to sell the cars. One possibility is consumers may buy the car but lease the batteries, guaranteeing ready replacements, ensuring the batteries are reused (likely by a power company) and reducing the cost. The company claims it takes six to eight hours to fully charge the plug-in Escape from a 110-volt outlet....

[Flying White Dutchman]

lease again?
so when ford want to pull the plugin.. just lett the lease end an crush the packs!!!

[hobbit]

Yeah, the lease thing is BS. If they went ahead with this they'd
undoubtedly make the pack totally incompatible with anything else
so you'd have a bunch of useless hulks if they were taken away,
sort of like the few gutted EV1s that are still around. Don't
be fooled.
.
However, if our society was ever capable enough to make battery
exchange systems work, the concept of "common pack ownership"
or rental would have to be resolved.
.
_H*

[PriuStorm]

Maybe you could have the choice... lease or buy.