Toyota's hybrid technology for the Escape? And, if they did, what does it mean? Can't seem to find anything on this, but maybe I missed it.
Yeah, they claim they developed this all on their own... with over 100 patents being filed on the technology. If they originally licensed THS from Toyota, shouldn't the credit be given?
actually looking at the other thread sort of confirmed what a Toyota salesperson had told me when i said i might end up getting an escape instead of waiting for a prius. he said that ford had licensed the prior generation of toyota hybrid technology, not the same one as in the new prius. anyway the prius has way too many other cool features besides being a hybrid. it's the whole package that really sets it apart.
If you go to the Ford Escape Hybrid site http://www.fordvehicles.com/escapehybrid/i...ndex.asp?bhcp=1 you can see that their system looks very similar to the Prius. However, even after reviewing their site and viewing all of their little videos, I am left with the impression that it is somehow less sophisticated than the Prius system in operation. I know I am always amazed at how adeptly the Prius system manages power flow. Watching the Energy screen animate the changes from engine to motor to generator and all the possible combinations is incredible. The Ford site still leaves me feeling that their system doesn't vary things to quite the same extent. Purely impression on my part though.
To me the fact that Ford did design their own system makes me want to steer clear even more. I have to look at track record and reputation and Ford has not done well in first generation vehicles. Toyota is on the 3rd generation hybrid.
FORD = "Fix Or Repair Daily." Lesson of the Ford Pinto: Ford will sell you a car it knows will explode and burn you to death, if it calculates that recalling the cars would cost more than the lawsuits brought by the victims' families.
Back to the licensing, what I had heard is that Ford developed it themselves but could be infringing on patents. I beleive it is common practice to license patents instead of fighting them.
I believed Ford when they said that their hybrid is of their own design until I read a full description of it. The description itself looked like it had been lifted right out of a Toyota document describing of the Prius drive train .. right down to the planetary power split device Electronic Continuously Variable Transmission (ECVT). It looks to me like they borrowed heavily from Toyota, and I think they were wise to do so.
This one as well: http://www.priuschat.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1305&highlight=[/web:a3d067f9e3]]http://www.priuschat.com/forums/viewtopic....web:a3d067f9e3]
