Ford’s C-Max will come to America will full-on electrification: gasoline and plug-in hybrids are the only way we’re getting the Euro-honed tall wagon. And for the C-Max Energi, Ford’s electric plug-in hybrid version, it should return some interesting numbers: a 550-mile range on electricity and gasoline, and 20 miles without a drop of fuel.
That 20-mile figure is in EV mode, which trumps the Toyota Prius plug-in hybrid’s best range of 11 miles. Plug-in hybrids can use an outlet to charge up their batteries, which on a regular hybrid would be done by a gasoline engine. They’re a fair compromise between the a dedicated hybrid—which still burns gasoline most of the time—and the short range of an electric car like, well, the Ford Focus Electric.
With its 2.0-liter gasoline engine and lithium-ion batteries, the Energi can return 550 miles of overall range before a fill-up. Enough, says Ford, to drive from Sacramento to San Diego, or from Boston to Washington DC with a bit left over. What’s more, Ford believes that the 20-mile electric range is enough for most commuters to drive one way to work, then plug it into a power strip somewhere while they’re at their cubicles. Three-story-long extension cords, however, are not included.
The C-Max Energi also has 188 horsepower, which Ford says will be faster than the Prius Plug-In. Performance numbers haven’t been released yet, but don’t expect a barn burner either way.
Source: Ford
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