The 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid won the inaugural Canadian Green Car award, presented April 12 at the Green Living Show in Toronto by AJAC and Green Living Enterprises.

The Automobile Journalists Association of Canada announced the new award at the Canadian International Auto Show in February and co-ordinated the voting for the award. The judging criteria emphasized fuel economy and overall emissions, but also considered other environmental features within each vehicle, such as the use of recycled or naturally sourced materials, and steps each manufacturer has taken to green its operations.

“We are extremely proud that the 2013 Ford Fusion hybrid has been honoured by our country’s top automotive journalists as the recipient of the inaugural Canadian Green Car Award,” said Steve Ross, Ford of Canada’s product marketing manager, sustainability and electrification. “The Fusion hybrid is an important vehicle in the Ford lineup, delivering leading fuel economy, innovative technologies and a sleek, desirable design for eco-conscious consumers.”

The Fusion Hybrid was among five finalists for the award from 15 environmentally advanced vehicles nominated by their manufacturers. The finalists included the Ford C-Max Energi plug-in hybrid, Hyundai Sonata hybrid, Mazda’s Mazda3 highly efficient internal-combustion compact and Volkswagen’s turbocharged clean-diesel Jetta.

Importantly, and perhaps somewhat controversially, the award judges also assessed market potential, taking into account factors such as build quality, driving experience, overall features, availability, general consumer appeal and price. Peter Gorrie, the chair of the awards committee, acknowledged that these latter criteria likely prevented any battery-electric vehicles from making the finalist list.

“A car loaded with ‘green’ features will make a difference only if it sells in large numbers and supplants lesser models,” Gorrie said when the finalists were first announced. “While EVs represent impressive technology, that focus might have prevented the four battery-electric nominees from making the final five.”

However, EV owners and advocates loudly questioned this argument in critiques online and through various social media. Such vehicles put out zero local emissions, and very little greenhouse gas emissions even from the electricity plants in the three provinces where they’re most popular – Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia. The critics therefore questioned whether awarding a Green Car award to a vehicle that uses fossil fuels – even in lower amounts – gives consumers the false impression that these are the cleanest vehicles on the market.
The Globe and Mail (Canada)

Author: Michael Bettencourt

All material copyright Thomson Canada Limited or its licensors. All rights reserved.

I saw this article on Consumer Reports and thought it might be useful. With gas prices on the rise, here are some tips to get the best gas mileage with your vehicle!

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/2012/01/fuel-economy-save-money-on-gas/index.htm

SUMMARY:

•Ordinary household items can be used in a variety of helpful ways on the road
•ravelers can take advantage of low-cost items like baking soda (to ward off interior odors) or dryer sheets (to keep bugs off the windshield) to make vacation time worry-free

——————————————————————————–

CONTEXT / BACKGROUND:

Spring is here, and it’s time to start planning those vacations. Most travelers know to pack a flashlight, an extra blanket and a tire jack, but there are a few unusual items to throw in the trunk that might make life on the road a little easier. Ford compiled tips from a variety of sources, did a little searching, and it turns out there are a few quirky supplies that even the most seasoned traveler might not have considered.

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DETAILS:

Sometimes, even the most mundane household items can have multiple uses when it comes to life on the road. For instance:

Bothered by bugs? Going on a long trip and don’t want to face a windshield and/or bumper full of dead bugs by the time you arrive? Wipe down your windshield with a dryer sheet; supposedly, bugs won’t stick so bad. Also, give your bumpers a spritz with cooking spray. Nothing sticks when you spray – even bugs.

Sheets and mittens: If your trunk looks like a linen closet when you leave for vacation, then you’re prepared. Pack sheets – you can drape them over car seats that have become baking hot in the sun.

No more stink: So there was a smoker in your car and now the smell won’t leave? Fill the back cup holder halfway full of baking soda to absorb the odor. Might help if you’re chauffeuring stinky teenagers from gym practice, too.

Tennis, anyone? Slice open a tennis ball and use it to cover your trailer hitch when you’re not using it. It will protect it from scratches, and it will keep the moisture out, discouraging rust.

Take a tip from the pros: Driving off to your next hiking spot and troubled by sun glare? Take a tip from those baseball players who smear grease black under their eyes. Put a drop of baby oil on your fingers, dip it in (cooled) wood ashes, and swipe it under your eyes to help cut the glare.

Don’t scratch it; smear it: Can’t get that sticker from the amusement park or beach parking lot off your window? Saturate the sticker with cooking oil before you start scrubbing.

In the hot seat? Tired of waiting for your car seats to cool on a scorching hot day? Leave an open umbrella on the car seat while you’re out for the day.

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QUOTES:

“Sometimes, you can find help where you least expect it.”

– Kevin Markham,
Technical specialist, Ford Global Driver and Track Safety

###

About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 176,000 employees and about 80 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and, until its sale, Volvo. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford’s products, please visit www.ford.com

Source: media.ford.com

Ford is rapidly expanding its commitment to intelligent
vehicles that wirelessly talk to each other, warning of
potential dangers to enhance safety and flag impending
traffic congestion to help improve the environment
Intelligent vehicles could potentially help in 81 percent of all
police-reported light-vehicle crashes involving unimpaired
drivers, according to a National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA) report
Ford is building the first-ever prototype intelligent vehicles
that will tour the U.S. beginning this spring and will provide
additional prototypes for the Department of Transportation’s
world-first research clinics expected to begin this summer
Ford is doubling its intelligent vehicle investment in 2011
and plans a new 20-member task force of scientists and
engineers to explore the technology’s broader possibilities
Visit the Intelligent Vehicles Media Site
WASHINGTON, D.C., Jan. 26, 2011 – Ford is aggressively
accelerating its commitment to wirelessly connected intelligent
vehicles – known as vehicle-to-vehicle communications –
becoming the first automaker to build prototype vehicles for
demonstrations across the U.S., doubling its intelligent vehicle investment in 2011 and dedicating
even more scientists to developing this technology.
“Ford believes intelligent vehicles that talk to each other through advanced Wi-Fi are the next
frontier of collision avoidance innovations that could revolutionize the driving experience and hold
the potential of helping reduce many crashes,” said Sue Cischke, group vice president,
Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering.
An October National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) report on the potential safety
benefits of vehicle-to-vehicle communications estimates that intelligent vehicles could help in as
many as 4,336,000 police-reported, light-vehicle crashes annually, or approximately 81 percent of
all light-vehicle crashes involving unimpaired drivers. Experts say intelligent vehicles could be on
the road in five to 10 years.
Ford’s demonstration vehicles will hit the road this spring, starting at major technology hubs across
the country.
How it works
Ford’s vehicle communications research technology allows vehicles to talk wirelessly with one
another using advanced Wi-Fi signals, or dedicated short-range communications, on a secured
channel allocated by the Federal Communications Commission. Unlike radar-based safety features,
which identify hazards within a direct line of sight, the Wi-Fi-based radio system allows full-range,
360-degree detection of potentially dangerous situations, such as when a driver’s vision is
obstructed.
For example, drivers could be alerted if their vehicle is on path to collide with another vehicle at an
intersection, when a vehicle ahead stops or slows suddenly or when a traffic pattern changes on a
busy highway. The systems also could warn drivers if there is a risk of collision when changing
With this “intelligent vehicle”
technology, drivers could be alerted
at unsafe intersections where their
view is compromised or where
another vehicle is not stopping for a
red light.
Click here to download related
images.
lanes, approaching a stationary or parked vehicle, or if another driver loses control.
Ford hits the gas on vehicle communications
After a decade of research, Ford plans a new 20-member task force – consisting of company
planners, engineers and scientists from around the world with expertise in safety, eco-mobility,
infotainment and driver convenience – to accelerate development of intelligent vehicles with features
that provide a range of benefits to consumers.
Ford also is doubling its intelligent vehicle research investment, building on the company’s SYNC®
and MyFord Touch™ innovations. The goal is to define the next 10 years of safety, convenience and
driver assistance, and strengthen the company’s position as the global industry leader in connected
vehicle technology.
“While there are challenges ahead, the foundation of these smarter vehicles is advanced versions of
technologies that are pervasive – Wi-Fi and crash avoidance systems that Ford has pioneered in
mainstream vehicles today,” said Paul Mascarenas, vice president, Research and Advanced
Engineering and chief technical officer. “Intelligent vehicles could help warn drivers of numerous
potential dangers such as a car running a red light but blocked from the view of a driver properly
entering the intersection.”
Speaking the same language
Ford is partnering with other automakers, the federal government, as well as local and county road
commissions to create a common language that ensures all vehicles can talk to each other based on a
common communication standard.
This public-private partnership will include the world’s first government-sponsored driving clinics
beginning in summer 2011, for which the company will contribute two prototype Ford Taurus
sedans. The DOT’s Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) will head the research, continuing to
coordinate with a coalition of automakers organized by the Crash Avoidance Metrics Partnership
(CAMP), which is a joint research group headed by Ford and General Motors. The partnership is
working to develop inter-operability standards in advance of completing the research phase in 2013.
“Ford has laid the groundwork to give vehicles a voice with SYNC and Wi-Fi technology,” said Jim
Vondale, director, Ford Automotive Safety Office. “Now we’re working with other automakers and
government leaders worldwide to develop common standards globally to bring intelligent vehicles to
market quicker and more affordably.”
Vondale has been appointed by Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to represent automakers on
the ITS Advisory Committee. Mike Shulman, technical leader, Ford Research and Advanced
Engineering, leads the government-industry technical partnership as program manager for CAMP.
Beyond safety, endless possibilities
By reducing crashes, intelligent vehicles could ease traffic delays, which would save drivers both
time and fuel costs. Congestion also could be avoided through a network of intelligent vehicles and
infrastructure that would process real-time traffic and road information and allow drivers to choose
less congested routes.
According to Texas Transportation Institute’s (TTI) 2010 Urban Mobility Report, traffic congestion
continues to worsen in American cities of all sizes, annually wasting nearly 3.9 billion gallons of
fuel in 2009 and costing the average commuter $808 in additional fuel. Leading factors in traffic
delays are caused by accidents, breakdowns and road debris, TTI maintains.
“The day is not far off when our vehicles will operate like mobile devices with four wheels,
constantly exchanging information and communicating with our environment to do things like
shorten commute times, improve fuel economy and generally help us more easily navigate life on
the road,” said Mascarenas.
Laying the connectivity groundwork
Many of Ford’s current technologies show how intelligent vehicles will be able to help drivers. For
example, features that alert drivers to approaching hazards, such as Ford’s collision warning with
brake support and Blind Spot Information System (BLIS®) with cross-traffic alert rely on radar
sensors to detect vehicles or objects close to the vehicle.
“Ford has pioneered connectivity in modern vehicles with SYNC,” said Shulman. “We believe
advanced Wi-Fi for intelligent vehicles could be added to smartphones or GPS systems and simply
connect to SYNC like today’s phones.”
###
About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures
or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 163,000 employees and about 70 plants
worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides
financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford’s
products, please visit www.ford.com.

I often get asked how often you should replace air filters, brakes, and windshield wipers in your car. All of these are important to keep up at regular intervals to ensure the safety of you and your family on the road. Below is the answer for all of you out there who may be wondering this same question:

- Changing your air filters, brakes and windshield wipers are all important. Air filters keep your engine clean. Windshield wipers make a world of difference while driving in hazardous storm conditions, and proper brakes keep you safe without any hesitation.

- Air filters should be changed between every 20,000 to 30,000 miles driven while windshield wipers should be replaced every 6 to 12 months. Brake pads need to be replaced when the lining begins to wear out, which is about every 35,000 miles and sooner for rear drum at every 12,000 miles. A good time period to think about is at least once a year. If you hear any squeaking from your brakes, have them checked out regardless of the time period.

Kelley Blue Book has announced its Brand Loyalty list and Hyundai has maintained its No. 1 spot on the list for Q3 2011, marking its second consecutive quarter on top.

FULL ARTICLE AFTER THE JUMP

For Q3 2011, Hyundai’s brand loyalty was at 48 percent, with Toyota nearly closing in at 47.9 percent and Subaru at 45.9 percent.
The top five was closed off by Kia in the fourth spot at 45.3 percent and Ford in fifth at 45.2 percent.

“Hyundai owners truly love their cars, so it’s no surprise that their support has pushed us to the top of kbb.com’s brand loyalty rankings,” said Scott Margason, director, Product Planning, Hyundai Motor America. “From all-new models like the 40 mile-per-gallon 2012 Veloster, to popular models such as Sonata, Elantra and Accent, we continually offer our customers more reasons to remain loyal to our vehicles and our brand.”

KBB said that while Hyundai continues to lead in brand loyalty, it dropped 4.4 percent from the previous quarter.

“Hyundai’s decline can be attributed to cooled interest in the Sonata and Elantra models,” KBB said in a statement.

http://www.thecarblogger.net/2011/10/hyundai-leads-kbbs-brand-loyalty.html

With gas prices constantly on the rise, one of the questions I frequently get asked is how to reduce fuel consumption and save at the pump. There are several ways you can reduce your fuel consumption, and I have listed them below. If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

1. Drive the speed limit. Driving the speed limit will help you consume less by driving at a steady pace. If traveling on the highway, utilize your cruise control.
2. Plan your route and plan your daily tasks. Try to complete tasks in a fuel efficient order to help conserve gas. Drive the route that takes you the least time and miles.
3. Check your tire pressure. Keeping a good tire pressure helps save on consumption of gas. It keeps less pressure on your engine and more gas in your car.
4. Take the weight out of your car. Additional weight can burn more fuel. Try to take out the excess stuff you carry around in your vehicle.
5. Check your gas cap. Is the gas cap on your car damaged or not locking? This allows fuel to vaporize. Replacing the cap can eliminate wasting this fuel.
6. Consider having a fuel induction system cleaning . This will clean carbon deposits that build up on key fuel system related components and can interrupt and restrict proper fuel flow . This is recommended at 15-30,000 mile intervals.

Recently I participated in an ‘ask the expert’ segment on 11Alive’s site, “Mom’s Like Me.” There were some great questions, so I have attached a link to the discussion so you can see real questions from real women about service and sales!

http://atlanta.momslikeme.com/members/JournalActions.aspx?g=246675&m=18013251

DEARBORN – The Ford Fusion Hybrid is America’s most fuel-efficient sedan and may be the highest-quality hybrid based on hundreds of millions of worry-free miles its owners have traveled.

Ford’s hybrid taxi fleet has logged more than 80 million miles in California alone during the past decade – more than quadruple the number of miles logged by Toyota’s Prius lineup. Yet, among the nearly 43 million battery cells Ford has tested or seen put to work in customer vehicles, only five issues have been documented.

This impressive quality record has surprised taxi operators who expected to experience more issues as they led the adoption of Ford’s patented hybrid technology. The Fusion Hybrid, which a leading consumer magazine rated America’s most reliable sedan of any hybrid or conventional model, also has taken hold with customers who give it a 91 percent “overall vehicle quality” score compared to 80 and 71 percent for the Toyota Camry and Nissan Altima hybrids, respectively.

The Fusion Hybrid’s success is affirmed by the 2010 U.S. Global Quality Research System (GQRS) report that tracks initial quality and was conducted for Ford Motor Company by RDA Group of Bloomfield Hills, Mich.

“Ford’s battery technology is so strong, the odds of experiencing an issue with one of our hybrid battery cells is around 8.5 million to 1 – about the same odds as a person being struck by lightning twice,” said Chuck Gray, chief engineer, Global Core Engineering, Hybrid and Electric Vehicles. “Ford understands that for new technology, reliability can be a concern for customers, so we work extra hard to deliver a trouble-free product.”

Customers are noticing the strong performance, too. The Fusion Hybrid is delivering a 75 percent conquest rate, bringing more new buyers to the brand than any other Ford vehicle.

The durability and longevity of batteries – which Ford has been developing and testing since the 1980s – is essential as the company expands its electrification plan, building on its leadership with five new electrified vehicles arriving in North America by 2012 and Europe by 2013.

“Our customers have put hundreds of millions of miles on our hybrids with virtually no powertrain issues, which is a testament to the quality of our batteries,” Gray said. “We have checked the battery life simulations with test data and with real-world customer vehicle data, and now we’re applying that knowledge to make the customer experience in our future products even better.”

Fusion Hybrid amps up customers
The Fusion Hybrid hit the streets in 2009 with a leading 41 mpg city rating, 10 mpg more than the Toyota Camry Hybrid. Since then, the car has wowed customers from coast to coast – leading to a hybrid-best customer satisfaction rate of 88 percent compared to 80 percent for Prius from 2009 to 2011, according to GQRS.

According to Ford internal customer data, Fusion Hybrid has changed the game in other ways. It has:
•Helped increase Ford’s favorable opinion among hybrid intenders by 20 percent between 2009 and 2011
•Achieved nearly double the percentage of sales in California compared to the gas-powered Fusion (15 versus 8 percent) and attracted more than double the number of customers with postgraduate college degrees than the conventional Fusion (39 versus 17 percent)

The role of the hybrid battery
Ford currently designs its hybrid electric vehicles with a high-voltage nickel-metal-hydride battery. The current product represents a second-generation battery design that is 23 percent lighter than the first generation.

To achieve higher fuel efficiency, Ford’s Powersplit technology system uses two motors and a simple planetary gearset to create an electrically controlled, continuously variable transmission that allows the use of the most efficient operating points of the engine and motors. To date, Ford’s Powersplit technology has received more than 200 patents.

“The electric motors are another great story,” Gray said. “With nearly 190,000 produced, we have zero motor failures.”

At Yellow Cab in San Francisco, General Manager Jim Gillespie can’t say enough good things about the Ford Escape Hybrids as well as the Fusion Hybrids that make up more than half of his fleet. In a year, he said, his drivers will put about 80,000 to 90,000 miles on a vehicle.

“They’re incredibly durable,” he says. “We have these taxis on the street for about 21 hours; we take them off from about 3 a.m. to 6 a.m.

“We have them in stop-and-go traffic, heavy traffic, going up and down these hills. There was a fear at first that they wouldn’t be able to take it. But they’ve been great. The guys drive about 10- to 12-hour shifts – at about one third of their previous gas consumption.”

A highly efficient future
Ford’s decades of battery research has laid the groundwork for taking the next step in battery durability – moving from the larger, heavier nickel-metal-hydride batteries to even lighter, more powerful lithium-ion batteries.

“The lithium-ion battery not only saves us weight and precious space, it’s more efficient,” said Gray. “We need that increased capability so it can drive the vehicle much longer.”

Electrification is an important piece of Ford’s overall product sustainability strategy. Ford’s aggressive strategy includes five new electrified vehicles in North America by 2012 and in Europe by 2013.

Ford launched the Transit Connect Electric small commercial van in 2010 and in addition to Focus Electric later this year, will introduce C-MAX Hybrid, a second-generation lithium-ion battery hybrid and C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid in 2012.

Ford has invested billions in researching and developing new, fuel-efficient engines, transmissions and electrified vehicles, even during the depths of the economic downturn, when competitors dialed back product spending. Today, Ford Motor Company has 12 vehicles with best-in-class fuel economy and four models returning at least 40 mpg – a claim no other automaker can match.

Last summer I pulled into a Rite Aid to pick something up, and when I got back to my car, it wouldn’t start.  So frustrating!  It was at that point I realized I had jumper cables but no idea how to use them.  Below I have posted step by step instructions so you never have to find yourself stuck in that position (or stuck in that position a second time)!

-          Here is the step by step process of jump starting a car’s battery:

1. Turn both the dead car and the charging car towards or near each other and put in the off position. Make sure headlights, radio and even windshield wipers are off.
2. Take a look at the cables you are using. Locate the red end and black end. The red will go to the positive (+) and black to the negative (-) charge of the battery.
3. Make sure neither battery has leakage, or damage to it. If this is the case, call a tow truck to come and assist you rather than attempt to fix on your own.
4. If not, proceed by connecting the red and positive part of the battery, starting with the dead battery. Repeat with the black and negative portion of the battery, leaving one black clamp off. Place the other end of the black negative cable to a metal part of the engine of the dead vehicle.
5. Start the working car first. Let the working vehicle charge the dead battery for a few minutes before attempting to turn on the other car. Once time has passed, try to start your car. If that attempt doesn’t work, let the car charge for another 5 minutes. Try to turn on again. If by then, the car isn’t working, call a tow truck. The battery may be dead and in need of replacement.