Although Toyota had a bit of a head start when it comes to hybrid technology, the competition has pretty much caught up to them and the playing field is relatively level at this point in time. Ford has its marketing guns aimed right at the Toyota Prius V Plug-In Hybrid with their all-new C-MAX Energi.
The 2013 C-MAX Energi is Ford’s Plug-in Hybrid and is scheduled to hit the show room floors during the third quarter of 2012. The C-MAX Energi is powered by a 2.0-liter Atkinson-Cycle four cylinder engine that works in conjunction with an electric motor reaching a peak of 195 horsepower on a fully charged battery.
The C-MAX Energi’s lithium-ion battery pack can be charged via the external charge port. Vehicle owners can charge the car with a standard 120-volt outlet or the available 240-volt charge station.
The C-Max Energi is capable of getting 550 miles (885 km) of driving range on a single tank of fuel and a fully charged battery. The car is also capable of traveling a distance 20 miles (32 km) just on electric power.
The starting price for the Ford C-MAX Energi is $33,745 but there is a federal tax credit of $3,750 and an additional $500 tax credit in the state of California. So, depending on where you live, the vehicle will start at between $28,495 and $29,995. The regular, non Plug-in hybrid, Ford C-Max Hybrid starts at $25,995.
I personally think the C-MAX Energi is a prettier car and competition is always good for the consumer. We’ll be seeing a lot of plug-in hybrids over the next decade or so.
