Yesterday, Ford Motors celebrated a hybrid milestone at its Kansas City Assembly Plant in Missouri. The 100,000th hybrid rolled off the production plant after five years after launching the Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner hybrid duos.

“As we celebrate our 100,000th hybrid, America’s interest in hybrid vehicles keeps growing, as does Ford’s commitment to advanced powertrain technologies that deliver greater fuel economy, lower emissions and help enhance our country’s energy security,” said Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford. “No domestic automaker has more real-world experience with hybrid vehicle technology than Ford, and it shows in the quality and fuel economy of our vehicles.” (Source: PR Newswire)

In recent months, the 2009 Ford Escape Hybrid has been named one of Kelley Blue Book’s “Best New Family Vehicles” as well as being named the “Best Crossover/SUV Value under $28,000” by IntelliChoice.com. The 2009 Escape/Mariner Hybrids offer drivers 31mpg on the highway and 34mpg in the city.

More awards from the 2009 Chicago Auto Show; this time, IntellieChoice.com has recognized the Ford Escape Hybrid/Mercury Mariner Hybrid duo as the “Best Crossover/SUV Value under $28,000″. The award is given to vehicles that have a lower cost of ownership than other vehicles in the class. This was not a hybrid-specific award so the hybrid duo beat out non-hybrids in the same class.

“Sometimes the more expensive a vehicle is, the better the value, but in this particular case it’s like the perfect storm,” he explained. “The Ford Escape Hybrid and the Mercury Mariner Hybrid offer 95 percent of the space and quality of other hybrid SUVs but at a lower price point with a great, readily available dealer network and strong brand value.”

The 2009 Ford Escape/Mercury Mariner Hybrids are rated at 34mpg in the city and 31 on the highway for the FWD models and 29 mpg city/27 mpg highway for the four-wheel drive model.

We all have read about or seen hybrid cars by now. But some of you may have questions in reference to hybrid car basics. You maybe wondering the fuel efficiency of these types of cars, or perhaps how long one lasts while fully charged, etc.

Let’s answer some of these questions today, in the Hybrid Car Q&A article below.

Question - What makes a gas engine powered car different than one of these new hybrid cars?

Answer - A hybrid car (also known as an electric and gas powered car), allows you to operate the vehicle on two different fuel systems. With a hybrid, two engines power up the car, an electric motor and a gas powered motor. As you can see these two types of engines combined will generate greater fuel efficiency than if the car was run on purely a gas only engine. Hybrids generally speaking can have highway fuel ratings of up to 50 MPG, or greater. Case in point: The Toyota Hybrid.
Question - How long do hybrid cars generally last while fully charged?

Answer - Hybrid cars generally speaking can last up to 500 miles while on a full tank of gas, and fully charged up. As you can see considerable mileage can be logged on a gas and electric powered car. Also gas engines are smaller in hybrids, yet technically superior.

Question - How does a hybrid car get its power?

Answer - From batteries located in the vehicle itself, and an electric motor. In turn, the batteries juice up the electric engine.

Question - How do i Find The Greenest Vehicles in My State?

Answer - To find the greenest vehicles in your state, as determined by the EPA. Head on over to the Green Vehicle Guide. There input your name of your resident state, and a list of the most eco friendly vehicles again as determined by the good folks at the EPA, will be generated for your use.

Question - Which are the Top 3 Hybrid Vehicles From 2008?

Answer - In the state of Illinois the following Illinois green vehicles were listed:

As usual the Honda Civic Hybrid, Toyota Prius, and The Ford Escape Hybrid were the best rated. But this will soon change dramatically, as more hybrids are introduced later this year, and in 2009.

Feel free to ask your hybrid car questions below. I will write a follow up post and feature your questions on the blog. Thanxs!

Reference - Green Living at About.com

Photo Credit - Geek Habitat