- the 2020 ford escape plug-in hybrid is powered by a 14.4-kwh battery and a 2.5-liter inline-four with a total of 221 horsepower.
- the electrified escape offers an epa-estimated 37 miles of electric-only range and 100 mpge.
- the plug-in hybrid starts at $34,285.
for 2020, ford redesigned the escape inside and out, and for the first time since 2012 has brought back a hybrid powertrain in the suv. new to the escape, though, is a plug-in-hybrid version which, ford announced today, offers an epa-estimated 37 miles of electric-only range and 100 mpge.
the plug-in-hybrid escape is a direct competitor to the toyota rav4 prime, the plug-in-hybrid version of that suv. the prime, announced just over a week ago, has an estimated 42-mile battery-only range and 94 mpge; it starts at $39,220. while more expensive than the escape, the rav4 prime offers 302 horsepower, compared to the 221-hp escape.
a 14.4-kwh battery and a 2.5-liter inline-four power the escape, which can be fully charged in 3.5 hours at a 240-volt level 2 charger. a battery with that capacity currently qualifies for federal tax incentives (although this one has not yet been added to the epa’s list of qualifying vehicles), and without the rebates, starts at $34,285.
“the original ford escape was the world’s first hybrid suv, and the all-new ford escape plug-in hybrid represents how far we’ve come in technology and efficiency,” hau thai-tang, ford chief product development and purchasing officer, said in a statement. “the all-new escape plug-in has more power and more passenger space than the fusion energi plug-in, as well as up to four times the cargo volume behind its second-row seats.”