Ford touts electric range, speed of plug-in C-Max Energi hybrid

Ford's C-Max Energi plug-in hybrid wagon will be able to hit 85 mph on battery power alone, the automaker said Tuesday.

The C-Max Energi can also travel 20 miles on electric power. The driver can put the powertrain into one of three modes, via a button on the center stack:

-- EV Now, which runs the vehicle on the lithium-ion battery pack until it is depleted. Gauge displays coach the driver to maximize battery-only range.

-- EV Auto, which runs the vehicle on a blend of power from the battery pack and the 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine. This is the typical hybrid operation mode.

-- EV Later, which puts the power priority on the four-cylinder engine, saving the battery pack for later. Ford says this mode is ideal for highway driving, leaving the battery pack to come into play later during stop-and-go driving.

Ford says the electric-power speed and range stats exceed the vehicle's prime competitor, the plug-in version of the Toyota Prius. Toyota says the plug-in Prius, with a lithium-ion battery pack, can travel up to 15 miles and up to 62 mph on electric power alone.

Ford says the C-Max Energi will have a total range of 550 miles, compared with 540 miles for the plug-in Prius.

The C-Max is based on the same platform used by the Ford Focus. Ford will offer two versions, a conventional hybrid and the plug-in hybrid Energi. Both use the same powertrain--a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine rated at 141 hp and an electric motor, for total system output of 188 hp.

The hybrid C-Max Energi goes on sale in 19 markets this fall. The vehicle will be at dealers nationwide in spring 2013.

By Dale Jewett