Bill Pierre Ford

Ford Motor Co. says it is pleased with customer acceptance of its new automatic parking system, which lowers the stress of parallel parking.

Ford says 19 percent of the 12,352 Lincoln MKS sedans sold through September have been equipped with the system, called Active Park Assist.

On the Lincoln MKT crossover, the rate was 26 percent of the first month’s sales of 455 vehicles.

Active Park Assist, which is made by Valeo Inc., is available as a standalone option on the MKS for $535. On the Ford Flex and MKT, it is a $595 option. Active Park Assist also is available on the 2010 Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner crossovers.

The system uses ultrasonic sensors in the bumpers to measure the distance between two parked vehicles. If the space between the vehicles is deemed sufficient, the system prompts the driver to release the steering wheel.

Using the vehicle’s electronic power steering, Active Park Assist steers the vehicle into the space while the driver works the brake and accelerator. Parking usually takes about 30 seconds or less.

Toyota offers a camera-based self-parking system on the Prius hybrid as part of a $4,769 package, as well as on Lexus vehicles. Toyota says about 5 percent of Prius buyers get the system, which is bundled in a $4,769 option package.

The Toyota system requires more driver input than Ford’s. The driver in a Prius or Lexus must use the car’s navigation screen to determine the distance between two objects.

Hydro-Quebec has joined Ford Motor Company in a North America-wide demonstration and research program on plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs).

Ford, in collaboration with the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), is undertaking a three-year test program on the Escape PHEV designed to develop and evaluate technical approaches for integrating PHEVs into the electric grid. EPRI has identified nine utilities across North America to test drive the vehicles and collect data on battery technology, vehicle systems, customer use and grid infrastructure. In total, Ford has provided 21 vehicles for the real-world trials. Hydro-Québec is the only Canadian company participating in the program.

Ford says vehicle electrification is a sound environmental choice that will play an important role in the fight against climate change. Furthermore, the automaker says it could be very advantageous for consumers to refuel at the plug receptacle rather than at the pump. Refuelling costs for an average vehicle driven 18,000 kilometres a year would be $244 as opposed to $1,383, which is six times less  costly, says Ford.

“We have to accelerate the replacement of oil by electricity for individual transportation and public transit,” says Thierry Vandal, Hydro-Quebec’s president and  CEO. “The transport sector accounts for 42% of Quebec’s greenhouse gas emissions. The reduction in greenhouse gas emissions that could be achieved through the electrification of transport in Quebec, where 98% of the electricity is produced from renewable sources would be considerable.”

The average consumption of one million all-electric vehicles, which represent 25% of Quebec’s cars, is 3 TWh, the equivalent of the annual generation of the Eastmain-1 hydroelectric facility.

The electrification of vehicles has sparked significant interest in Canada and the United States. PHEVs are one element of Ford’s blueprint for sustainability that includes actions ranging from refinements in gasoline-fuelled engines and transmissions to the development of battery electric vehicles.

“We believe collaboration with utility companies to explore new business models, standards, infrastructure, and communication between vehicle and electric grids will be a key component to advancing the commercialization of electric vehicles in the coming years,” says Nancy Gioia, director of Sustainable Mobility Technologies and Hybrid Vehicle programs at Ford.

The Escape Plug-In Hybrid using high-voltage, lithium ion batteries, uses common household current (120 volts) for charging. Full charge of the battery takes six to eight hours.

When driven for the first 48 km following a full charge, the PHEV can achieve up to 2  L/100 km (approximately) when driven on roads. The vehicle is not range limited by the amount of charge available in the battery because, once the charge in the battery has been depleted, the vehicle continues to operate as a standard Escape Hybrid.