We have a truck.  It is a shiny black Ford F150 with an extended cab for our dog. It is old now, made in 1996, and has lasted well carting our loads (artwork and woodwork) and through numerous road trips east and west.  Our truck has two tanks for gas. If one tank runs out, we flip the switch and move to the second. On long trips we can usually drive for half a day without stopping. I could get to my mother’s house in 24 hours.  We are now wondering what we will be driving next and doing so with a new set of values.

Ford asked me to test drive the 2010 Fusion Hybrid and here are my thoughts.

Again, I love Ford. I like the feeling of being in a car made here. The fact that the new hybrids pollute less, tugs at my heartstrings. These are progressive treats that make things feel hopeful for our world. The hybrid starts on a battery and hums when turned on. I liked the safety features (backup projection with alarm, side view mirror signals to assist with the blind spot.) There is a flower icon on the dash that grows greener as your fuel efficiency improves (we took a 3 hour trip and averaged 37 mph.) The interior is “eco-responsible” and was one of my biggest interests since I love fabric and learning how things are made.  By researching production journeys, upstream and downstream, I can better evaluate the impact.  Online I found assorted information promoting methods explored by Ford:

•    Post consumer recycled material
•    ‘Suede’ fabrics made from pop bottles
•    Soy-foam seat cushions
•    Recycled resins from used detergent bottles
•    Recycled resins from used tires
•    Battery casings recycled into splash shields
•    Battery casings recycled into radiator deflectors
•    Nanotechnology
•    Plastic derived from corn, sugar beets, sugarcane, and switch grass

I don’t know what is true or not. I want to admire green attempts of any company, yet I don’t want to be naïve. In the perfect green world information would flow easily, from the source, for all to understand. I wish Ford would create a green section on their website just for me. I want to see data. I want to see pictures. I want read a FAQ section.   I have a dream for the perfect car and I hope that Ford can move quickly, daringly, and with the truest set of values in the forefront; the earth and how it supports life. As a stepping-stone into the future, this a good start.

So, I was hot for the hybrid. I drove about town and chatted up a storm about it. I was left with one question. When is the NEW FORD FULLY ELECTRIC CAR going to hit the production lines and be available?

Photo: Our road trip to Michigan.