Ford to Help Create More Accurate Fuel Economy Measures

Ford Motor Co. says it will work with software developers to create mobile and Web-based apps that give consumers real-world fuel economy numbers for cars and light trucks.

Jim Farley, Ford's executive vice president of global marketing, tells reporters at the New York auto show that the company will make its OpenXC connectivity research platform available for the effort. also notes that Ford is offering a $50,000 prize for the best personalized fuel-efficiency app.

The initiative comes in response to criticism that Ford hybrids don't deliver the fuel economy indicated by their Environmental Protection Agency ratings. Experts agree that the EPA's test procedure is highly sensitive to the operating characteristics of hybrid powertrains.

One aim is to better align consumer expectations with actual vehicle performance, Farley says. Another is to equip customers with tools that help them understanding how their own vehicles' fuel economy is affected by driving style, terrain, traffic conditions and ambient temperature.

In the meantime, some of Ford's advertisements are beginning to soften their mileage claims. Television ads for the Fusion hybrid sport sedan, for example, now claims the car gets more than twice the fuel economy of the average car on the road, Farley points out.

Previous ads trumpeted the hybrid's EPA ratings of 47 mpg in the city and 47 mph on the highway levels that Consumer Reports complained it was unable to achieve in its own road tests.