Even if Ford was among the first to offer a strong competitor to the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV with the Escape PHEV, the vehicle is still not ready. Indeed, after problems of fire risks related to its battery last fall – which delayed its marketing – now the shortage of semiconductors prevents the vehicle from being assembled.
The whole industry is affected by the shortage of semiconductors, but the phenomenon will have had a much greater impact on American manufacturers who are forced to stop production at several factories in order to make up for the lack of supply. At the Ford plant in Louiseville, Kentucky, where the Escape PHEV is assembled, the situation is particularly critical, forcing the complete shutdown of the assembly lines.
However, consumers waiting for their Ford Escape plug-in hybrid will have to wait until the fall (at least), more than a year after its original market date. Since Ford unveiled it, the fleet has increased the offer of plug-in hybrid SUVs with vehicles like the Toyota RAV4 Prime and, soon, the Hyundai Tucson PHEV, which is expected to be released later in the year. summer.
Remember that the Escape PHEV offers an electric range of 61 kilometers thanks to a battery with a capacity of 14.4 kilowatt hours. Its starting price of $ 36,799 allows it to be eligible for two government rebates for plug-in hybrid vehicles, $ 2,500 from the federal government and $ 4,000 from the provincial government, for a total of $ 6,500 reduction on the final bill.
