Ford Motor Co will offer free software update to about 77,000 hybrid models to improve their actual fuel consumption and align it to the gas mileage ad on the window sticker of the vehicles.
Raj Nair, vice president of the car maker’s Global Product Development division, announced on Tuesday in a media briefing that the offer will be for the hybrid vehicle models Ford C-Max, Fusion, and Lincoln MKZ. The improvement had to be done after reports from drivers regarding the fuel economy performance of the said models.
The software update will increase the maximum speed of these vehicles from its current average of 62 miles per hour to 85 mph. This will improve fuel efficiency as the vehicle can rely to its lithium-ion battery for a longer time which is about 27 percent longer than the current.
"These enhancements will improve fuel economy satisfaction in several different driving conditions and modes of operation, like highway driving, short trips and use of climate control," Nair said in the briefing.
Ford expects about 77,000 hybrid vehicles to avail the free software update from the United States and Canada. This is after series of lawsuits were filed against them by drivers complaining that the car maker sent out false claims about the gas mileage of its hybrid models.
Sales of Ford C-Max and Fusion models declined last year, according to a report from the Consumer Reports magazine, because of negative feedback about the fuel economy after the road tests.
Nair clarified in the briefing that there are various factors that may affect the hybrid car’s gas mileage such as aggressive driving, weather condition, and battery performance. However, the company is already looking at the possibility of revising their U.S. fuel economy tests for hybrids and that they are already discussing it with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Aside from improving speed and gas mileage, Ford is also reducing the electric fan speed, the engine warm-up time, and the use of air conditioning compressor to cut energy consumption.
Ford will make another announcement of when the free software update will begin.
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