Ford faces battery shortage problem in '05 for Escape Hybrid

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I beg to differ.

The article is dated in March, well before the Escape Hybrid went on sale.

If that does not convince you, here is a quote from a Toyota site on the arrangement:

Is Ford using the Toyota hybrid system?

Although the Ford hybrid system is very similar to Toyota's, Toyota is not directly supplying any components to Ford. Toyota and Ford have entered into a licensing agreement allowing Ford to use technology that had been patented by Toyota. Toyota welcomes the introduction of the Escape hybrid and Ford's effort to demonstrate and gain acceptance of this important environmental technology.

Hybrid Hype? Fact and Fiction Surrounding the New Technology

And another:

Toyota and Ford to license hybrid and emission reduction technology
Toyota and Ford Motor Company have agreed to license patented technology for hybrid powertrains and emission reduction. Ford has purchased licenses for twenty Toyota patents on hybrid systems and control technology for their hybrid vehicle development program. The scope of the agreement does not include the use of Toyota hybrid powertrain components. Toyota and Ford also concluded an agreement that covers licensing a number of each company's emission purification technology patents for lean-burn engines, centering on NOx reduction. Toyota has a track record of licensing hybrid technology to other automakers. In 2002, for example, Toyota and Nissan concluded a long-term agreement on hybrid systems that included two-way technical cooperation and, unlike the Ford agreement, the use of Toyota components.

TOYOTA ENVIRONMENTAL UPDATE

Here are three articles that specifically address Ford's use of Toyota's hybrid technology in its SUV:

Toyota has reached an agreement with Ford covering the use of hybrid technology. Ford is still developing its own hybrid SUV model, due to go on sale later this year, which will be using the same technology as the Toyota Prius hybrid model. Hybrid vehicles switch between internal combustion and electric motive power, reducing overall fuel consumption and decreasing harmful emissions.

Ford will be using Toyota's hybrid technology to develop its own model

And:

Ford said its hybrid system would feature more than 100 unique patents.

Purists have long questioned the U.S. auto maker’s hybrid engine prowess after Ford reached an agreement in 2001 with Aisin AW, a Toyota-affiliated car parts maker, to supply Ford with key components for the Escape hybrid, which was first planned for 2003.

Ford turns to Toyota for hybrid car help

And:

Ford Motor will use some technology from Toyota's hybrid engine for its hybrid Escape sport-utility vehicle, set to hit dealers this fall, the two automakers said Tuesday.

Ford says it will modify about 20 of the 370 patents that Toyota ™ holds for its gas/electric hybrid technology, used in the Prius car.

The patents Ford is buying involve software that controls, among other things, whether the gas engine or electric motor is used. In hybrid vehicles, power to the wheels shifts from the gas engine to the electric motor depending on demand to save fuel.

Ford borrows from Toyota's blueprints for new hybrid Escape

 

not what i heard. what ford developed was too close to what Toyota already had, so they licensed some of the patents to be sure they were in the clear legally.

 

Re: Ford faces battery shortage problem in '05 for Escape Hy

That is correct.

The whole mess is explained here.

 

Here is another version:

Ford to License Toyota Hybrid Technology

Ford announced its Escape hybrid vehicle will be for sale in late summer 2004. Several initial launch dates have slipped due to technical difficulties. Ford will license the hybrid drive technology for this vehicle from Toyota. The hybrid electric Escape is expected to be certified for sale as an Advanced Technology Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle (AT-PZEV) and achieve 35-40 miles per gallon of gas. Ford will incorporate parts of Toyota’s hybrid-drive system in the Escape but Ford claims it will continue to develop a proprietary system.

Center for Transportation and the Environment