*** Energy Dept to test experimental car

WASHINGTON (AP) - Government engineers soon will get to test a family-sized experimental car from Ford Motor Co. that is powered by a diesel-electric engine and can run for 60 miles on a gallon of fuel - double the distance of a typical car. The P2000 LSR, which is expected to be delivered next month to the Energy Department for testing, was developed as part of a program intended to foster development of technologies for a mass-produced family car with improved fuel efficiency. Ford is the first company to deliver a full-size hybrid-powered car that engineers can drive daily and test its engineering. Other automakers are working on similar fuel-efficient hybrid cars or have produced working models. The P2000 has the passenger room, trunk space and acceleration of a Taurus, with 40% less weight. The car is made mostly of aluminum and other lightweight materials, and weights about 2,000 pounds, Ford engineers said. Ford has not said it would put the car into production in the future. Domestic automakers are struggling with the cost of such a vehicle and have kept their research costs confidential. For instance, aluminum is three to five times as expensive to use as steel, pound for pound. The engine has an important advantage over the hydrogen fuel cell future cars some other automakers are designing: It can be refueled at a gas station that also sells diesel fuel. DaimlerChrysler AG is expected to have a hybrid car ready for the Energy Department to look at in December, Energy officials said.###

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