In the process of developing its new Fusion Hybrid and other plug-in vehicles, Ford said it recorded 461 hybrid patents including those for the powertrain enabling the Fusion to achieve 47 mpg.

Among its most talented inventors, Ford made special mention of Ming Kuang, who has helped Ford since 2000 to expand its portfolio of hybrid patents from just 10 patents when he began to 461 today.

“The work on the Fusion Hybrid is all about a commitment I made a long time ago to have a positive effect on our environment,” said Kuang. “It’s about helping make the world my children live in – and the world my children’s children will live in – a better place.”

Kuang was behind nearly 10 percent of the 461 hybrid patents, Ford said, and 25 of his 40 hybrid patents have gone from mere draft form to actual production of key components of Ford’s powersplit architecture system. This system is used on the Fusion Hybrid and Fusion Energi plug-in hybrid that Ford said should exceed 100 MPGe

The company’s prolific run of patents represents a 50-fold increase, Ford said, and signals a solid commitment to growing its intellectual property despite the economic downturn.

“Ford continued to invest to develop new products like our new Fusion hybrids during the depths of the economic downturn,” said Chuck Gray, Ford chief engineer of Global Core Engineering Hybrid and Electric Vehicles. “We succeeded in transforming our lineup with leading fuel efficiency, thanks in part to the many Ford inventors who are helping make our Fusion Hybrid America’s most fuel-efficient sedan.”