First road trip 2500 miles

[troylikesbikes]

5 days, 2511 miles, 41.6 mpg. 

 

Mostly 70+, 75mph usually, Denver down to Galveston TX, A/C used entire time, regular unleaded, 2 adults, full trunk including temporary spare and odds and ends tools, ambient was generally 100F+ on 4 of the 5 days, regular unleaded.

 

Started out with maybe 10 miles on HVB, drained it to about 4 pretty quickly and carried it there for most of the trip, using EV-Later nearly exclusively. Tried one experiment, turned-on EV-Auto to drain the HVB and get to hybrid mode, and then used that for 100 miles just to see what hybrid mode looked like during normal cruise control road work.

 

The experiment was coming down Raton Pass into Trinidad CO., I pumped as much juice back into the HVB as possible, and at the bottom of the hill kicked into EV-Later with about 4 miles on the HVB. Using this trick down various decent descents along I-25 I was able to build about 8 miles into the HVB by the time i reached the house 150 miles later. 

 

Best tank (tank meaning at least half empty) was 52 mpg with a tailwind in Kansas, worst was 33 mpg. Fuel meter read low more often than it read high, a first for any fuel meter I've ever tested. As with any other hybrid I've owned, or CVT for that matter, mileage is extremely sensitive to head or trailing wind. 

 

General impressions on the car are that the A/C is excellent, the car is as quiet as anything else I've ever owned, there appears to be quite the mileage difference between running 60-70 versus 70-80. Comfortable, no monkey butt on any one day or after all 5. Lane minder is mildly irritating, I tried using it a few times to drive the car down the road and it was unpredictable, sometimes it would actually pinball gently back and forth between the lane markers, other times it would just under run the lane market for no apparent reason, the wheel for vibrate, I got all sorts of "driver needs rest" messages. Ended up turning it off most of the time, using it only when I was fiddling with something while driving and thought it might save me if I made a correction when I ought to have not. Tires tend to follow grooves more than I prefer, car had plenty of power to run 80mph all day, climb mountain passes, all in all was quite nice for a road trip machine.

[Rexracer]

Can't complain about that kind of performance from a car this size!

[Hybridbear]

Did you charge every night?

[troylikesbikes]

Did you charge every night?

 

Didn't charge at all except for the 5-8 miles I used on the morning of the first day. 

 

My intention for this car is 2-fold, one is to be an EV around town when I am home, the 20 mile EV range seems to work out just fine for my level of around town gallivanting. But on a regular basis I commute from Denver to Washington over the weekend, work a week, and then commute back to Denver. So when it isn't an EV, I need the car to get good highway mileage.

 

This was the Energi's first road trip test. There will be another warm weather test in September, and a colder weather trip in November. There is the distinct possibility that the ICE isn't even fully broke in yet, after examining the commute of the prior owner. Possible the mileage might get better with more run-in time, cooler weather, less A/C, and practice.

Edited August 15, 2015 at 07:28 PM by troylikesbikes

[troylikesbikes]

Can't complain about that kind of performance from a car this size!

I certainly cannot. Although to be honest my last car, a 2015 Nissan Altima, could achieve 40+ mpg on single tanks in the right conditions, and 38-39 over a long trip. It also would get hammered by headwinds, down into the low 30's. But it couldn't ever achieve 50+ on a tank, let alone hit 40+ over the entirety of a long, high speed trip which this one was.

 

On a semi-regular basis I drive more backroads, eastern interstates, speeds under 70 mph, 50-60 on big secondaries, and I expect the Energi to do even better under those conditions.

[Hybridbear]

Didn't charge at all except for the 5-8 miles I used on the morning of the first day. 

 

My intention for this car is 2-fold, one is to be an EV around town when I am home, the 20 mile EV range seems to work out just fine for my level of around town gallivanting. But on a regular basis I commute from Denver to Washington over the weekend, work a week, and then commute back to Denver. So when it isn't an EV, I need the car to get good highway mileage.

 

This was the Energi's first road trip test. There will be another warm weather test in September, and a colder weather trip in November. There is the distinct possibility that the ICE isn't even fully broke in yet, after examining the commute of the prior owner. Possible the mileage might get better with more run-in time, cooler weather, less A/C, and practice.

If you charge each night you'll get even better mileage. We've always been able to charge while traveling. Most hotels have outlets somewhere on ththe outside of the building that can be used to charge the car overnight.

[troylikesbikes]

If you charge each night you'll get even better mileage. We've always been able to charge while traveling. Most hotels have outlets somewhere on ththe outside of the building that can be used to charge the car overnight.

 

Haven't wanted to risk the cord out in the open. 

[Hybridbear]

Haven't wanted to risk the cord out in the open.

We have used an extension cord which allowed us to keep the charger under the hood in areas where we were concerned.

[Rexracer]

I certainly cannot. Although to be honest my last car, a 2015 Nissan Altima, could achieve 40+ mpg on single tanks in the right conditions, and 38-39 over a long trip. It also would get hammered by headwinds, down into the low 30's. But it couldn't ever achieve 50+ on a tank, let alone hit 40+ over the entirety of a long, high speed trip which this one was.

 

On a semi-regular basis I drive more backroads, eastern interstates, speeds under 70 mph, 50-60 on big secondaries, and I expect the Energi to do even better under those conditions.

 

 

Honestly, given your goal is good highway mpg, you should have gotten the hybrid and not paid extra for the Energi, or the weight penalty of carrying around the large battery all the time. The hybrid would get you another 3-8mpg on the highway.

[Hybridbear]

The hybrid would get you another 3-8mpg on the highway.

I disagree. We've owned both the FFH & the Energi and we see no difference in highway MPG. The EPA ratings for the Fusion Energi are actually from the C-Max Energi. When you compare C-Max Hybrid to C-Max Energi EPA ratings you see that the highway MPG difference is only 1 MPG (36 vs 37 MPG highway).

[troylikesbikes]

Honestly, given your goal is good highway mpg, you should have gotten the hybrid and not paid extra for the Energi, or the weight penalty of carrying around the large battery all the time. The hybrid would get you another 3-8mpg on the highway.

NO!!! I CAN'T!!   :)

 

I have been DYING for an EV ever since the Volt came out. I test drove the first one that the local dealership had (before they were allowed to sell them because they were required to have one or two on hand for demos) and just couldn't bring myself to buy it at the time. I've owned two other Gen I hybrids (2007 Escape AWD and 2009 TCH) and I test drove the Fusion Hybrid and C-Max about a year ago. I knew then that the Fusion was the one, and that hybrids had changed a lot since the old days of "tap the brake to shut off the engine below 41 mph", trying to EV downhill from the house to work, catching the lights just right, going SSSLLLLOOOOWWWWW on slight uphills to keep the motor from turning on, all these ridiculous exercises so I could claim once…just ONCE…to have EVed to the office.

 

So no, as good as I thought the FFH was, it wasn't enough. This time around, I had to have something that could EV. And I got it!! :happy feet:

 

And after about 3000 miles so far, I have decided it is the best hybrid ever. I don't think about it as an EV, but as a hybrid I can collect power in on downhills, build miles of range in the HVB, run around an interstate stop all EV, and then kick back over into hybrid mode for the highway. 

 

So to me, it IS a FFH. With a smaller trunk, and no need for burning gas around town while doing chores, running the kids to school, groceries, movies, whatever. And then on the interstate, it is the best hybrid ever!  :happy feet:

 

The weight really makes that much of a difference in highway mileage? I haven't heard of folks getting 50 mpg on a FFH doing 80mph with the A/C on, basically at that point we are talking about two overweight family sedans, approximately the  same aerodynamics, same motors…3-8 mpg? That is a huge improvement at highway speeds for no core difference besides some extra weight. I've driven the same sedan with 400# weight differences on the same route and could barely tell the difference in highway mileage. 

Edited August 20, 2015 at 09:56 PM by troylikesbikes

[stevedebi]

I disagree. We've owned both the FFH & the Energi and we see no difference in highway MPG. The EPA ratings for the Fusion Energi are actually from the C-Max Energi. When you compare C-Max Hybrid to C-Max Energi EPA ratings you see that the highway MPG difference is only 1 MPG (36 vs 37 MPG highway).

Interesting. The C-Max energi has a higher rear end ratio than the conventional C-Max, which in theory should give slightly worse MPG on the highway. Is the same true of the FFE?

[Hybridbear]

Interesting. The C-Max energi has a higher rear end ratio than the conventional C-Max, which in theory should give slightly worse MPG on the highway. Is the same true of the FFE?

The two Energi models have the same powertrain & the two hybrid models have the same powertrain.

[stevedebi]

The two Energi models have the same powertrain & the two hybrid models have the same powertrain.

Thanks, HB. In that case I would think the hybrid would get slightly better ICE mileage.

[Rexracer]

I disagree. We've owned both the FFH & the Energi and we see no difference in highway MPG. The EPA ratings for the Fusion Energi are actually from the C-Max Energi. When you compare C-Max Hybrid to C-Max Energi EPA ratings you see that the highway MPG difference is only 1 MPG (36 vs 37 MPG highway).

Interesting. I based my statement on the EPA rating, and my wifes Aunt/Uncle. They got a FFH and drove to Portland/Spokane and got 47/48 mpg, when I do that drive I get 40-42ish. Maybe the bigger difference is the actual driving as I wouldn't be surprised if I drive a bit quicker then they do...

 

And Troy, I would get the FFH simply because of the larger truck and cheaper purchase price, if i was doing primarily Highway.. ;-)

[troylikesbikes]

 

And Troy, I would get the FFH simply because of the larger truck and cheaper purchase price, if i was doing primarily Highway.. ;-)

 

I know. But as I explained earlier, I consider the Energi a hybrid….just a REALLY good one. Yeah, I wish I had the bigger trunk, but there is nothing quite like storing miles and miles on downhill runs that the FFH never could, and using it to putter around towns during gas stops.

Edited September 2, 2015 at 10:32 PM by troylikesbikes