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Welcome to 2020: Ford Fusion Energi Technology


doug
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Hi Everyone,

 

I posted a new article on my blog about the technology features of the Fusion Energi.

Please have a read and post comments on this forum thread:  Welcome to 2020: Ford Fusion Energi Technology


The forum admins have granted me permission to post links to my blog articles here for discussion.

 

I'd prefer to promote this forum and have discussions here rather than on my blog.

 

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Thanks for the post.  Note that you can buy an extended warranty for the car from several dealers via the internet.  I too was concerned about all that technology might be expensive to repair.  I purchased a 7 year/75000 mile Ford ESP warranty from a local dealer for $900 on Friday (http://andersonandkoch-ford-warranty.com/).

 

I consider one of the more important features of the Energi, in addition to plug in capability, to be preconditioning.  You can remote start the vehicle, or set the Go Times for when you plan to leave, with the vehicle plugged in.  The car will use electricity from the charging station to prepare the battery and the passenger compartment temperature.  Warming the car on a cold day can use a lot of power from the battery (5 kW).  Also, I'm not sure that the battery works as efficiently when it is cold.  Its very nice to have the car fully charged, all warmed up, and ready to go on a cold day.  I'm not sure how much air conditioning uses--it hasn't been warm enough to use it yet.  This significantly extends the range of EV mode of operation. 

Edited by larryh
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Yes--I chose the PremiumCare with a $200 deductible.  PremiumCare covers just about everything.  I am buying this to cover expensive repairs, like a $1200 computer module.   So $200 deductible is OK with me--hopefully I don't have to use it.  However, there is a lot of stuff that can go wrong.  On my 2006 Ford Fusion, I had absolutely no repairs.  A warranty would have been a waste of money.

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One thing to note, I asked the dealer about the pricing of the Ford ESP.  The warranty price for the 2013 Ford Fusion is apparently the same for all models and options.  So people who purchase a warranty for an Energi are getting a bargain versus the people who purchase a warranty for a normal gas-powered Fusion.

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The ESPs, in my opinion, are worth every dollar and more.  My Expedition abused the heck out of the one I got.  The only thing that failed under the bumper to bumper warranty was an antifreeze leak that caused a misfire (common on the 5.4L for that model year for both expos and F150's).  Then at 37k, I had the rear axle seals go, causing all the fluid to drain out, making the axle chew itself to smithereens.  50 bucks to fix it.  Then, I developed an oil leak out of the passenger side rear cylinder.  50 bucks to fix it.  THEN I developed a rattle under the front of the truck... swaybar bolts worked themselves out.  They replaced those, rebuild the whole front end (ball joints, tie rod ends, etc), 50 bucks.  So for 150 bucks, I probably had bare minimum 8k worth of work done.  I'll NEVER buy another vehicle without one.

 

I plan on getting a 7 year, 75k warranty.  It's more likely for me to have the time expire before the miles do, but my job location could change, I could wind up needing to drive some great distance, so as a just in case, I'm getting that one.  I expect 1200 bucks for that warranty.  My dealership doesn't seem to negotiate anything.

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The ESPs, in my opinion, are worth every dollar and more. ...

I expect 1200 bucks for that warranty.  My dealership doesn't seem to negotiate anything.

Then don't buy from your dealer. ESP is available from dealers over the Internet.

 

My dealer offered me ESP at twice what it would cost from Flood Ford or Champion Ford. Stupidly, I said yes. Luckily, I had this forum to give me a sanity check. Happily, the dealer refunded my money, and even cut me a check for the $75 cancellation fee.

 

Now I am thinking about buying ESP, either over the Internet or from my dealer if he will price-match. Yes, it would be odd to buy from the dealer after canceling, but I wanted to get that first transaction cleanly cancelled.

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The ESPs, in my opinion, are worth every dollar and more.  My Expedition abused the heck out of the one I got.  The only thing that failed under the bumper to bumper warranty was an antifreeze leak that caused a misfire (common on the 5.4L for that model year for both expos and F150's).  Then at 37k, I had the rear axle seals go, causing all the fluid to drain out, making the axle chew itself to smithereens.  50 bucks to fix it.  Then, I developed an oil leak out of the passenger side rear cylinder.  50 bucks to fix it.  THEN I developed a rattle under the front of the truck... swaybar bolts worked themselves out.  They replaced those, rebuild the whole front end (ball joints, tie rod ends, etc), 50 bucks.  So for 150 bucks, I probably had bare minimum 8k worth of work done.  I'll NEVER buy another vehicle without one.

 

I plan on getting a 7 year, 75k warranty.  It's more likely for me to have the time expire before the miles do, but my job location could change, I could wind up needing to drive some great distance, so as a just in case, I'm getting that one.  I expect 1200 bucks for that warranty.  My dealership doesn't seem to negotiate anything.

 

I have had three prior cars.  The first one, a 1981 Dodge Aries, I purchased an extended warranty (they were only about $400 back then), but never used it.  That was a waste of money.  So, on my two subsequent cars, a 1996 Mercury Tracer and a 2006 Ford Fusion, I never purchased an extended warranty.  I had no repairs to those cars either that would have used the extended warranty had I had it.  So I came out ahead.  All repairs (relatively minor) on the 3 cars occurred during the basic warranty. 

 

However, the Energi is much more complex and technologically advanced than those cars.  There are more systems in this car than any of my previous cars and a lot more that could go wrong.

Edited by larryh
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Looks like Larry paid what it was worth, according to floodfordesp.com.  200 deductible at 7 year, 75k is 900 dollars.  I do not seem to have very good luck with vehicles even though they get babied around me (I do a lot of my own maintenance, buy top shelf products, etc), but my Expo just wasn't all it was cracked up to be for reliability.  My Escort when I had it had a valve sleeve slip out of place and that was a fortune to replace the cylinder head and then there were non stop oil burning problems after that, plus it had spark knock pretty badly that the mechanic couldn't resolve.  I bought the Focus to replace it as a work/economy car and it's been good up until a couple weeks ago when it sprung the antifreeze leak.  It also had a bad O2 sensor that I replaced.  Aside from that, for having had it around for 3 years, it was quite reliable.  No driveability problems with it.

 

Considering I'm getting a FIRST generation (new style) Fusion with a first generation PHEV system, there's just no 2 ways about an extended warranty.  I'm sure there's going to be service bulletins abound with it (one of which is mentioned in the Fusion Hybrid forums with a clicking/clunking when moving forward and when stopping).  The Energi's are still very new so who knows what other issues will appear over the next couple years?  200 bucks for a repair isn't bad, but I might go for the 100 dollar deductible.  It only costs 30 dollars more in the longrun if I use it once, plus saves more if I have multiple repairs.

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Thanks for the post.  Note that you can buy an extended warranty for the car from several dealers via the internet.  I too was concerned about all that technology might be expensive to repair.  I purchased a 7 year/75000 mile Ford ESP warranty from a local dealer for $900 on Friday (http://andersonandkoch-ford-warranty.com/).

 

I consider one of the more important features of the Energi, in addition to plug in capability, to be preconditioning.  You can remote start the vehicle, or set the Go Times for when you plan to leave, with the vehicle plugged in.  The car will use electricity from the charging station to prepare the battery and the passenger compartment temperature.  Warming the car on a cold day can use a lot of power from the battery (5 kW).  Also, I'm not sure that the battery works as efficiently when it is cold.  Its very nice to have the car fully charged, all warmed up, and ready to go on a cold day.  I'm not sure how much air conditioning uses--it hasn't been warm enough to use it yet.  This significantly extends the range of EV mode of operation. 

 

Thanks Larry and good point.  I'm going to update the article now to add the pre-conditioning feature.  I use it as well and it works great for us.

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 The Energi's are still very new so who knows what other issues will appear over the next couple years? 

 

The Energi has a 3 year 36,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty and the ESP doesn't kick in until that warranty expires.  If you are a high mileage driver it probably makes sense but I won't drive 36,000 miles in the next three years so I will get a full 3 year warranty.  Then there is the 5 year 50,000 mile powertrain warranty and the 8 year 100,000 mile hybrid unique components warranty.  The only thing new in the Energi is the much bigger battery and it's charging and drive control system.  The rest of the car is the same as the 2010 Fusion Hybrid that I drove for 4 years with zero problems.

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If you change your mind about the Ford ESP, you can at any time, cancel the contract and receive a prorated amount of the purchase price plus a $75 processing fee (provided the dealer is still in business).  Or you can transfer the warranty to the new owner.

 

Larry

Edited by larryh
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The Energi has a 3 year 36,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty and the ESP doesn't kick in until that warranty expires.  If you are a high mileage driver it probably makes sense but I won't drive 36,000 miles in the next three years so I will get a full 3 year warranty.  Then there is the 5 year 50,000 mile powertrain warranty and the 8 year 100,000 mile hybrid unique components warranty.  The only thing new in the Energi is the much bigger battery and it's charging and drive control system.  The rest of the car is the same as the 2010 Fusion Hybrid that I drove for 4 years with zero problems.

 

This is somewhat accurate.  There are a ton of new components on the Energi and the Hybrid and who knows how long they'll last?  EVERYTHING on this car is electric.  The heater, air conditioning compressor, power steering device, the active grill shutters, even the throttle body is electronically controlled (but cars have had that for a while, so I'm not too concerned about it).  The 2010 Fusion still had a lot of belt driven (mechanical) accessories.  Regardless, it's peace of mind knowing that I have a nice, long warranty.  Anything can die at any time due to normal use.  Yes, the quality has skyrocketed and maybe the ESP may no longer be worth considering for some, but for me with my history, I'm all for it.

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The rest of the car is the same as the 2010 Fusion Hybrid that I drove for 4 years with zero problems.

 

Not really... Prior systems were NiH based batteries and the 2013+ Fusions are Li ion. Higher energy density battery technology, also more issues with over heating while charging and cell balancing. I would suspect the charger is much more sophisticated on the Energi systems as it's subjected to more charge and deplete over whatever it's lifespan is.

 

I was planning on the 7 year 100k with $100 or $200 deductible from floodfordesp.com if local dealer doesn't price match.

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Great blog, Doug!   All of the items you mentioned are just great items on this very high tech rich car.  Dare I say it, the hi tech feels almost Tesla lite, in the sheer number of high tech items packed in.  Actually, the FF Ti has a few hi tech items you can't get on a Tesla, as well.   I'm adding some of the things I discover every couple of days that aren't necessarily new, but still, it's great technology!    

 

- When you're outside heading toward your car in the parking lot,  I love the '3 touches on the remote, all the windows roll down to air out the car on a hot day' feature.   Or roll them up. 

- Love the touchpad that allows you to open the doors without a key.  

- The radio, even though it is the upgraded Sony and has a sub-par subwoofer, is so much better, and the car is so much quieter, that I listen to music much louder and with much more satisfaction with this car.     They still could stand to give us the ability to customize the eq settings for each source.

- The adaptive cruise (or eco cruise) really maxes out your cruise control comfort level with the adjustable car lengths distances, and it maxes your gas mileage for your given speed on the highway.  

- The bliss system(amber flashing lights on the side mirrors when cars enter the blind spot) works well, though I'd be happy with the '2nd mirror' I see on other Fords where you see the actual blind spot image in a smaller little 'window' in the mirror.

- I love the ability to check my EV battery charge level, as well as gas tank level, from my iPhone.  I can remote lock or unlock the doors from the phone too.  

- Love the seats, which are so comfortable, that I believe there was a lot of hi-tech that went into those seats to make them work this well.

- The heated seats option feels spa-like, in it's execution.

 

-The dreaded tiny trunk, though it looks forlorn, actually has a very useable space.  I've carried a lot of gear in the last 3 weeks back there.  The fold down seats work well for carrying cargo as well.  I was able to fit a 46" monitor in the back seat.  Unfortunately, I wasn't able to squeeze my 9' surfboard in there, like I was able to in the '13 FFH.   But the cargo space is workable.  You just have to spend a bit more time organizing your haul.

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- The adaptive cruise (or eco cruise) really maxes out your cruise control comfort level with the adjustable car lengths distances, and it maxes your gas mileage for your given speed on the highway. 

 

-The dreaded tiny trunk, though it looks forlorn, actually has a very useable space.  I've carried a lot of gear in the last 3 weeks back there.  The fold down seats work well for carrying cargo as well.  I was able to fit a 46" monitor in the back seat.  Unfortunately, I wasn't able to squeeze my 9' surfboard in there, like I was able to in the '13 FFH.   But the cargo space is workable.  You just have to spend a bit more time organizing your haul.

 

Adaptive cruise is the space keeping and auto slow down to 20 MPH that costs $900. Eco cruise is a separate feature that the hybrids have that slows acceleration and coasts more downhill to increase mileage. Start below at 48 seconds:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5cYT5zH-Yg

 

And adaptive cruise:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpUMLsc0xxE

 

And not to be outdone, it looks like Tesla is looking VERY closely into these features:

http://www.autoblog.com/2013/05/07/tesla-model-s-secret-menu-shows-possible-upcoming-features/

 

 

The new Pintrist meme is showing how much you can put into an Energi trunk... or at least on our board it is...

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Adaptive cruise is the space keeping and auto slow down to 20 MPH that costs $900. Eco cruise is a separate feature that the hybrids have that slows acceleration and coasts more downhill to increase mileage. Start below at 48 seconds:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5cYT5zH-Yg

 

And adaptive cruise:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpUMLsc0xxE

 

Hey Shaggy thanks for looking to keep me honest, but if you have adaptive cruise on your NRG, I believe that the Eco cruise is part of that option.  

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRwEt-eQXfc

 

 

And as for the Tesla, it's funny when I've mentioned those items that the Ti has that the Tesla is wanting, people had looked at me like I'm high-- especially when I coin the term 'Tesla light'. 

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  • 9 months later...

I HAD BLIS (Blind Spot Information System) on my 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid and although I liked the feature at first it turned out to be a pain in the neck. I live in the Phoenix area and they have an Electric Light Rail system that runs through the heart of town. Whenever I travel along the Light Rail Route I ALMOST ALWAYS receive a BLIS error indicating it has detected a FALSE indication and shuts of that side of the vehicle for about 10 minutes. I took the vehicle to my dealer and explained the situation to them, they said my vehicle was checked thoroughly and they could not find any problems with it. The HIgh Voltage Light Rail seems to be introducing interference in the vehicle's BLIS.

 

When I replaced my 2010 Fusion with a 2013 Fusion PHEV I was glad that the new vehicle DID NOT have BLIS installed on it.

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  • 6 months later...

The Pull-Drift Compensation system will automatically correct for the effects of steeply crowned roads or steady crosswinds. It does this by detecting direction changes not caused by the driver (like a strong wind) and it makes steering adjustments to help the driver stay on course.

I'm not familiar with this feature. Can you elaborate a little more please?

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