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Picked up my Energi last Friday! Observations so far ...


howardbc
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Hi, everyone. I have previously posted here but finally actually picked up my Fusion Energi last Friday, April 5th. It's a white Titanium and drives like a dream, but I still have a lot of questions. Like ... is 20-21 miles in EV-only what I get from an entire full battery charge? How can I tell when it is in EV mode and when it is in gasoline mode? I have seen how regenerative braking adds to the battery level. The displays are so confusing. I am going to speak to someone who knows the Ford Sync display but I wonder if anyone at Ford really knows/understands how a plug-in hybrid works. 

 

It has way more options than I would have gotten and is missing some that I did want, but I just decided to get serious while there was one on its way by rail. Previous Energis had been sold out from under me and they are scare as hens teeth here in the Phoenix area. At first the dealer asked for $3k over MSRP and I said no. The sales person kept coming down until I felt it was time. 

 

I am just now plugging it in for the first time after having an electrician check out my garage outlets. He didn't charge me because his company will want to sell me on the optional charger later. However, I think I will be fine with just the 110v/120V overnight charging. 

 

The day I picked up my car the dealership was abuzz with a story about a buyer paying $10k over MSRP! Who knows if this is true but it definitely is a car that is in high demand here right now. 

 

I won't take up too much more time but only want to say it is so nice to have a forum like this to ask questions, etc. Thanks for any feedback.

 

Bobbie

 

 

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There are a few ways to tell what mode you're driving in. Probably the easiest way is to press the EV button on the console near the shifter. It will then tell you on the left screen what mode you're in. The left screen can also display one of several different driving aid layouts. Most will show what mode you're in by varying the color or layout of the power being used. You can also use the large multimedia display in the center stack to monitor energy use. Press the small leafy icon in the lower center. That will display a picture of the car which will show exactly where power is coming from and where it is going to. There are more, but this'll get you started. And I think half the fun of a new car is learning this on your own! Enjoy it! :-)

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Hi Bobbie,

 

Yes this car is feature rich, or as I like to say has all the do dads! It will take you some time to learn what it can do. I have had the car about a month now and with the help of this forum feel pretty comfortable with it. There is a LOT of information already in the forum which you might be able find with the search function, or post a question in the related sub topic and you will probably have your answer in a few hours.

 

Let me see if I can get you started though. The battery technology is still fairly young, so the weight and cost is a trade off for range. Depending on where you drive, highway will yield fewer miles then city miles, and how you drive the computer will guess at how many miles you can achieve. I think most of us are getting right around the 20-21 miles in mixed driving. Once you turn on the heat or A/C the range will drop some.

 

There are screens that will show you what mode you are in and if the how efficient you are.  There is a post in here with a link to videos demonstrating the functions here: http://www.fordfusionenergiforum.com/topic/442-good-videos/?hl=video

 

Welcome again to the forum looking forward to interacting with you! 

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, but I still have a lot of questions. Like ... is

 

How can I tell when it is in EV mode and when it is in gasoline mode? I have seen how regenerative braking adds to the battery level.

 

 

 

I am going to speak to someone who knows the Ford Sync display but I wonder if anyone at Ford really knows/understands how a plug-in hybrid works. 

 

Q)  is 20-21 miles in EV-only what I get from an entire full battery charge?

 

The EPA rates the range at "up to 21 miles" from a full charge.   As they say, your mileage WILL vary.   There is so much variability that the range could be all over the map.  Things that affect the range are outside temp, driving style, braking style, speed, use of A/C or heater, use of lights

 

Q) How can I tell when it is in EV mode and when it is in gasoline mode?

 

Multiple ways to tell.  As mentioned there is the center touch screen display and then there is the display left of the speedometer.

 

The display to the left has all kinds of info that is very helpful, but takes time to understand the meaning of them.

 

One quick way to tell if in EV is the EV symbol at the bottom of the left display.   It comes on and turns blue when in EV.

 

Here's a video that walks through the displays.  Its fairly lengthy.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xl4olVvbFwY

 

Q) I am going to speak to someone who knows the Ford Sync display but I wonder if anyone at Ford really knows/understands how a plug-in hybrid works. 

 

Dealership knowledge can be hit or miss.  You're probably better off here.

 

Ford has a lot of other videos here that cover all sorts of things:

 

http://www.youtube.com/user/fordowner

 

videos for just the Energi

 

http://www.youtube.com/user/fordowner/videos?query=Energi

Edited by Energized
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Thank you so much to everyone! I have never used the EV button on the console near the shifter. And I didn't even know that I could see the energy use info on the large center display. I will try all suggestions.

 

I really loved the simple graphic on my 2008 Toyota Prius that literally shows the whole car, with the wheels turning and arrows showing when the battery-driven electric motor was running, and when the ICE was running. 

 

I think you're right that I am going to get the best info from this forum. Thanks again.

 

Bobbie

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  • 1 month later...

Yes, I love the status display showing the outline of the car and where the energy is being used. (This is when you press the small leaf icon to the right of the Home icon.)  I haven't found out how to make this my default display yet though. Has anyone else found out? With the Prius, whatever screen you had on when you turned the car off would eventually become the default display. 

I was surprised at how often the display shows the car being in Electric Mode long after the EV batteries were depleted and it was definitely in hybrid mode. I guess one adds to the EV battery when coasting and doing the "regen" thing? 

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  • 1 month later...

Hi Bobby,

 

I just came back from test drive 13' fusion plugin and love it, that thing got a lot of technology in it.

About the charger, 120v charger come with the car which take about 7 hours to charge it full.

 

I wanted to asky if anybody with knowlege of Ford 120v charger or have knowlege with eclectricity would know with if charger this Voltage Converter From 220/240 to 110/120 &From 110/120 to 220/240 from amazon would charger faster with ford oem charger (120v) than 7hours, specs for voltage converter below

 

100 Watt Maximum Capacity, heavy-duty continuous use transformer

Converts 110/120 V to 220/240 Volt OR Converts 220/240 V to 110/120 V

2 outlets on front of unit (outlets accept 3 or 2 prong US plugs and 2 prong Euro/Asian plugs)

Comes with 2 prong USA plug to enable non-grounded use in the USA, Canada and Mexico

Heavy-duty metal casing and durable design. FUSE PROTECTED.

 

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001ES8YY6

 

Andy

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The description states 100 Watt maximum capacity.  The car draws 1.3 kW for 120 volts, and 3.3 kW for 240 volts.  That far exceeds the capacity of this device.  If you want to use a 240 Volt charger, you will need to install a dedicated 240 volt, 30-50 amp (depending on the charger), service for the charger. 

Edited by larryh
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Hi Bobby,

 

I just came back from test drive 13' fusion plugin and love it, that thing got a lot of technology in it.

About the charger, 120v charger come with the car which take about 7 hours to charge it full.

 

I wanted to asky if anybody with knowlege of Ford 120v charger or have knowlege with eclectricity would know with if charger this Voltage Converter From 220/240 to 110/120 &From 110/120 to 220/240 from amazon would charger faster with ford oem charger (120v) than 7hours, specs for voltage converter below

 

100 Watt Maximum Capacity, heavy-duty continuous use transformer

Converts 110/120 V to 220/240 Volt OR Converts 220/240 V to 110/120 V

2 outlets on front of unit (outlets accept 3 or 2 prong US plugs and 2 prong Euro/Asian plugs)

Comes with 2 prong USA plug to enable non-grounded use in the USA, Canada and Mexico

Heavy-duty metal casing and durable design. FUSE PROTECTED.

 

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001ES8YY6

 

Andy

 

This sounds a lot like a foreign voltage converter for small appliances, such as a shaver while traveling overseas.

 

You cannot plug in the factory supplied 120V charger in to anything aside from 120V outlets.  If you put that in to 240 it would fry/explode.  If you wanted to charge on 240, you would need to buy a 240 volt charger by a 3rd party (or by Ford if you wanted to use that, it is NOT included).  Some example chargers are in this thread, and they're referred to as Level 2 chargers:  http://www.fordfusionenergiforum.com/topic/710-what-level-2-charger-did-you-buyinstall/

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