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Thread: New Daily Driver MPG - OMG
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10-18-2013, 08:38 AM #1
- Join Date
- Aug 2005
- Location
- Woodbridge, VA
- Age
- 59
- Posts
- 124
Navy Blue Metalic- 1999 Z28 Convertible
New Daily Driver MPG - OMG
With the Z28 retired to just weekend driving, I got a new Daily Driver. I figured if the claims about the MPG of the Ford Fusion Energi were even half true it would be amazing. I've put over 3500 miles on it so far and my 'average' MPG for all 3500 miles is now over 100mpg. This car is BIG (seats five comfortably) and HEAVY (almost 4,000 LBS) and loaded with every possible high tech convenience (it's connect to the internet and I can pull driving statistics and status - like fuel level, charge levels, tire pressure, etc). I can also see all that stuff from my cell phone as well as 'locate' it. The feature I'm looking forward to using this winter is the 'Go' time settings. You can set the car to have the cabin warmed up (or cooled if it's summer time) to a certain temperature at a certain time and it will calculate the current temperature and the amount of time it will take to get to the desired temperature and turn on the climate control in the car to have it ready for you.
Aside from being incredible BORING to drive and slow, it works perfectly for a daily driver. Streaming Pandora as well as Sirius makes it so I never have to hear a commercial on the radio.
I drive 27 miles each way to work, which is just inside the battery's range, and once I get to work I can recharge in the parking garage. Works out pretty well.
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10-18-2013, 08:47 AM #2
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10-18-2013, 05:25 PM #3
Impressive. I get excited when my truck pulls 13mpg
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10-18-2013, 05:26 PM #4
Do you have to pay to plug your car in? Obviously, if you plug it in at your house, you're paying to plug it in.............how about at your workplace?
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10-19-2013, 12:40 AM #5
Yeah, seems about right for running in all-electric mode most all the time
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10-19-2013, 04:57 AM #6
You disgust me, I mean, that's terrific!
No, I'm not jealous. Why do you ask?
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10-19-2013, 07:46 AM #7
- Join Date
- Aug 2005
- Location
- Woodbridge, VA
- Age
- 59
- Posts
- 124
Navy Blue Metalic- 1999 Z28 Convertible
Yea, it takes about 5-6 hours to recharge from a 110/120 outlet. The battery takes 6.9KW to fully charge. The rates here in Virginia are a little under $.06 a KW, so I pay about $.42 to charge it at home. Charging at work is free - but I have to find a spot that is close to an outlet, which means I always park in a distant part of the garage where no one else ever parks - I did the same thing (parked far away from everyone else) with my Camaro, but for a different reason . Something else to think about - most of the electricity in my area is generated by coal - so that $.42 I pay to charge the car goes to coal miners in West Virginia vs. muslin terrorists in the middle east.
To keep the gas from getting stale the tank is pressurized. To fill the gas tank, you have to press a button in to release the pressure in the tank, and unlock a valve in the filler neck. There is no gas cap. Periodically the engine will start (even when you're running on a full charge) and run for a minute or two to keep the internals oiled. It also keeps track of your braking 'efficiency' and gives you a score everytime you turn the car off. The car primarily uses regenerative motors connected to the drive train to slow the car down and puts the energy generated back into the battery (regenerative brakeing). My cumulative brakeing score is 94%, meaning I use the regenerative braking 94% of the time (conversely, I only use the normal friction brakes for 6% of my stopping).Last edited by Neil; 10-19-2013 at 07:52 AM.
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10-20-2013, 07:27 AM #8
Other than what you have already mentioned, any "oddities" driving something like this as compared to a straight gasoline engine equipped vehicle?
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10-20-2013, 08:32 AM #9
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10-21-2013, 06:08 AM #10
- Join Date
- Aug 2005
- Location
- Woodbridge, VA
- Age
- 59
- Posts
- 124
Navy Blue Metalic- 1999 Z28 Convertible
The most unusual part is how quiet it is when running on pure electric mode. It takes awhile to get used to, especially when you start the car and nothing happens - just the dashboard turns on. It's also easy to leave the car 'running ' when you park in a parking lot. Since you can't hear an engine, there are no sensor clues that the car is still 'running' (turned on). I have parked and gotten out several times now and forgotten to push the 'off' button. If you open a door when the car is still turned on, a warning bell does go off, but that's your only clue. It also has a tendency to do lots of weird things on it own. When it's parked in the my garage and charging, I am constantly hearing fans turning on and off, and random clicking and whirling noises. You just have to assume it knows best how to take care of itself.
Another issue is there is almost no trunk space. The funniest part is it has a 60/40 pass through by putting the rear seats down, but the pass through gap is literally about 4 inches. You could maybe pass a pair of skis through the gap, but that's about it.
My driving is primarily mixed - it looks like the optimal speed for electric mode is around 40 mph. Going over 60 really depletes the battery fast.
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10-21-2013, 06:27 AM #11
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