stevedebi

I believe it is possible to install a level 2 charger in an outside location. If it is really going to cost that much, might as well go for the better model. Barring that, if it is a simple cut in the cord (not near either end), you might could just repair it or have it repaired.

I used to do that but stopped a couple of years ago. Here in LA, people are just crazy and will enter the intersection long after the yellow, and sometimes after the red.

I think it is more to meet the CARB requirements that a certain number of vehicles be of a certain zero emissions level. Here is CA, there is a requirement for that, and I think a couple of other states may have followed suit. Otherwise the car doesn't make any financial sense. If it were CAFE, they could simply push smaller ICE cars that get pretty good MPG. That is also the reason for the recent FFE price drop.

I live in SoCal and my initial miles are usually at 31 (has been the past few days). It goes down pretty fast from there, but in general I'd say it is around 26. But I drive very carefully.

GO times are the official Ford terms for preconditioning the cabin. It can be found in the owner's manual, and at either the My Ford Mobile (MFM) site, where you register your car, or the mobile MFM app. Basically, you set the times you want your car to be ready in the morning. If you have a level 2 charger, the cabin can be cooled or heated to one of three temperatures. EDIT: Theoretically, GO times work with the 120V charger that comes with the car, but in practice there just isn't enough juice - it won't be able to charge and still condition the cabin in most circumstances.

I think you are the first person I've seen who uses different PSI on the two sides. It makes sense in some ways, if only one person is to always be in the car. For those who may wonder, at that charge rate, you are using a level 2 (220v) charger. Thanks for the clarifications!

If you are moving for work, check out the import tax situation. You may have to pay import and/or VAT taxes if you bring in a vehicle. It might be cheaper to buy something over there. If you are on military or foreign service duty, this may not apply.

I like to think there are times when it is better to use the Auto mode and let the HVB deplete (to increase MPG), and go back into Auto to recharge the HVB (energy capture, but without causing MPG decrease). I'm not quite sure exactly when to do either, but I'm working on it. It certainly involves hills, and wouldn't help at all on a flat plain. We have lots of hills here in LA. I try and reserve a sufficient EV Later range when doing this, depending on what I expect to do at the end of the highway trip. So it depends on what is planned at the end as to how much there is to play with for increasing overall MPG. I concur that there is no point in spending EV range (and not recovering it somehow) only to spend gasoline later on surface streets.

26 miles EV - pretty darn good! Was it at fairly low speeds, below 40?

Yes, I was very interested in the switch from NiMH to LiIon, which is why I researched before I bought, especially on longevity. I stand by my statements as to what larry has reported on the battery percentage range. I'm not doubting larry's numbers (that would never be wise) - just trying to get more information. If you have contrasting information that indicates that such a wide range is used elsewhere, or presents no issue, I'd love to read it and learn more. Please provide the URL, or upload documentation. As an Energi driver, for most folks the vehicle will be in EV Later on the highway, which means it operates like the conventional model hybrid. That means that we can learn from the conventional hybrid drivers when they discuss techniques. I am working on techniques for when to switch back to Auto on the highway, either to provide extra boost or to gather excess energy. It is quite possible to recharge the HVB from highway driving - the trick is to do so without burning excess gas. I don't do much highway driving, so it is going to be a long process to get results. On my first attempt I got about 4 MPG more over the same driving cycle than just leaving it in EV Later. Once I establish what works, I plan to share my experience. If you prefer to just leave it in EV Later, no big deal. I like to explore possibilities.

Excellent point, at the very least one would think Ford would only use the HVB until the ICE warmed up sufficiently. And while they are at it, allow EV Later, but put up an alert indicating "Main Battery In Use for Engine Heating".

I think I understand the basic chemistry. But more importantly, I've driven a Ford hybrid for 6 years, and studied other manufacturers hybrid implementations. Based on these, I still find it surprising that they allow the battery to go as low as larry indicates. I've not seen anyone allow that large of a range, and the conventional hybrid doesn't allow it either. EDIT: And yes, I did mean EV Later by "Highway". Auto would apply only if the main HVB is depleted, which is where the driver will always end up if they attempt a highway drive at EV Now for any length of time. This thread is about hybrid mode, so I thought that was pretty clear. As to "a little knowledge", I concur with that statement - and you never know who is going to exhibit that behavior next!

I do that too, but only in special situations. Hopefully it has minimal impact on MPG. If you do it too often, MPG suffers.

Well, Ford is providing the required warranty, and the more battery, the better the MPG. But still surprising.

OK, I used the wrong terminology. The system is using EV Now based on EV+ settings. That still seems strange to me, no matter how it is phrased. I realize the two terms are different, but what you are saying is that at the right temperature, if you start out from an EV+ location the system is forced into EV mode until you get a certain distance. I'm wondering if it isn't the same distance used for EV+ on the return trip. In EV+ mode the vehicle is forced into EV mode within a certain distance of the destination. Different terms, same result - EV mode within a certain geographic area (regardless of what the left display says for EV vs EV+).

Larry, Thanks for putting it all in one place. Here is how I understand the system to work. At highway speeds under normal circumstances, the Energi operates like the hybrid, correct? Therefore it has only .5 to work with (except when going downhill, where it can refill the main portion of the HVB instead of having the SOC max out like the conventional hybrid - but it takes a very good downhill). The point is that at highway speeds the two vehicles basically act the same (maintaining mode); Ford does not make use of the extra capacity of the Energi. EDIT: And I'm still surprised at the figures for the Energi. I would have thought it operated at the same 33% to 66% of the larger battery - for longevity.

Either will show the same codes. Is it a ScanGuage II? If so, and you intend to use it for monitoring the driving, you need to set it to know you are monitoring a hybrid.

I noticed something interesting this morning. Here in LA it hit a surprising low of 52 degrees, and I turned on the low level defrosters, and then the vents, and set the temperature to 66 or so. The energy went to the max of 5. It gradually went back down to 1.5 - 2. After a while I decided it was enough and set it back to low and shut off all but the vent. To my surprised, it was still showing a small discharge for climate, maybe .25 or so. I had to turn the power off to get it to clear. Turning the system back on resulted in the same small draw. I eventually killed the draw by turning the A/C ON, and then back OFF. Then the climate went to zero. So evidently the system can get a bit "stuck" at a small discharge rate if the low level defrost is on, and then turned off.

Thanks Larry. I had read some of that thread, but not all of it. And about the lowest it gets here in Los Angeles is the high 30's - and that is rare. Interesting that ford did "dumb programming" with EV+, in that they did not evaluate if the trip was beginning or ending when evoking EV +. By "dumb", I don't mean stupid, just that they used a simpler program rather than a sophisticated algorithm. It seems to me that EV+ was originally intended to get me home at the end of the trip, but the beginning of a trip would seem to be a different circumstance entirely. In this case, I would expect the ICE to come on immediately if that is what the engine programming considers best in very cold weather. There has to be a reason they chose to do that; I'm surprised they either missed this circumstance or just let it go...

OK, you folks have convinced me, I'll be careful to indicate that it CAN recharge some of the main battery. It makes sense, rather than forcing the engine on while there is excess SOC capacity that could store the downhill energy. But in general, it won't when being driven on a normal flat road. And unfortunately, if you are in EV Now, it won't reset to a higher reserve if it does add to the main battery capacity.

Larry, I had not realized that the EV+ worked both at the end and at the start a trip. Is that somewhere in the manual, and I missed it?

Yes, I've read that. Were you able to go back to EV Now? EDIT: Read it, not experienced it.

The heater is the biggest battery hog on the entire car, IIMHO.

Go into the maintenace mode on the left screen and read out the codes that are showing. EDIT: Sorry, I meant Engineering Test Mode. Hold the left OK button while pressing the ON button. The left screen will enter a mode where you can scroll up and down. One of the screens shows error codes.

I believe it was larry. The conventional C-Max is 1.5KW hours, with 1.1KW usable, but the SOC range in pure hybrid mode is measured at 33% to 66%, which equates to .5 KWh. I'm assuming that in maintaing mode (highway), the Energi and normal hybrids work the same, and have the same available energy. If you think about it, it makes sense for them to work the same. A "normal" hybrid has already been maximized to use the battery efficiently at highway speeds, and Ford can just re-use the code from the hybrid in the Energi version.