stevedebi

Just an added note to HB comments. Preconditioning is only optimum if you have a L2 charger (240v). I found when I bought my car that the L1 is simply not up to the task. You can do it with an L1, but it doesn't work nearly as well, in my experience. If you really like the car, you might consider investing in an L2 charger, especially if your garage already has 240v (a lot do, for a dryer connection).

But not on a car that can be used as an ICE only vehicle. At the moment Ford doesn't have any cars designed expressly for hybrid, plug in, or EV use. They are all variants on models designed originally for ICE.

I prefer to charge between midnight and dawn. It is cooler at that time, and charging raises the battery temperature. I get home, plug it in, and let the fans cool the battery, then it charges at the right time. I'm planning on my battery lasting a long time, and I think it best to operate this way. But I'm an 'ole hybrid owner, so I tend to be cautious. But what others have said is correct, charge whenever you want. There are no cautions about it in the owner manual so far as I know.

A 100 mile pack... I think that would leave no trunk!

OK, I gotta ask... how many yards was the penalty?

Raja, I didn't say you were freezing, I said they would rather freeze than use heat. You are quite welcome to pass along your comments about LA weather to my daughter, who sets the seat heater to 5 and still demands the heat...

As to updates, I've always found that burning firmware takes a while, unlike software updates to a hard drive. There are a couple of hard core hybrid people on these forums who would rather freeze than use their EV heat - they only use the seat heaters. Not me, I agree - go for the comfort!

LA Area, DWP 14 cents per kwh up to 1000 17 cents per kwh 1000 - 2000 22 cents per kwh above that I calculate costs at 17 cents, we are generally in that tier 2 overall.

You know, before I started leaving my L1 inside the garage and running the cord out the front under the door, I actually just kept mine in a small kitchen garbage bag, with the cord connection to the extension cord wrapped such that rain would not flow into it. Not the best looking, but I had no trouble with it. The L1 charger is weatherproof anyway.

On my C-Max, I use value charge, but on a hot day the battery fans will come on to cool it down as soon as I plug it into the wall in the evening. The charge happens after midnight. I prefer this because I think it is better for the battery, even if it does draw some power. L1 charger here.

The HOV stickers should not be an issue, unless it is a deal breaker. You can apply for them even if you already own the car. Can't say about the Thanksgiving deals, but they don't do Black Friday on cars so far as I know... The CA website says that they had about 10K stickers left as of Oct 5. You might ask your dealer. Sometimes they pre-order the green stickers. My car had the stickers already reserved when I bought it.

Just a note, all Ford ESP come with rental cars. You can buy first day rental as an option.

When I retire, I intend to travel and take my time. But for the moment, time is of the essence. But there is no doubt, for the hybrid secondary roads maximize MPG.

Well, if you are not in a hurry, sure, the scenery is great. I love tooling around northern NM looking at the Native American sites. But when we are heading to visit my daughter? No, the moonscape between Needles CA and Kingman is just too much, even at 75 MPH.

Secondary roads for hundreds of miles - ouch! I drive from LA to Albuquerque, and I would always use the freeways. Are you driving for pleaseure or business?

Take a look at the C-Max Energi as well. It is built higher and has way more legroom. Same engine and battery, although it does get a bit lower MPG due to the higher profile, and it doesn't offer some of the features as the Fusion (like adaptive cruise and heated steering wheel). I'm 6 foot and I really like the easy access and tall headroom.

You can turn off the tracking in the settings, I believe, which makes it useless unless the car theives are really clueless - and the car warns you it is tracking location (at least the C-Max does - it bugs my passengers who always reach over and turn off the warning). The main use is for EV+ so it knows where you park frequently. It is fun to look up on MFM though.

Yes, that is my understanding.

I believe that Regen miles are included in EV miles. You would have put 2500 ICE miles on the vehicle in your scenairo.

As others have noted, you can put the MFT into a diagnostic mode, but you will lose MFT functionality while you do so. Also, the GPS data is not smoothed at all - it is raw numbers. But you could be a pretty fair idea of the elevation.

I vote for number 1. 60 MPH is not that fast, and your time is valuable. Take the route with the least congestion. 20 miles EV (round trip use) is a bit low, but you should be able to get that even in winter, provided you don't overuse the heater in EV Mode. Keep in mind that on the highway, heat is provided by the ICE. So for winter use, it will be warmer. If you can plug in at work, you could use EV Auto for a while on the highway, then plug in for the return trip. I often use it when I know how much battery I will need at the destination - it helps when going up hills at highway speed, where EV Auto will show MPG over 60 while the EV Later would show MPG around 20-25. It takes practice and knowing the terrain you will be covering, but a commute is ideal for that kind of thing.

Sorry you are having trouble. The Ford hybrid design puts a lot more stress on the 12v. It has to run all sorts of electrical systems and be fully integrated into a complex electrical system. The 12v is tied into the HVB for recharging, and that HVB is in use for other things, like propulsion. An ICE car uses the battery to start the car (the hybrid doesn't have a starter motor, for example), and then recharges via the alternator. It really is not comparable to a non hybrid at all. This can be surprising for new FFE / C-Max owners. I had an Escape Hybrid before this car, so I was aware of it. I plan to swap mine out every three years at the latest, but I also monitor the output via a plug in voltage meter I keep in the car. All this is not to say that something hasn't gone wrong with your particular FFE. I'd invest in one of those 12v meters that plug into the power point in the car and keep an eye on it.

2014 C-Max here. Mine will stay on whatever is selected on the left display, unless I switch back to EV Now from one of the other two modes - same behavior as you are describing. Sounds like there are a few small programming difference betweent he C-Max Energi and the FFI.

Ah, I see what you meant. I was referring to the hard number of miles, which is found on pre-2016 models. I figured we were speaking of somewhat different terms. Personally I don't associate that percentage with any sort of range. About the only time I use it is when I'm curious as to how much juice is in the HVB.

Well, I went back and reread the entire thread, and I stand by my posts. The percentage on the MFT has nothing to do with the estimated range that the driver can go on battery. It can say "80%" for example, but the driver has no way of knowing from that number how much range is left. The estimated range (as shown in the number on the battery icon up until 2016, and in the estimated EV range menus on the left driver display for all models) will vary based on the battery characteristics, temperature, battery drain (A/C and electric heat are notorious), recent driving battery use, and probably some other factors that are not as obvious. The percentage in the MFT leaf screen will always be simply the amount of HVB remaining as a percentage of the total battery usable capacity. Perhaps we are speaking of different things, but I'm just clarifying the original post to which I was replying. Or maybe I don't understand what you are trying to say, or perhaps the programming is different. As I said, I'm using the C-Max Energi, but I believe the programming is the same. I'm interested in these sorts of things because I may I want to trade in my car for a new one in the future, so I keep tabs on the programming changes.