howardbc

Great and funny comments. But actually I don't mind someone being curious about my charge port door - as long as I am around. I remember the door being open several times when I came out of a grocery store and just assuming I had forgotten to close it after charging, but now I'm not so sure it wasn't some curious person who got scared when he/she couldn't close it easily and quickly. During the National Plugin Day event some months ago, I was just slammed for hours with questions from interested/curious people. I would usually be the one to open the charge port door but I could tell that people were very intrigued by it.

Fat Fusion, is this something you plan to put inside the charge port, to cover up the plugin socket and protect it from water? If so, it won't stop a car wash employee from opening the charge port door. Or will it fit so snugly that no water would get in even if the door is opened? I'll just need to remember to tell the person who greets me at the car wash to tell the employees to not open the round door.

This afternoon I was watching my car going through the car wash when I saw an employee open the charge port door (I'm sure he didn't know what it was) and then he had to try about 3 times before he could get it to close. Meanwhile, some water did go inside the charge port because before I picked up the car and drove off, I looked and had them wipe out the very small amount of water that had collected inside the door. I have always been a little surprised that there is almost no mention about the care of the charge port. So I'm assuming that a little water won't do any harm. Right? But thought I'd run it by everyone in this forum. I haven't plugged the car in yet tonight but will in a few hours.

The size of the PV system depends on the size of your house and the amount of energy you use. I had a 3.4kWh system put on my roof in 2006 but it only covered about 1/4 of the electric bill. Now I will be adding a 7kWh system next year that should bring most of my bills down to zero except for taxes and fees. I should only have electric bills during the 3 hottest months here and they will still be low compared to what they normally are. If you're interested in solar panels, talk to at least 2-3 different companies (check them out on the Registrar of Contractors), plus get references. Be sure to ask about net metering. The electric company is trying to kill it here in Arizona. I want to do something for the environment. The cost of charging my car is a very tiny part of my energy expenses.

One other thing, bbwex. When you plug it in, you will hear a "clunk-clunk" sound like a switch is opening or something. This sound comes from under the hood. In the Summer, when it's hot outside, you might hear a fan come on in the trunk too. All this is normal. It's funny now, but I remember being totally petrified of plugging the car in the first time. I was frantically calling electricians. Now it is such a non-deal that I have to write a note to remind myself to plug it in before I turn in every night. Be sure you get set up with the My Ford Mobile app. It is terrific. Your sales person should get you set up with it. I hope you'll refer back to this forum for any questions you may have. I'm not an expert but have learned so much from so many of the very helpful people here. Let us know how it goes. Post photos, etc.

Hi, bbwex. Congratulations on getting a great car! (No, I don't work for Ford.) I use just a plain old garden-variety 110/120v wall outlet in my garage. It's not dedicated. It only takes around 6 hours to charge my car. Lately it has been taking less than 6 hours - maybe because it's gotten cooler here in the Phoenix area. I toyed with the idea of having an L2 charger installed but I really don't need it. Even when the battery charge runs out, the hybrid gas mileage is as good as my old Prius. There has only been one instance in the 7 months I've had the car where I came home and then discovered I needed to go out again and thus wished I had the ability to recharge it in a couple of hours or less. It really depends on your circumstances. So I wouldn't sweat the need for a dedicated line or anything else fancy until you first just get used to what the car does. Remember you will be creating your own gas/energy simply by braking sensibly. Enjoy your car.

I haven't had one single person express any interest in my car except at the National Plugin Day event. I even had a custom license plate frame sign made that says "Plugin Hybrid." Nothing. Have had car since first week in April.

I agree, merge. I've seen one at the National Plugin Day event and met another owner at a Ford Tech Night. Almost feel lonely. So hard to explain what a plugin hybrid is to the average person. Such a great car. My Lifetime MPG is 71.9 and that includes a 5-day trip (500+ miles) without charging. It drives like a dream.

Thanks, Energized. The only problem I can see here is that I have often hit the "Auto" button by mistake when I meant to hit the "radio on/off" button on/below the touch screen. When this happens, I've discovered that I can hit the "reduce fan speed" button and it turns the "Auto" button off, but not sure if this will change/over-ride your instructions. I haven't been in the car since I got your post. Thanks.

Thanks, Murphy! I have printed out your instructions and will put them in my car. I'll try that the next time I'm in the car.

My question is how to make sure the A/C doesn't come on unless I press the A/C button below the display screen. The reason for this is because it has finally started to be in the 70s here and I don't want the A/C to come on unless I ask it to. I went into the Climate settings and manually turned off the A/C button there but it would still start the A/C the next time I hit Climate. I don't know what I did recently but it seems to have finally turned the A/C off. But I want to know what I should do if the A/C starts to automatically come on even when I don't need it. Right now I just like to have the fan on to draw in the nice outside air. Show I not press Climate at all? The Settings function (gear icon below display screen) doesn't appear to address Climate at all. Thanks.

Hi, Fat Fusion. I agree that spending $1 for a charge is not a huge amount and to be expected when one has a new car that can be plugged in. For several years I had "a car that can be plugged-in" on my "Bucket list." So when I got my Ford Fusion Energi last April, I was anxious to try a public charging station even though I knew I could drive with the car in hybrid mode. Right now I use up all my EV miles and then let the car go into hybrid mode for the rest of the day. I charge my car at night via a 120v wall outlet in my garage. I don't use a public charger unless I happen to be some place where one is located and my trip will be at least 50 miles. But this is rare. The only times I've charged up is when I was at a local library for an EAA (Electric Auto Assn) meeting. I bought my FFE because I wanted to make a difference for the environment and because I like new technology and ideas. There's something about coming home and plugging-in instead of buying gas that really appeals to me. I have solar panels on my roof and get the remainder of my energy through wind mills via Pear Energy. I pay 2 cents a kilowatt hour more for using Pear Energy but to me it is worth it. Yes, to me, some things are worth more than money. Plus the technology of any plug-in is just neat. Yes, I would use zero energy if I just stayed home or walked, but I live far from most anything, plus the car is just a joy to drive. Enjoy your car.

Murphy, so you mean that a full charge done by an L2 charger provides more EV miles than a full-charge with a standard 120v wall outlet?? If I understand you correctly, I didn't realize that. I knew of course that the L2 charger is faster, but didn't realize that it puts more EV miles into the battery. Let me know if I am misunderstanding. Thanks.

Murphy, interesting about the smartphone possibly causing interference with the key fob. Sometimes my smartphone is within inches of my key fob and sometimes they are at least 10-12 inches apart. I'll have to note where my phone is and if it is receiving when/if I again have a problem with the door not unlocking. Thanks.

Hi, Fat Fusion. I had a similar situation one day when I came out of a store and the car wouldn't unlock even though the key was in my pocketbook on my shoulder. I was able to open the door using the key fob and the car did start just fine. It hasn't happened again. I'm almost due for the 5k-mile service so I will try to remember to ask the service adviser why the car sometimes won't unlock. Previously I had a Toyota Prius and you always had to have your foot on the brake to start that car, so I got used to that. I hope that that was all that was keeping the car from starting for you. Enjoy your beautiful car. I absolutely love mine. And this forum has been so helpful.

Thanks, Russael. I appreciate the feedback. I always learn something new from helpful people like you. But I guess I should just keep track of each day's trips for a while. I am pretty sure I don't go much farther than 40 miles when I do venture out. I still haven't worked up the nerve to use the Trip thing. Afraid I won't be able to get back to the screens I prefer. Never thought I would wish for one of those old-fashioned push-to-set/reset trip meters. MFM is amazing and really gives one just about everything one could want, but I don't check it every night. I am curious to see what all they will be adding/changing with MFM. Thanks again.

I have always used trunk liners but with the Fusion Energi I am concerned about causing possible over-heating problems by putting a thick rubber covering over the battery area. I live in a high-temperature part of the country. Is anyone else concerned that putting a thick rubber material over the battery/trunk area might cause problems? Thanks.

I am retired so don't have a standard daily commute. (Yes, it's wonderful but I put in my 45+ years of "the grind.") I was wondering if MyFord gives one an average of how far one drives every day. I know I could keep track of it manually or using the Trip thing, but MFM has everything else, I thought I'd ask if it's possible to see what my average driving distance is. I always make a minimum of 3 individual trips when I go out. I suppose I could divide the odometer reading by the number of days since I picked up the car, but I don't drive every day - maybe only 3-4 times a week. But when I do go out I almost always use up what's in the battery plus some hybrid energy, so I'm guessing I must go 30-40 miles each time I go out. I'm back up to 70MPG Lifetime after that 550+ mile trip with no plugging-in.

Thanks, pbay. Let us know what you find out after DWP comes out. I had a smart-meter installed a year or so ago and haven't noticed any change in the amount of electricity I use. I estimate it costs me about 60 cents for every time I charge my car. I pay the extra 2 cents per kilowatt hour because I signed up with Pear Energy. They get all their energy from wind power plus some solar power. To me it's worth it. Thanks again for the post.

Every single car I've had for the past 20+ years (4-5 cars?) has had a sunroof and I have NEVER had a single one leak. I used to live in Georgia where it rained a lot and never had a leaking sunroof. Unfortunately my FFE did not come with a sunroof so I had to have it installed. So far, it has NOT leaked, but I am in Arizona and haven't had a whole lot of rain. I have had the car go through a car wash at least 4 times. When I had the sunroof installed, the dealership adviser told me I needed to have it inspected (for like $80-$90 every year!) to make sure it wasn't leaking. This made me furious. I will mention it to the Ford dealer closer to me, but he will probably make me go back to the dealership that installed the sunroof - an 80+ mile round-trip drive. The closer Ford dealer refused to install the sunroof and keeps referring me back to the selling dealer quite often. I am really getting sick of these Ford dealers not cooperating or doing reciprocal work. It's the customer who suffers. What if I'd bought the car in New York and then moved to Arizona?!? Would the dealer here make me drive back to New York for every oil change?!?

Excellent, FusionEnergi! Congratulations!

Thank you, FusionEnergi, but I'm still trying to figure out the percentage for you. ('Sorry, I'm mathematically-challenged.) So, are you saying that you are getting close to 100% EV miles? Thanks.

Thanks, ChuckJ. I appreciate your bringing this up. I finally got around to checking with my insurance company. My discount will be only something like $23, but hey, that's better than a kick in the head. I know I am already maxxed out on any discounts. They're sending me a check instead of just crediting my account, so I got that going for me. Thanks! I was trying to explain what-all the car does and she was amazed. It made me wonder if the rate people know what they're doing.

Thank you, TX NRG. You are including the 608 regen miles as part of the total 2554 EV miles, right? Now that I look at it, of course, if one added the 608 to the 2554, that would make your total miles more than the 3089 on the odometer. So I just answered my own question. The 83% is terrific!

Thanks, Russael. I think I will go look at my window sticker again and remind myself of what it said for MPG. 41MPG? Something like that. Then I can quickly add that one uses no gas when running on just the battery. There's just no easy way to explain a plug-in hybrid. Describing the incredible regen process is the hardest to get across to people.