Brad Schuck

Don't know if this helps but I average 1050 miles per tank. I drive 100 miles per day and have 17000 miles on my 2013 Energi in five months. The difference I see with the windows down is minimal versus using A/C. The drag, vibration and the noise with the windows down is not worth the hassle.

We haven't gone to zero on the range yet, but we have gotten to 20 for the two times we have needed fuel. I squeezed in 12.7 gallons both times. The range doesn't seem to change when you fill up. I assume it calculates range based on one charge and then the hybrid mileage because the range indicates 620 miles and we have 3100 on the odometer. I travel 100+ miles per day and charge up after each 50 mile leg so my overall mileage is 108mpg. It is right on the money as I average 25 EV miles and 25 gas miles which equates to 50 miles on gas for a 100 mile trip which is 1 gallon per day. On the weekends we use the Energi exclusively for about 150 miles per weekend on pure EV thanks to our L2 charger. The Energi is proving to be one of the best decisions we've made on a car. It started off rather rocky but after the dealer did a 'hard reset', everything started working great. The only thing negative is that we will probably be out of the initial warranty by August.

Although I had several issues with my Energi at first, the dealer "reset" (similar to a reboot?) my car and now things are starting to settle down. My commute is 100 miles per day. I start off with a full charge and run in EV Later for the first 24 miles because it's flat and the hybid gets better mileage on a long flat drive (about 50mpg). After droppping off my carpooler, I drive another 23 miles to work in the EV+ mode. When I get to work, I plug in to my Level 1 charger and recharge until lunch. The lunch trip is purely EV and takes up about 8 miles which I recharge before going home in the same modes. My average MPG right now over 1700 miles is an astonishing 97.6. This blows away the myth about the car not being viable for longer commutes. If you can charge at work or a nearby station, this is truly the car for the 100 mile commute. On the weekends, we charge with the level 2 and we use no gas at all for the entire weekend. So, based on the numbers, my commute mileage is around 83mpg and the weekend mileage is 999.9 MPGe. For my money, the Energi far outweighs the Hybrid in both MPG and cost with all of the tax advantages and rebates.

According to Home Depot, the 16A L2 Leviton charger has been discontinued. The 30A unit is $75 more but seems to be the better deal. I cancelled my 16 and went with the 30. Thanks to those that posted the link.

That's a good plan. With me I plan on keeping the car about 3 or 4 years. I don't plan on living in California much longer so I went with the 16 amp unit so I could plug it in and go. I have done some testing with the 120V charge cable and found it draws about 1.2kW using a 100 foot extension cord (not the best idea). The voltage drop was about 14volts. With it plugged into the wall, I was surprised to find the current wasn't much lower. I was expecting around 7 amps but it's more like 9.5. I'm using a Kill-A-Watt EZ and they seem to be pretty accurate. The voltage from my wall is 118V so the power is still the same. This is charging from 16 to 21 miles on the indicator (can't tell a voltage charge level). The initial rate on a fully depleted battery will be much higher according to Leviton. The testing goes on. It's still better than supporting big oil and the middle east.

The Energi is completley different from the 2010. I had the fully loaded 2010 Sterling Gray and I averaged 45mpg over 20,000 miles. I loved it. The Energi tests your skills if you drive over 15 or 20 miles at a time but it is a great car. Definitely don't expect more than 50mpg on a long drive and 43mpg if you drive above 62mph. We had some problems at first but the car is turning out to be exactly what I wanted. Don't expect any great service relating to the vehicle yet as I think the Ford dealers are as much in the dark as we are. It will get there I'm sure.

I'm not sure which battery you are referring to. In hybrid mode mine does the same thing but it is charging the hybrid battery for the EV duty cycle of my driving. The manuals elude to charging the EV battery but so far once the EV battery has been depleted I've not seen it come back to life. That being said, while driving in in EV+ mode while braking I have seen the EV battery indicator go up, not the mileage, but the blue indicator. Not sure what it means. In my 2010 my hybrid battery never discharged while going downhill (down grade) when I would let the accelerator up just enough to "coast". My Energi seems to discharge whenever I have any accelerator at all. When I let off the gas entirely, it will start to charge, but it also slows down. The dealer couldn't find anything with their diagnostics and I'm not sure anyone has any experience with the Energi yet. They reset my system. Some of the problems went away and some stayed but now I'm averaging around 83mpg on a 100 mile daily commute that includes leaving in the morning with a full charge, charging at work, driving to lunch on pure EV, and leaving work on a full charge. I'm ecstatic with the improvement.

I missed the Amazon price. Were they better than Leviton?

To me it is the best choice for the Energi.

Leviton's and everybody else's chargers are nothing but switches. The car tells the 'switch' using a PWM signal how much and when to allow the charger to send power. Buying a larger charger, unless you have plans to purchase another larger capacity battery vehicle like the Leaf or Focus Electric is a waste of time and resources. The charge time for the 240V 40A unit is exactly the same as the 240V 16A unit. The power from any 220/240 household box with 15-20 amps is more than sufficient to power up the Energi's charger. Most people have 220 available in their garages or laundry rooms. This power is more than enough to run a 15amp charger. Why waste time, money and effort beefing up your electrical system (unless you want to) for no reason? I investigated each type and size, called the manufacturers and got the same story each time. I went with the Leviton 16 because I thought for the money ,it was the best bang for the buck. If you need to run Romex to the area you need, find a friend who knows how or hire an electrician to do it for a lot less than upgrading the box for power you will not use. The cost difference from #6 to #12 wire is staggering. Leviton has a special that includes the install kit for around $790. In, California, the state and power companies will rebate 30% of the cost up to $1000 so it sweetens the deal.My net cost is going to be around $600 and it will do everything the large units will do. Remember, the brains are in the Energi, not the charger. I am going to plot the actual power curve for the unit and post the actual kWh used from both a full charge as well as a half charge for both the 120V and the 240V units. Data is everything.

If anybody is interested, I just got off the phone with Leviton concerning charge rates for the Energi. They have not done an analysis for the Fusion Energi at this time however he did give me the numbers for the CMax. The initial charge rate for the EVB40 L2 Charger is 3.6 kW which degrades to around 720 W near a full charge and then the unit draws 300mA quiescently (turn it off). This results in a much lower power cost than anticipated using their 9.6kW numbers. I am going to plot the actual curve as soon as I get my home unit. It looks as if the total power draw will be lower than 4kWh. We will see.

So far: 1:) The driver assist was a 'glitch' . What we in the software world refer to when we don't have a clue. It now operates ( or doesn't operate) as it should so I'm told. 2:) The jury is still out on the EV battery issue.

If the hybrid battery charges the 12V battery, the engineers at Ford have dropped the ball. If one were to need 12V it only takes a DC to DC converter at a lot less weight to do this. Current modules for that much power would weigh less than a tenth of what a battery weighs and be much smaller. I would certainly hope that this isn't the case.

There is a display on the left panel that indicates accessory battery draw. Mine indicates zero as the only thing I use is the radio that I can truly control. As my commute is in LA with the most severe load being an overpass, I would truly expect the full range of the battery to be the maximum. I drive at a moderate 62mph because that was the most efficient speed for my 2010 and it is a starting point for this model.The thing that worries me the most is the engine only gas mileage indicator won't go above 25mpg unless I take my foot off the pedal entirely in which case the car slows down VERY quickly, like there is a drag on it. The dealer stated that the CMax has had the same issues and that it needs a "break in" period of around 3 to 4 thousand miles for the brakes to "let go" whatever that means. If the brakes are dragging for 3 or 4 thousands miles that's a poor design, not a defect.

I drive with the climate off as this is a major drain on the system and I really don't need it. Opening the moonroof to the inclined position and cracking the back windows is perfect for me. The DRLs don't draw off the system, they draw off the 12V, so the dealer says. The battery distance to hybrid only mode is based on my driving. As I have been getting around 60mpg, according to Ford, I should see 21 every time it is fully charged. It won't go down 20% one day and then another 12% the next. At that rate the battery would be useless in about 5 days. When they get it fixed I will report what the problem was, good or bad. As far as the ammenities of the car, they are what I expected otherwise, I would not have bought it. The issue with the colors on the nav screen should be addressed as an issue with the ADA so everbody can use the information they put out. If you are going to put adjustable pedals for short people, then put adjustable colors for color-blind people. I am neither, but members of my family are.

As the evidence of my experience is based on my only PHEV vehicle, unless one were to own several of them, I can only assume that this is the way they are. No offense meant and none taken.

Just for you. I drive 45 miles each way and around 10 miles at lunch, 45 * 2 = 90 + 10 =100. With two FULL charges in between. If the car gets around 20 miles per charge then the total hybrid commute each way is around 25 miles. If I get 999.9mpge EV miles for 20 miles and 40mpg for 25 miles and 10 EV miles at lunch, I should use around .6 gallons of gas each way resulting in a staggering 91 MPG. It ain't happening and I don't expect it to. But I do think it should be around 60 with concessions for driving conditions.

Can you do it with the car plugged into a 240V level 2 charger?

You didn't read my post. The first thing I said is I like my Energi. I'm not in love with it,but I like it. My comments on performance are right on the mark. I don't post "feel good" or "feel bad" statements unless I point that out. I don't defend any manufacturer as I own several Fords, Chevys and Pontiacs. They all have their good points and bad ones. The car should be able to average about 65mpg based on the use of the battery mode switch and my commute. The car should not be discharging going downhill with the accelerator released. I'm sure it will get there eventually, but right now it has problems. If this was a $15K or less POS I would not like it either but the added cost adds insult to injury.

We purchased the Energi Titanium because the SE can't be ordered with the upgraded Sony sound system. The Active Park came with it, so I'm not complaining about an option I bought and didn't need. I charge my vehicle at night, drive it 45 miles in the morning to work, charge it at work and drive 45 miles back home. Is this too much to ask of this vehicle? When the mileage dropped from 60 to 51 today and the battery range dropped from 21 to 17 to 15 FULLY CHARGED, I brought it into the dealer. They have confirmed ALL of my concerns and will have the car for several days. When you find an article from Ford that states the vehicle is not designed for 45 mile trips I would love to read it. And yes, I expect a 46,000 dollar car to performed right out of the gate. The tax incentives are only for the energi so the cost of the hybrid was the same or close.

It's good to know there are people out there that know more than I do about my vehicle. Thanks. Now for the issues, The system WON'T let me start or stop my driver assist, it comes on by itself without any input put from me whatsoever. The dealer has confirmed this and the car will be returned to me after they fix it. It's good that you can read. Next time try using your brain too.

It's not Ford's charger. Leviton makes a home unit which will either plug in to an existing 240V 40A outlet or can be wired into the circuit. The Leviton EVB40-5PT is the hardwired unit and the EVB40-SPT has a 220V plug. You can purchase them online for $1099.00 from Home Depot and set them up yourself if you have the ability. California will rebate 30% of the cost back to residents This is a true Level 2 Charger and charges the Energi in 2.5 hours.

It all depends on when, where and how you charge your Energi. In SoCal they have programs which drop your rate to as low as 11c / kWH at night for charging your car. If you use the 120V charger and allow the 7 hour charge time the unit only draws 7 amps so the total kwH used would only be around 7. (120V * 7A = 840W) *7 hours = 6.8kWH * $.11/kWH = $.75 per charge. A reasonable cost equivalent of around $1.50 per gallon. If you use the 240V unit the cost is prohibitive @ 9.6kW * 2.5hours = 24kWH *$.11 = $2.64 for 21 miles. The wattage is not consistent due to the charge levels, but the numbers are close. The cost of a gallon of gas is only(only?) $3.85 and you get over 40 miles on it. It's not worth it. During normal hours the cost goes through the roof. The cost of going green is way too much green, period. I wish I had kept my 2010 Fusion Hybrid which averaged over a 20,000 mile span, 45mpg.

First off, I like our new Fusion Energi, it is definitely a step up in styling from our 2010 Fusion Hybrid. Enough with the pleasantries; we bought our fully loaded Energi Titanium 5 days ago. The first couple of days we charged it overnight and fully charged it indicated 21 miles just like advertised. Two days ago the ‘fully charged’ mileage indication dropped to 17 miles. Our mileage the first couple of days was averaging around 60 mpg. We noticed the drop in “engine only” gas mileage from 40mpg highway in our 2010 to ~25 in the Energi. The engine seems underpowered and strains to maintain highway speeds of 65-70 mph. I drive the vehicle 100 miles per day and just as in our 2010, I maximize the mileage by simple tweaks of operation. I don’t hypermile, just drive it using common sense (no jackrabbit starts etc) and use the battery mode to achieve highway speeds and on upgrades. Our 2010 was averaging 45mpg (I beat the advertised numbers since the car was new) over a 20,000 mile span when we traded it in. The Energi has dropped to 53 and it’s on its way down with every mile over the exact same route we have driven for 10 years. The trunk is not an issue as, if you bought the car without looking at it, that’s your fault. The fold-down seats are a waste of effort as the maximum height for any cargo going through the area is only about 4-6 inches. The lane assistance is an annoyance as you cannot turn it off. The Active Park Assist is a waste of time for all but morons who can’t learn. It puts the wheels against the curb which will eventually earn you some wonderful scratches on your wheels. Maybe it helps the people with no range of motion that really shouldn’t be driving anyway. The BLIS system is wonderful at night. A nice touch that should be standard on all Fords, The upgraded Sony sound system is great. The seats are comfortable. The front view is spectacular. The map and displays are mediocre at best. We contacted Ford on several occasions since we bought our 2010 to ask them to allow the user to change the colors for the roads and traffic as color-blind people have difficulties discerning the images when they are overlaid on each other. It is only a software change, but Ford doesn’t seem to listen. Over all, the vehicle is a good one, but I expected a great one at $46,000 plus. Ford could have all but shorted out the Volt with this one, but their resistance to change will keep the Volt as it currently is a big competitor (a little engineering humor). Given the performance of the vehicle so far, it falls far short of our expectations and we should have stayed with our 2010. If gas mileage is what you’re looking for, a 2010-2012 smokes the Energi in real world conditions at a much lower acquisition cost and cost of operation. We never once replaced the brake pads on our 2010 and had 105,000 miles on it with over 50% of the pads left at trade-in time. If the new amenities are your pleasure, this is the car for you.