jagplates

I see that Ford has dropped the price of the Energi battery from >$10,000 for a refurb to $7,500 for what they list as "new" (Dec 2023). If that's true, I am tempted to get one now before they disappear again. What puzzles me is that part # HG9Z-10B759-F is described as "new" and they say it fits 2013-2019 for a list price of $7,500, while HG9Z-10B759-FARM is described as refurbished with a list price of $4,296.97 and on one page, it says it fits 2013-2020 but lower down it says "Fusion. Without plug-in model. Energi high voltage from 04/06/2015." That is 3 different contradictory fitments. If it is not for plug-in, it does not fit Energi. If it fits a 2015, it should fit a 2013.

I don't know if this is the same problem, but it is worth a try...I had my car in to the dealer for a recall and when I got it back, the temperature setting for the climate control showed impossible temperatures. I disconnected the 12 volt battery in the trunk, left it for 10 minutes and reconnected it. After that everything was back to normal. It's the equivalent of "unplug it and restart it" for any other computerized device. Always the first thing to try.

Ford has apparently discontinued new HV batteries for the Fusion Energi. They now sell "reconditioned" batteries for over $10,000 and only a 1 year warranty. I have not been able to find out what they mean by "reconditioned". Most HV battery reconditioners only replace the bad cells and they replace them with good used cells. If Ford is charging $10,000 for that, it's a terrible deal, since you might be spending another $10K in as little as 13 months. But, if they replace every cell with a new one, that would justify the price. When I enquire, I get different answers from different places. No one has been able to produce a document from Ford saying what they really do.

Anyone know how the Ford Hybrid transmission does its job? I was under the impression that it was a CVT, which typically includes chains or belts and cones to vary the ratios. But watching a teardown video by Weber Auto, I see that there is nothing in there except a planetary gearset that is locked or unlocked to connect the starter/generator. I realize that an EV does not need a transmission because it has enough torque to move the vehicle without any gear reduction. But, in a hybrid, you have to have some gear reduction to start off when you are using the gasoline engine. These cars perform just fine. They are not sluggish. How the heck does this work?

I am in a similar situation to ma fus1on. I have a 2013 Energi with only 34,000 miles. The car is in perfect condition, except that the range, which was 21 - 22 miles when new, dropped to 13 (from 17) since last year. I had been tracking the price of new batteries from Ford. At $9,500 for a new one, I was prepared to swallow hard and buy one when I finally needed it, simply because you could not buy a 34,000 mile car with a brand new HV battery for that price. When I checked a few months ago, Ford has stopped selling new batteries and now sell "remanufactured" ones for over $10,000. If "remanufactured" means that every cell is new, it could still be worth $10,000. But, if like every other hybrid battery rebuilder that I have encountered, all they do is replace the bad cells and leave the remaining cells, then you can expect the remaining cells to degrade in the next few years, so you would not get another 10 years out of a remanufactured battery. I have gotten different answers from different sources, ranging from "every cell is new" to "they only replace the bad cells". (To make matters worse, Ford dealer says the remaufactured batteries are out of stock with no information on when they would be available.) My thinking was to get the newest one I could find from a wrecking yard ($2,000 - $2,500). If that gets me five more years, it is a much better value than a $10,000 reman with a one year warranty and some cells that could already be 10 years old. When they were selling new ones, Ford listed one part number for 2013 - 2018 and another part number for 2019-2020. Now, the remanufactured batteries list one part number for all years. A place in Illinois called Best Hybrid Batteries offers a reconditioned battery (currently $5,000) and for an extra $1,000, they will sell you one with the later, higher capacity cells. https://www.besthybridbatteries.com/categories/hybrid-batteries-by-make/ford/fusion. Ford says that if you change the BECM, you have to redo the software and Best Hybrid Batteries says you can avoid that by moving your existing BECM to the new battery. But it is not clear whether or not that would work properly if you went for the newer type cells. (Given that Ford sells one part number for all years now, it must be possible to reprogram the old BECM to support the new style batteries, but you may need to tow the car to the dealer to do it.) The questions I am wrestling with are: How long can a used HV battery sit on a warehouse shelf before it suffers long-term damage? If the charge dropped too low, how do you recharge it? One auto tech instructor that I spoke with was saying "Oh, used HV batteries are dangerous. You don't know how it was handled by the wrecking yard staff. If they banged it around, it could catch fire." I am thinking that is not impossible, but also not likely. Seems like, if they banged it around and it was going to catch fire, it would do so within a couple of hours of being damaged. What are your thoughts?

I have a 2013 Fusion Energi with only 32,500 miles. This winter, the indicated range (after a full charge) dropped to 13 (it had previously been about 15 or 16 in winter). Now it is only showing 11. Has anyone out there experienced complete failure of the high voltage battery in their Fusion? What is their failure mode? I.E. do they fail while driving or is it more likely you come out one morning and the car won't run? I suspect mine is coming to the end of its life. I don't want to be on the road, 200 miles away and have the car just die, but I don't want to buy a battery until I need one. My plan is to buy a new battery when I have to. I realize that will be about $8,000, and that's about what the car is worth, but this car has been trouble free and I can't expect to buy a nice 32,000 mile car for $8,000. Since "reconditioned" HV batteries are nothing more than old battery assemblies with the bad cells replaced, it is probably better to bite the bullet and get one that is actually new before they get discontinued.