Fat Fusion

The best part about the article is the picture of the Tesla chassis ! I wonder if they're just using their volume negotiating power to drive that cost down, or engineering actual cost savings into the packs without impacting Form/Fit/Function. Either way it's good news for consumers.

Do you have any idea how ignorant you sound? Why would you post this on a site for enthusiasts who love their cars?

I downloaded a current monitor on my Android and it's shocking to see how much variation there is in charging amperage between my various chargers. Some were as ugly as 250ma and some were as good as 1900ma. I use one that is advertised as able to do 2.1amps or 2100ma.

Best part about my most recent tank... not going to the gas station for six weeks!!!

Found some pics I took of the installed rack. Also shown is the small panel you take off (and throw away).

Somebody along the line suggested tieing a rope to the release and having it close to where you can grab it from the back seat. Maybe tape it down in the corner or something? Are you guys that are having trouble even trying a new 12V battery? Seems like a slam dunk to me, unless you're one of the ones with the wire short.

Above was my #'s from March 2014. Below is the cumulative #'s pulled from Fuelly today. All 48 fillups! A nice spike lately from charging at home and a lot of days at work. Plus, I moved closer to work. OT: I disconnected my Clipper Creek and slapped it on the side of my new house. One of my best friends is an electrician and lives about 5 houses away. :dance: He put in a big brand new panel with new breakers, the cable to the 240V box, and several added outlets in the garage for $500. Not sure if I could even buy all those materials for that. :woohoo:

For reference, the 45 year old 1137 foot house on a 6000 foot lot cost me 620k. But, it's in Silicon Valley and I have a coresponding engineer salary to afford it. Just need to find a good woman to help share the cost!

OK, so it sounds like there are situations where you'd not have liability, But that just speaks to the messed up tax code IMO. I just bought my first house here in CA so maybe I won't be liable for tens of thousands in Fed tax this year. I pay about 2k a month in interest on the loan IIRC. :headscratch:

I really like the small trailer hitch I installed to use a bike rack. The bikes never touch the car. You have to remove a small diffuser panel in the lower rear part of the car, but no biggie. Some technical ability to install the rack, but I don't think I had to drill any holes. Just socket set work. The rack is well made and pretty heavy duty tubing where it counts. It's got some weight to it. Hitch: http://www.etrailer.com/p-C12091.html Rack: http://www.etrailer.com/p-63120.html

Is it just me or does anyone else find it odd when people are buying a 30 to 40k car and don't have a federal tax liability of more than 4k? Are these folks paying cash from the trust fund? Just curious.

Every 12v battery I've ever had tested above 12 volts when in good condition. I agree it's a bad battery at the very least.

Selling a used car is tough. I recently sold my Boss 302 to drum up funds (and lower expenses!) for a house purchase. I was hoping to get low 30's and ended up taking 26.5k. The kid who bought it got a helluva deal. He blew the engine in his last car, a Porsche, to the tune of 40k so he needed something more cost effective... Good luck with the sale. Keep it advertised.

Seems like you have some good advice about problem #2. Problem #1 is you're wrapping it every time you wind it up. You need to rotate the spool as you go so the cable wraps without twisting.

Surely not me, I have about 32,000 miles after a year and a half.

Personally I'm five foot fourteen, so having the headroom of a mid sized car is critical. I'd live just fine if it were a two seater, and I suspect many, maybe not most, but many buyers in CA would feel the same way if that space were taken up by batteries and had a better trunk. Obviously I don't have kids, but as an original owner of a 6 seater 99 F250 Crew Cab 4x4 I do see the value in having the seats. Just lots and lots of folks in CA are using them for commuter cars and have something else to drive when necessary. Having the competition from Chevy is great. It's the best thing that can happen to the Fusion. It will ensure the Ford engineers will come up with something better, sooner. Just look what is happening with the Camaro Z28 and the Shelby GT350. Those cars are both bad-to-the-bone and the reason is each other's competition.

Just press the UP button on the left side of the steering wheel to cycle through the views after hitting EV NOW.

I have change my oil twice, once at 15k and again at 25k. I'll do it again at 35k. I just hit 30k and picked mine up in Oct of 2013. The oil was pretty black both times.

Glad it's all worked out. The guys above covered anything I would.

Watched Dirty Rotten Scoundrels again the other night. Great movie with Michael Caine and Steve Martin.

Something is wrong with your car. You shouldn't smell anything. I have to work hard- ie: drive over 80 to get lower than 40 MPG on gas alone.

It happens to most of us when it's new. I now use my left hand to remove the charger, then use my right thumb to close the door- all in one motion.

It does look good. I'm surprised more of the guys on here aren't doing that to improve efficiency. Less frontal profile = less drag.

Why raise taxes to encourage higher efficiency when they're already legislating higher efficiency??? :headscratch:

Since wind resistance is the biggest influence on efficiency, it'd be interesting to do some simple things like lowering springs and see what that does.