Energized

No, I don't think Ford will follow GM's path because they don't have to. Ford isn't backed into a corner like GM is with the Volt. GM badly misjudged sales of the Volt and built an assembly plan and supply chain based on those unrealistic volumes. As a result GM is committed to suppliers to buy a minimum level of unique hardware and batteries, despite what the natural sales level of the Volt is. GM's production rate for the Volt is and always has been greater than the sales level for the vehicle. GM is basically 'forced' by the economics of things to build a minimum number of Volts. That minimum number is higher than what the market demands, so GM is forced to offer huge discounts to move the product. This is Economics 101 and the same scenario that drove GM into bankruptcy with a taxpayer bailout and government ownership.

This web site tracks how many of then 40,000 green stickers have been distributed so far in California. http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/carpool/carpool.htm

Ok, I thought you were referring to the collision warning system. I wished we did have City Stop here in the US, it seems like a great system. The City Stop system doesn't provide any warning signals however, it just does its thing automatically as a last resort. The lack of a warning signal is intentional so drivers don't become reliant on it. City Stop uses a totally different technology to detect collisions than what we have on our cars and only works up to 30km/h, roughly 19mph, so its only for slow environments.

Collision warning as implemented in the Fusion will not automatically brake the car, but the ACC system will auto brake down to 15 mph. Pressing the gas will override the ACC auto braking.

The ACC on the Fusion only brakes down to 15 mph, then sounds a chime and turns the braking over to the driver. The City Stop system Ford uses in Europe is intended for city driving at lower speeds and will do full braking. The only thing preventing the use of that system in the US is our litigious society.

Difficult to operate? What method do you use to close it? I find it quite easy to use if operated as intended. I've seen others fumble with it because they don't know how to use it.

The Tesla S has a parasitic loss of 4.5kWh in a 18 to 24 hour period. This is nicknamed by Telsa owners as the Vampire loss. It's the equivalent of 188 watts. This occurs on the Telsa whether its plugged in or not, with or without go times. A Tesla left sitting unplugged will drain the traction battery at a fairly significant rate. http://gas2.org/2013/03/21/tesla-model-s-sleep-mode-still-draining-batteries/ http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1082949_life-with-2013-tesla-model-s-vampire-thirst-for-electricity-at-night The Energi appears to be significantly more efficient with respect to this issue.

Where did the MSRP of $49K come from? That's way too high even with every option. The residual % sounds about right. How do taxes work in VA? Is there a sales tax on the lease payment and down payment, plus a property tax? Did you tell the dealer you have X-Plan? As an X-Plan the dealer can't easily hoodwink you since Ford Credit will review the paperwork and make sure there's no hoodwinking going on with the lease price/residual/fees etc.

In order to prevent battery capacity loss like what's happened with the Nissan Leaf, the Energi lowers the batteries use when the batteries are outside a range of 32-113ºF. This is not the outside air temp, this is the temperature of the batteries. When the vehicle is running and the climate control is on, the batteries are cooled (or warmed) to stay within that range. A car sitting in the sun for a long period will be hotter inside than the outside air temp and it would take a while to cool the interior and the batteries. The Nissan Leaf doesn't have the option to switch to an engine to propel the vehicle when the temperature is outside a set range, so the Leaf just suffers whatever battery capacity loss might occur. Personally I would rather have long term battery life in exchange for a lowered use of the battery in some conditions. Nissan Leaf owners claim AZ desert heat saps batteries http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2012/07/nissan-feelin-the-heat-for-degrading-leaf-batteries-in-arizona/

Here is an article on the regen system. It can capture up to 95% of kinetic energy as opposed to 30% to 50% for some other manufacturers. A 100% regen score means 100% of maximum (95%). http://wardsauto.com/vehicles-amp-technology/ford-regenerative-brakes-rack-big-energy-savings

I usually just try to explain that the car is sort of 1/2 hybrid and 1/2 EV and you have a button to select which mode you want to be in. Or, if they still look confused, I simply explain that it's an EV until the battery runs down, then it's a normal hybrid until you plug in again. For the really advanced people I explain how I use the EV mode in conditions where an EV is most efficient and how I use the ICE in conditions where the engine is most efficient.

The Energi employs control strategies to keep battery cell temperatures within 32-113ºF. If temps are below 32ºF, the system will work in a reduced EV mode until the cells get warmed up. From what Earthdog showed in the video, when it was 115ºF in the trunk, it appears the control strategy reduces the amount of EV draw that can occur until the battery temps fall within the 32-113ºF range. If a car has been sitting in the sun and it's hot outside, I imagine it will take a while for the battery to be cooled below 114ºF for unrestricted EV operation.

In the video, it appears the vehicle is not in EV Now mode. The message displayed does not mean the battery is "overheating" it means the system is keeping the battery temperature within whatever design parameters they've programmed in. The system has temperature sensors in the cabin of the vehicle and in the battery. It apparently uses those two sensors to determine if the battery is within the operating parameter for EV mode. The cabin sensor is measuring the temperature of the air that will be blowing over the battery to cool it. Keeping the battery temperature below a threshold is done for the long-term health of the battery. If you look at the battery problems (capacity loss) with the Nissan Leaf in Phoenix, you can see why a PHEV would monitor and react to higher temperatures the way it does. Since the Leaf doesn't have an engine to use, the Leaf has no choice but to use the battery even when the temperatures are hot even though it may lead to early battery capacity loss. A PHEV has an engine to use so it makes sense to me to keep tighter control of the battery temperature and use the engine if the battery is at its upper range and the air blowing on it from the cabin is not cool enough to sufficiently cool the battery. http://www.digitaltrends.com/cars/nissan-leaf-owners-in-arizona-say-heat-is-destroying-their-cars-batteries/ I'm in a hot area during the summer months but haven't experienced anything unusual yet. I keep a sunscreen in my windshield and I keep the A/C temp at 72 for my personal comfort. So far that seems to be good enough to stay within the battery's comfort zone. We'll see what happens in August but regardless I'd take the trade off for longer battery life.

For what its worth, I don't think the hood is made of metal so rust shouldn't be an issue. Good luck with the dealer.

What you're reading is not a battery charge gauge, it's a "predicted range" gauge, like a distance to empty gauge in a normal gas car. The predicted range is based on the current battery level, how you're driving (speed, acceleration, regen braking), how you've been driving historically, temperature, and what power demands are currently on i.e A/C, Heater, lights etc The battery graphic behind the range meter shows a graphical representation of the battery level but the numerical level read out is under the road/leaf menu. If it says 100% then you have a full charge.

When charging in public, the door will be open with a big visible plug stuck in it, which would certainly call attention to it and attract vandals more than when its closed. In fact, having a big connector sticking out would provide a convenient leverage device for a gang of hoodlums to bend and break the receptacle. If one is concerned about "sabotage", they would never charge in public. When you realize what is inside the charging door, there's nothing much to do to it that can't be done to a lot of other more expensive parts of the car. It's simply a receptacle that doesn't even connect to the battery unless the proper data handshaking is completed. On the list of things to worry about, I would personally place this pretty low. From my perspective, given how often I open the charging door (compared to how often I open the gas door), I think the convenience of not having to mess with an internal release greatly outweighs any perceived security risks.

Just checked mine and everything is working normally on the App and on the website. I have good AT&T signal strength and haven't had any connectivity issues.

The predicted range meter recalculates based on how you're driving and what kind of accessory draw you're using. I've seen the predicted range meter increase and decrease while in EV Later. Its just reacting to current conditions.

This was on my commute home with a depleted battery.

The good news is you have a 240V outlet available in a useable location which will save you the cost and hassle of installing one if you choose to get a L2 charger.

http://www.fordfusionenergiforum.com/topic/800-engine-on-for-grade-assist/

If you set it as a destination, it will automatically be saved as a recent destination. You can choose if you want to save it as a Favorite or not.

Its good to see that prices are coming down as competition increases.

The most likely factor to get it over 30 is a lower average vehicle speed assuming your braking scores are good.

There's so much to learn about this car, I learn new things every few days, if not more frequent than that. It's been a fun journey of exploration. The car is really quite remarkable in so many ways. Hope you receive yours this week.