JATR4

The TESLA comes with numerous adapters for both other chargers and outlets for the TESLA charger. For example, the normal 240 plug has an adapter for 120. You just need to go on vacation for the 120 to charge the car.

What kind of mileage did you get with the Escape? And what year?

...Are you saying the Fusion lets you put it in gear with only the accessories powered on?... Sequence (1): Push the start button, brake, and shift into reverse. Or, sequence (2): Brake, push the start button, and shift into reverse. Different orders with different results. Sequence (1) results in car in reverse with no power, reduced braking and will not start until returned to either neutral or reverse. Sequence (2) is the correct method and you are good to go!!! I have made this mistake more than once. Since there is no noise from the motor, it is not an obvious error if you do not look for the ready to drive light. The first night I had my FFE it was raining and the interior lights had been turned off by the dealer. I was trying to link a garage door opener to the Homelink at my daughter's house and had driven a few blocks away. I inadvertently turned the car off while in drive and was clueless how to get it started again since I didn't realize it was in drive. Luckily I was on level ground so the car didn't roll. I finally figured it out after several minutes. The problem is that a small error can lead to confusion and mild panic--at least in my case. You can stop this car while it is running by pressing on the start button. I have done this when parking the car. It is probably a good habit to apply the parking brake when stopping--an extra level of safety. The engine can also be stopped while driving if the start button is held a couple of seconds which results in lack of power steering and reduced braking. If that ever happens you have to press on the brake, move the gearshift to neutral and press the start button.

One suggestion. Learn how the push button start works. Sounds stupid but is very important. One person on this forum let his car roll into the wall of a parking garage when he thought he had started the car and had only turned on the accessories--reduced braking since the car didn't start. Never a problem if you push the start button AFTER pushing on the brake pedal. Most of us have done this--pushed the start button prior to stepping on the brake. It only takes a fraction of a second to get two different results. And the only indication is the Ready to Drive light never comes on. So if you shift to reverse and the car hasn't "started" there will be no engine power and reduced braking since the car never started and pushing the start button now is to no avail UNLESS you put the car in either neutral or park, push on the brake, and push the start button again. Good luck.

The answer(s) to your questions about hybrid mode might be found on the FFH forum since their cars are always hybrid. The FFE actually performs better in hybrid mode than the FFH since the FFE battery is larger. Ask a question like "Anyone driven to Vegas in their FFH? How does the FFH respond to the long uphill portion of the trip?" I have had both the FFH and FFE and the hybrid mode for the FFE is much better than the that of the FFH.

We all know this but the manual says: "Auto EV This mode provides an automatic use of high voltage battery power during the drive, staying in electric mode when possible and running the engine when needed. This mode--EV Auto--will be the only one available if the plug-in power has been depleted."

No. Auto is hybrid. You can't select EV later after the battery reaches zero. Unless your 2014 is different than my 2013, which I doubt.

Once the portion of the battery used for EV Only is depleted the car defaults to EV Auto and EV Now and EV Later are no longer available. In fact an X appears over EV Now and EV Later. The car is now a hybrid but with longer EV distance than the FFH.

I also had a 2014 Ruby Red FFH--for only 3 months--before switching to a grey 2013 FFET. I was able to get 46 mpg with the FFH but the electric drive on the FFH is really short. Even after the FFE switches to hybrid you still get a much longer portion of your drive on electric due to the larger battery. You will need to consider a level 2 charger as your next investment. Reduces charge time from 7.5 hrs to 2+ hrs. Welcome.

I filled up one of my vehicles--not the Energi--today and paid $2.09. Using 16 miles as an average range on the $0.75 full electric charge $2.09 worth of electricity gets 44.59 miles (209/75 X 16= 44.59). That is close to what I can get in hybrid mode. I also have a 5% gas card that reduces the range to 42.4 miles (209 X .95/75 X 16=42.4). With some promotions I paid as little as $1.81 on a few fillups this winter--not for the Energi of course. $2.10 is pretty much break even for me but I like EV only so I will continue to charge no matter what the price is. This past winter my electric range was as low as 14 miles. I do have a couple of trips each week at 68 mph which is not the most economical use of electricity and reduces my electric range. I rarely--if ever--get 25 miles on a full charge. I would estimate my average electric range at less than 18 miles.

I love EV only and charge when I can--level 2 at home. But with gas prices as low as they are I am at the break-even point so I don't save any money by charging. There are many places where charging costs more than using gas. Here are two charts of U.S. electric prices: http://www.eia.gov/electricity/monthly/epm_table_grapher.cfm?t=epmt_5_6_a http://www.eia.gov/electricity/state/

Can you point out specifically where there is any mention of a "car tax rebate" and can you provide wording that is incorrect? I have only seen "vehicle tax credit" and don't recall any false wording. I agree that it would be nice if it were a rebate but it isn't.

Wrong. If their tax liability on line 44 is $4,007 and they had withholding of $4,007 they would receive a refund of $4,007. If they did not withhold during the year and put the money in a bank, they would have $4,007 in a bank. In either case they get the tax credit on line 54. The money saved by using the tax credit is either in the bank or in the refund from the government. The vehicle tax credit can not exceed the tax liability. The OP had other credits that wiped out the vehicle tax credit. There is a hierarchy of credits and some reduce the vehicle tax credit. For example, child and dependent care expenses may reduce the vehicle tax credit. The max vehicle tax credit is $4,007. Tax programs sometimes need to be overridden to get the extra $6. Let me give you an actual example. My tax liability for 2013 was $3,806. Therefore, my vehicle tax credit was also $3,806 since it can't be more than your tax liability. Therefore, I owed no tax for 2013. But I had taxes withheld and estimated payments of $2,921. The IRS sent me a check for $2,921. If I had a child care expense of $500, the vehicle tax credit would have been reduced to $3,306 but my total tax credit would have still been $3,806 (3306 + 500).

You are wrong. Withholding has nothing to do with the credit. If you have a tax liability of $4K and withhold $4K then you will get that $4K as a refund by using the credit. If you withhold nothing you will owe no tax by using the credit. Your financial status is the same in each case. If your tax liability is only $2K and you withhold $4K your maximum tax credit will be $2K--your tax liability. But you will get your withholding of $4K as a refund. Again, withholding has no effect on whether you can use the credit or not. Your tax liability determines whether and how much of the tax credit is available to you.

You have been a member of this forum since April of 2014. The vehicle tax credit and the fact that the credit is limited by a filers tax liability has been discussed on this forum several times. Several people were confused by the limiting factors. The tax credit is not what we on this forum want. We would certainly prefer a rebate. The problem with any tax question is that it must usually be resolved before 31 December. After 31 December there is no recovery. Had you come on this forum and explained your situation before purchasing the vehicle, someone might have recommended leasing the vehicle so you could get the tax credit passed through to you by the dealer. That is a way to get the credit without having the required tax liability.

You don't appear to get the idea of the vehicle credit. You can only use the vehicle credit if you have a tax liability . If you use deductions and other credits you may not have a tax liability--which seems to be your case. Again, withholding has nothing to do with whether you can use the vehicle credit or not.

Withholding has nothing to do with whether you get the tax credit or not.

If he puts a battery charger on the terminals under the hood, won't that supply enough power to release the parking brake and move the gearshift to neutral when depressing the brake?

I tried it today--not at 75mph--but the car does shut down. I only pressed it once and did not hold it. And pressing the start button again only starts the electronics. You have to press on the brake pedal to get out of drive. Wouldn't it have been safer if the Lexus did shut off?

Scenario. You are going on the 405 at 75 mph and your son reaches over and pushes the start/stop button. You can hit the start button again but only the electronics will turn on. The power brakes and power steering are not very responsive since the car is not started. You can either STOP on the 405 and put the car in park and start it or you can lightly press on the brake pedal, shift into neutral and start the car while still pressing lightly on the brake pedal. You cannot shift from drive without pressing on the brake pedal. I would shift to neutral and start the car--if I didn't panic.

It's easy to get into neutral. If you don't have your foot on the brake when you "start" the car you turn on the electronics only. Once the electronics are on (car NOT actually started) and you step on the brake you can shift to any gear, which is exactly what the OP did. If you have turned the electronics on and want to start the car you can start it from either park or neutral with your foot on the brake. There is no need to turn the car off if the electronics have started. Just shift to park or neutral, put your foot on the brake and turn the key/push the button. It is safest to start the car in park but it can be started in neutral.

Not likely. I no longer have a hybrid or I would go out to the car and verify the procedure. The starting preoceure in both owner's manuals is the same. Neither vehicle will start without having the brake pedal depressed.

Park or neutral.

If you review the videos, it appears he tries to start the vehicle with the gearshift in reverse. That won't work and the engine light comes on and stays on. When you turn the ignition on the engine light ALWAYS comes on. When the vehicle is properly started the engine light goes off and the ready to drive light comes on--normal. The dealer reprogrammed the PCM not because anything was wrong but they probably didn't know what was wrong and thought that was the easiest fix. I doubt anything was ever wrong with the vehicle. The videos prove he doesn't know how to start the car. He claims he started the vehicle in reverse--IMPOSSIBLE. He may have turned the electronics on but he did NOT start the vehicle. The ready to drive light comes on only after he turns the ignition off and properly starts the vehicle with his foor on the brake and the geasrshift in park (it will start in neutral also).

Did you review the videos? Everything in those videos is normal. I don't have to believe the OP when he is obviously confused. He thinks that the vehicle has started when the lights come on. The vehicle has started only when the ready to drive light comes on and that won't happen unless the brake pedal is depressed BEFORE turning the ignition on while the car is in either park or neutral. There is no other way to actually "start" this vehicle. There is nothing wrong with this vehicle. This situation is very similar to the situation I described where the person let his vehicle coast into the garage wall.