FrostFire

I frequently drive a 20 mile stretch of relatively flat highway where I get 6-10 miles of regen. There are lights every 1-2 miles but people still drive ~60 mph between them, sometimes you fly through a green or yellow but just as often you have to brake back down to zero. I'm just glad I'm doing it in a PHEV.

The two terrible Tesla crashes in SoCal yesterday have me a little worried about our battery packs and fuel tanks being so close together. http://abc7.com/news/tesla-splits-in-2-after-chase-fiery-crash/155859/ http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Family-Members-Dead-After-Tesla-Honda-Crash-in-Palmdale-265890521.html The Tesla that split in two hitting a Mercury, Honda and synagogue scattered its battery pack across the road creating an effect bystanders described as fireworks shooting 100 ft into the air as the lithium battery cells ignited. The Tesla that rear ended a Toyota on a highway crushed the rear half of the Toyota engulfing it in flames. I know our battery system is much more elaborately engineered and packaged than the Tesla pack and the smaller number of cells means there are far less chances for one to rupture and start a chain reaction... but it's still pretty close to the gas tank if an idiot rear-ends us hard. Anyone else worried about this or know some reason to feel it's safer than I worry?

This is my current dilemma, I don't really need a L2 charger with my driving patterns and love the portability of the L1, but I'm getting worried about damage or theft. Is there a good replacement L1 charger on the market? I want something that goes into a standard grounded household outlet and all I see is the CC PCS-15, which is still listed at $495... $100 more than a basic L2.

I had to get flat bed towed to a dealer and buy a new tire on Saturday after a significant and unfortunately placed pothole tore the sidewall... it's the only problem I've had in 3,750 miles, but the tires on my old Mariner would have brushed off the scrape without issue. I got the car in March, so I haven't really figured out what if anything to do about winter.

Can anyone point me towards a set of less fragile and more versatile tires?

Yesterday I was going 35 mph in a 25 mph zone and a police car pulled out behind me. It followed me for three blocks, pulled up next to me at a light, rolled down their windows and asked what I was driving. I also finally saw a C-MAX Energi in the wild.

My car/audio system produces random buzzing/static after I turn it off until I open the driver door, is that common?

My insurance company actually gave me a 25% electric/plug in discount, so the FFE costs about the same to insure as a conventional car with 75% of the MSRP (a similarly speced ICE Fusion?). It's only $250 more a year than my 08 Mercury Mariner was.

Trunk aside I disagree with you, I'm 6'3" and rode shotgun in a Tesla S for several miles/minutes a few months ago, I didn't spend much time fiddling with the seat adjustment controls, but it felt uncomfortably cramped. Not anywhere near as bad as my mother's A4, but it felt as cramped as a Prius or C-MAX, not the kind of car I'd want to take on a roadtrip without opening the windows. The Tesla does have more room in the trunk (assuming you don't think it's a suitable place for children), but I'd rather have a few inches between my scalp and the roof and not have my knees touching anything. I take frequent international trips and always fit my luggage and anything else I need in the trunk (If someone's coming with me they can put their bags on the back seat). I think the range on the Tesla would suit me just fine, but that range comes at a steep cost, it uses/loses half as much power everyday it's parked in the garage as my Energi uses being driven 20 miles a day, combined with the Tesla's large environmental footprint and poor mpkW while driving, buying a Tesla would just be too environmentally irresponsible for me (and I was driving a 27 mpg SUV 40 days ago). If I was 5'10" or under and I had $.09/kW instead of $.18/kW electricity I'd probably be much more interested in the Tesla. Anyone got advice on rooftop solar?

Maybe he was thinking "I thought the Model E was supposed to be smaller, not bigger? Why am I still driving the Beta version?". Seriously am I the only one who glanced at the Model S and said "Too small, too unreliable, too expensive and too weird" I know the Tesla and even the Volt can go over 100 mph on pure electricity and my Energi switched into hybrid drive when I was going 82 mph in auto and the winding sub city tunnel tilted up, but how often are we really going to be driving like that?

I don't see a discussion about this, but I'm completely new to these forums: http://insideevs.com/upside-poolside-parody-featuring-ford-c-max-energi-video/ I feel like the Fusion is the happy medium in the plug in car market with solid features and broad market appeal. The Fusion is larger and in most ways more comfortable than the ELR, runs more efficiently on both electricity and gas, has a comparable curb appeal and is much more reasonably priced. While some prefer the more compact feel and easier parking that comes with the C-MAX, I think most people willing to spend $30k on a car would choose a Fusion over a C-MAX. Because the Ford Energi line shares its look with the matching hybrid and conventional models, buying one doesn't imply the same level of pretention and green washing the ELR, Tesla and Prius are lampooned for. I'm an eco-conscious millennial white collar professional suburban homeowner and the Fusion Energi perfectly suits all my large or growing demographics, while the other plug ins seem targeted at odd niches. I go to meetings in a lot of business environments and my social life spans the ecological/economic/artistic spectrum. The Fusion Energi can go almost anywhere; it looks great, is from a respectable American company, its EV functionality/technology gives it a pass in circles where everyone else is driving a luxury import and its environmental/efficiency credentials can justify the higher end purchase price in circles where those cars are scorned. I'd be the butt of jokes if I tried to drive a Leaf, Tesla, ELR or even C-MAX for a week, the Fusion Energi really seems like the most societally versatile plug in car. I also love the functional versatility of the Energi platform, my daily commute is only 15 miles leaving me plenty of spare EV range and I don't have to hesitate or think about charging when making last minute plans a hundred miles from home. Buying a Fusion Energi isn't a decision that needs a personal philosophy to explain it, it should be seriously considered by most upper middle class homeowners as well as many other Americans. Any word on when Ford plans to build an Escape Energi or other SUV/mini-van option? PS: I still can't believe Ford didn't charge the C-MAX in the Upside commercial...

There are EV/hybrid plates available, but I haven't bothered to get them yet since it requires a special visit to the RMV. I had a problem with my 6 year old Mercury, so I semi-impulse bought the Energi instead of paying for repairs and drove it home (with standard plates) a few hours after my test drive. I had a 2013 C-Max Energi as a rental in November, so I wanted the 2014 Fusion as soon as I adjusted the seat and my driving leg didn't rub against the center console. I've seen a Tesla on the road at least 4 times in the last month and they were three different colors/trims.

Yesterday morning I was driving to a meeting at ~70 mph in the middle lane of a three lane highway in auto running the electric drive, a Tesla passed me on the left at ~75 mph, moved in front of me, then into the right lane, then drove behind me before getting back into the left lane and driving off at 80-85 mph. This isn't the first time a Tesla seemed unusually interested in me, is this a common experience?

If you fold one of the seats partially down to allow for airflow, it's the perfect place to store/dry a freshly painted canvas.

If the prices like the above I keep seeing posted are for actual cash sales, either I got ripped off or the dealer took a significant hit. If they're lease capitalization amounts... some posters are going to be very disappointed by the IRS. I found a dealer with an excess of Fusion Energis and agreed to $32,850 cash on a basic 2014 SE after a simple 5 minute negotiation. If I didn't get ripped off the OP is considering a good price, but I personally couldn't justify spending that much on options. I've had my car for exactly a month and about 1,300 miles, I'm very happy with it and haven't had any issues.