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I have a 2017 energi I noticed when I drive it and its in ev later mode I still see the battery percentage going down even when I do not have it in ev now or ev auto mode I use it a lot in ev later mode. is the battery still being used when in this mode is this normal.

I have owned this 2016 Fusion Energi for 3 days. I was fully charged this morning and got in for my new 50 mile commute. I noticed I was in EV mode and tried to switch to EV Later or Automatic but neither option would highlight indicating the new mode had been selected. I drove about 17 miles and the engine did start due to low remaining charge in the battery. But still could not change modes. I completed the 50 mile commute no driving issues. Still have restarted car at least 1 time and still stuck in EV mode even though the battery is below 35%. The engine will come on as required, just can change modes. The last 3 days I have pretty much only driven EV mode (I was able to change it though) Is this a known issue or any one have this. Thanks

New Forum user and fairly new to my used 2013 Fusion Energi (Titanium). I recently purchased a 2014 Fusion Hybrid that I loved to much I decided to switch to the Energi and love it even more! I need advice from the more savvy EV/EV later users here with my unusual commute. My commute to work is 67 miles each way and the start from home puts me on a 17 miles stretch almost immediately that is uphill for the first 7 miles (ascending about 1800 feet ... not a real mountain but that's what they call it) and then back down the next 7 miles. Right now I have been starting out in EV mode, full charge, climbing the first 7 miles leaving about 4-7 miles of EV capability left at the top, regenerating an additional 3-4 EV miles on the descent. After that it is all highway except for the last mile which is city streets. By using EV mode to climb the hill and the regeneration I can usually travel the first 25+ miles on all EV mode. I do the speed limit the entire time which is 50 mph on the hill, 65 mph the rest of the way. My question is how to best use the EV and EV later modes. Should I climb the hill using EV Later and save the EV for the highway section or use it and regenerate some on the downhill section? What will maximize economy? I do not currently have the option to recharge at work (but I am working on it). Your thoughts and experiences would be greatly appreciated. Tom

I thought I would share some of the knowledge I have gained by analyzing the data I have been gathering from my car that could prove useful in improving EV mode mileage. But in this first post, I wish to establish a context to discuss efficient driving techniques that I plan to discuss in subsequent posts. There are three basic forms of energy that we need to be concerned with when driving the car: Electrical energy from the HVB, Kinetic energy from the car’s motion, and Potential energy associated with the car’s elevation.There are also several frictional forces that come into play: Aerodynamic drag, Tire rolling resistance, Various internal frictions associated with the transmission, wheel bearings, gears, etc. Slippage associated with transmitting power from the wheels to the road, etc.The efficiency of the conversion between these different forms of energy along with the frictional forces acting on the car determines the mileage we get when driving the car. The latter two types of energy, Kinetic and Potential, are referred to as Mechanical energy vs. Electrical energy. The conversion between Kinetic and Potential Energy (in the absence of frictional forces) is 100% efficient. When coasting, the car slows down when going up a hill, converting Kinetic to Potential Energy. The car speeds up when going downhill converting Potential to Kinetic Energy. The motor converts Electrical to Mechanical energy. In normal driving, the motor efficiency ranges from about 50% to 90%, depending on the power output of the motor. The motor is more efficient (up to a limit) when outputting more power. The motor also converts Mechanical to Electrical Energy via regen. The efficiency of this conversion is very good, i.e. greater than 95%. It is slightly more efficient with increasing power. In the absence of frictional forces, the total amount of Mechanical Energy output by the motor for any trip that returned to the starting location would be zero. The Mechanical Energy output by the motor to accelerate the car would be returned back to the motor during deceleration. Similarly, the Mechanical Energy output by the motor to go up a hill would be returned back to the motor when coming back down. If all energy conversions were 100% efficient, the total amount of Electrical Energy consumed for the trip would also be zero. The reason that energy is consumed from the HVB is that frictional forces act on the car and the conversion between Electrical and Mechanical energy is not 100% efficient. Frictional forces increase with the square of the speed of the car. Going 60 mph vs 30 mph requires a lot more energy to go the same distance (more than double). The only thing that can be done to reduce the impact of frictional forces on mileage is to drive slower. To improve mileage, we also want to minimize the conversion between Electrical and Mechanical energy. Obviously, we must convert some Electrical to Mechanical energy or the car won’t go anywhere. However, there are many ways we can avoid unnecessary conversions. Trying to maintain a constant speed is one technique that can be used to avoid unnecessary conversion between Electrical and Mechanical Energy. If you speed up, gaining 0.01 kWh of Mechanical energy, the conversion from Electrical to Mechanical energy might be about 80% efficient and would require 0.01/0.8 = 0.0125 kWh of Electrical energy. If you immediately slow back down again via regen, the efficiency of the conversion from Mechanical to Electrical energy would be about 95% and you would capture 0.01*0.95 = 0.0095 kWh of Electrical energy. Versus going at a constant speed, you will have consumed an additional 0.0125 – 0.0095 = 0.003 kWh of Electrical energy. Actually, you will have consumed even more since frictional forces are greater at higher speeds. This is one reason why driving in Low is inefficient, if you are not careful, you will cause unnecessary and wasteful conversions between Electrical and Mechanical energy. There are several additional ways to avoid unnecessary conversions between Electrical and Mechanical energy. If you need to stop for a stop light, it is better to slow down sooner than later. If you wish to accelerate, it is better to accelerate slower than faster. When going up a hill, use up some of the Kinetic Energy to go up the hill by allowing the car to slow down a little. When descending the hill, use up some of the Potential Energy allowing the car to regain speed. Conversions between Kinetic and Potential energy are 100% efficient. Converting Electrical to Mechanical Energy to accelerate up the hill and then use regen to convert some of the Potential Energy back to Electrical energy is wasteful.