Kalistis Posted October 31, 2013 at 04:43 AM Report Share Posted October 31, 2013 at 04:43 AM I leased my white Fusion Energi Titanium yesterday and already am in love. I also own a 2010 Honda Accord and had no idea what I was missing until I test drove this car earlier in the week. I literally couldn't get it out of my head! I've never had a car with so many bells and whistles. I love the keyless start. I don't have to dig thru the dark abyss that is my purse and it even has a keypad hidden in the door if I choose to leave my purse behind. I haven't used the park assist yet because the back up camera makes parking incredibly easy. My biggest issue with my Honda is that visibility is poor over the hood and thru the back window, but the Fusion is of equal size and has much better visibility. I guess I don't need to tell you guys just how awesome this car is... :) The EV settings are confusing. I live in Los Angeles and less than 6 miles from work but couldn't get to and from work on a full charge. I was incredibly cautious as I drove, but I'm assuming my climate setting ate the battery. The MyFord app isn't completely validated yet. So while I can see my car charging, I can't set any settings. I'm looking forward to the preconditioning settings. Do any of you use it? I decided to lease simply because I'm not confident in Ford's dependability on new technology. I can't justify locking myself into a long loan on something that depreciates as cars do. I think I got a good deal. This car seriously has every feature imaginable. There were several rebates available on 2013 Fusion Energis that the lesser models didn't have. I think I got $7500 off at time of lease in rebates plus I applied for an additional $1500 thru the state of California. The MSRP was $46,000 but they asked for $43,750 which was about $350 over their cost. My lease payment out the door was $467 with the We Care or whatever it is called that allows up to $4000 in damage for when I turn it in. Oh, and I put $2000 down. I've never leased before... I'm interested to hear what you guys think! When does the magic wear off? SD Diver 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SD Diver Posted October 31, 2013 at 05:00 AM Report Share Posted October 31, 2013 at 05:00 AM I've had mine for less than 2 months and just over 1900 miles - hasn't worn off yet. Oh - not sure how bad your LA electric bill is, but here in San Diego it is pretty bad. I was able to move my billing to an EVTOU2 (time of day) rate which has substantially lowered my electric bill. Instead of having the majority of my bill at the $0.36/kWh tier, my max rate is now $0.29 from noon till 6:00, with the rest of the day at $0.19. From midnight to 5:00 am, it is $0.16. Set the car to charge then (and the pool filter to go off then) and have saved over $100 per month just in electricity. Add in the $200 per month I am saving in gas, and this car is practically paying for itself. After the state/Fed rebates/credits, my Titanium cost me about $33K. Keep it 8 years, and that is less than $350/month. Saving $300/month, car effectively costs me $50/month (assuming I keep it 8 years). Of course, we are ignoring future value of $$ as well as opportunity costs of the money I paid, but still - not bad for such a nice ride! Oh - about the distance/charge, I tend to drive with the power display in the center console. Look at how large the circles are for climate. I tend to just turn off the AC or heat and use the vent for my short EV trips, making use of the pre-conditioning. You'll find that that will help. Enjoy! Kalistis 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kalistis Posted October 31, 2013 at 05:10 AM Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2013 at 05:10 AM Greetings! Here in Los Angeles the electricity is much cheaper and they won't give a lower rate without converting my power supply to a 240v. It has to be approved and inspected then I can apply for the discounted rate. I'm considering doing it, but I'd like to investigate it further before deciding. I' could easily not use air conditioning now that it's cooling off but that won't be an option in the summer. My city gets over 108 degrees in the summer! I agree it's a nice ride. I decided on white with black interior and it really looks classy. Thanks for the advice and hello! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kalistis Posted October 31, 2013 at 05:11 AM Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2013 at 05:11 AM Oh btw, how long did it take to get your CA rebate of $1500? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SD Diver Posted October 31, 2013 at 05:24 AM Report Share Posted October 31, 2013 at 05:24 AM Oh btw, how long did it take to get your CA rebate of $1500?Filed on 9/11. Still haven't received it. Also still waiting on my HOV stickers. Hoping that they come soon, since I am considering taking a position in Orange County and the HOV lane will certainly help with the 60 mile one-way commute. In SD, all I had to do was say that I had an EV. The form says that SDG&E reserves the right to see the car, but they never did. I just got the fast charger about 2 weeks ago - it is great. The electrician just had to convert a circuit breaker to 240 - pretty trivial. The state gave me a free L2 charger - the dealer has to initiate it. You might want to ask your dealer about it (thru the Air Resource Board). Car charges in 2 hours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pluggedin Posted October 31, 2013 at 01:35 PM Report Share Posted October 31, 2013 at 01:35 PM The EV settings are confusing. I live in Los Angeles and less than 6 miles from work but couldn't get to and from work on a full charge. I was incredibly cautious as I drove, but I'm assuming my climate setting ate the battery.Welcome to the Forum Kalistis. If your commute is less than 12 miles, round trip, there is no way you shouldn't be able to make that trip on all electric, even with the A/C on Max, unless the miles you are driving are all freeway miles at 70 mph+. The car defaults to EV Now every time you start the car. So, if you are driving on the freeway, use the one button, of three, on the right side of the console (I think this is a terrible location for this function) that is marked EV (closest to the dash) and push it. You will see a window come up in the the left hand dash cluster that gives you the options of Auto, EV Now and EV Later. I use EV Later when I enter the freeway, which puts the car into hybrid mode, and then I put the car back into EV Now (battery only mode) when I am back on the city streets. Others in the Forum use Auto but my experience has been such that the Auto mode will use all of the EV battery up first while on the freeway and leave me with no option for using the EV battery once I am on city streets again so I quit using it. But maybe I just don't understand the mode so I will leave it to those that do use it and understand it to explain its use to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kalistis Posted October 31, 2013 at 03:33 PM Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2013 at 03:33 PM My commute is entirely on surface streets and typical city stop and go. Yesterday I read online that the battery doesn't take a full charge for the first couple charges and to be patient. This morning was much more efficient than yesterday. I used exactly the number of miles it is to get to work, but I also preconditioned my car and turned of the climate setting entirely aside from my seat warmer. The car stated warm for my entire 20 minute commute! I'm also paying close attention to how I accelerate and break. I think that will make a difference in my mpg average. As it's gone up from 60 to 70 in 1 day. My car is always in EV Auto when I start up. Is that appropriate for my commute? Thanks for info on the fast charger. I'll definitely look into it. If it's not too much hassle I'll probably do it. Picture to follow! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frbill Posted October 31, 2013 at 03:55 PM Report Share Posted October 31, 2013 at 03:55 PM When I first got my Car ( a week ago) I used auto mode. I was still getting used to how the car drove in comparison to my old C-Max. I have now started using EV now when in town. I am able to get almost 30 miles + of EV range. I have quite a number of stops that I have to go through. I am lucky enough that I can charge at work so I almost never go below 1/2 a tank of Plug-in EV Battery. The one day a week when I have to go on the freeway I also use EV Later to safe the Plug-in Battery for use on surface streets. Using the techniques used by "hypermilers" will give you great result. Slow acceleration( I never accelerate over 2.5 bars on the power meter) Long Slow Breaking ( Gives the car back range in Regen Miles) and using the technique called Pulse and Glide. All this will help you increase your average EV distance. Most of all enjoy your car it is just plain fun to drive. If you want to play the mileage game get into it slow. For me this is an old game being played in a new arena and I am having a great time. Peace, Fr. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gz3490 Posted October 31, 2013 at 11:17 PM Report Share Posted October 31, 2013 at 11:17 PM Welcome Kalistis, I'm also in LA, when you say pre-conditioning are you using the "Go times"? or are you using the remote start while the car is parked and not plugged in? even if plugged in the car will draw more electricity than the 120v can provide, this might be one cause you are getting lower mileage. On streets the most I've gotten is about 35 miles on EV only. Regarding the rebate check, they say it could take up to 60 days, mine took 58 days lol.... I had even email asking if they had sent it around day 40 and they were still processing, the 58 days was after the rebate was approved. My 2nd set of decals.... had a fender bender and had to request replacements took about 2-3 weeks, that process was faster and simpler. Oh and the magic? well, being that this is my first Ford, 8 months with it now and 18,000+ miles..... its safe to say I'm still very much in love... don't tell the wife! lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kalistis Posted November 1, 2013 at 01:51 AM Author Report Share Posted November 1, 2013 at 01:51 AM Good news! I got to and from work- approximately 12 miles round trip with 12 miles to spare. I think I'm finally understanding how to drive this car efficiently. I got the windows tinted today. I don't have to tell any of you how nice it looks! I'm so giddy over this silly car, I'm almost looking for an excuse to drive it. I sent out rebate application, hoping I get it before Christmas. We'll see if California is going to cooperate. I haven't set my go times yet. I'm not sure ill benefit from it until I get the 240v charger. What do you guys think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kalistis Posted November 1, 2013 at 03:28 AM Author Report Share Posted November 1, 2013 at 03:28 AM Pic before the tint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SD Diver Posted November 1, 2013 at 04:58 AM Report Share Posted November 1, 2013 at 04:58 AM Pic before the tint.Well, after saying that I haven't received my stickers - they arrived today! Wow are they green! Oh - your pic didn't show. I have added photos to a gallery, and then use the "my media" option to display them in posts from the gallery. What % tint? I went with 30% in front with 20% on the other 7 windows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kalistis Posted November 2, 2013 at 03:25 AM Author Report Share Posted November 2, 2013 at 03:25 AM Congrats on the stickers! I went illegal on the tint- limousine black in back and 1 shade lighter up front. I did the same on my Honda and never got harassed by the police and despite being a Cali girl, don't enjoy the sun all that much. I'm still considering the charger. I discovered with a level 2 charger the electric company will give a 0.025 cent rate discount IF they install a separate meter and approve my contractor to install it. They also want a copy of the permit from the city... I figure the entire set-up with charger, permit, contractor would run me about $2000. There is a $750 rebate towards the purchase of the charger and an addition 30% rebate on the purchase as well, but it doesn't include the cost of install or permits. All of this is to get a rate discount from 0.139 cents per kWh to 0.125 cents per kWh. Which equates to less than $20 difference a month. It would be nice to charge my car in 2.5 hour instead of 7, but I'm not convinced it is worth the expense of this install on a house I rent. Now, I'm a bit pissed that the dealer didn't tell me about the free charger program here in Cali. It has to be applied for at time of purchase but shame on me for not investigating things in advance. Still loving the car... It freaked me out today when it went out of EV for the first time. I forgot just how loud an ICE really is! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChuckJ Posted November 2, 2013 at 06:25 PM Report Share Posted November 2, 2013 at 06:25 PM Welcome to the forum Kalistis. There is an amazing difference between the 120v vs the 240v charger. It takes me 2 hours for a full charge and that makes it so much more flexible. Be careful to get a full capability charger as there are different levels of the level 2 charger. I got the Siemens 30 amp charger and love it. I would recommend the "bottom fed" that just plugs into a socket so you can take it with you if you move. Here's the URL http://www.amazon.com/Siemens-VC30BLKB-VersiCharge-Electric-Vehicle/dp/B0083ZZFEA/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1383416544&sr=1-1&keywords=siemens+charger ChuckJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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