Climate Control Question from a potential buyer

[cornfieldcraig]

I am considering an FFH or FFE and live near Chicago and have an attached unheated garage. My daily commute is about 16 mostly flat miles each way.  I do not have access to a charger at work. I test drove both a 2014 FFH and a 2013 FFE.  I noticed that when testing the FFE, in particular, the climate control wasn't great.  Maybe I just didn't understand the controls fully, but I just found myself not feeling very comfortable, even though the temperature was set to 72.  I didn't notice any similar issues in the 2014 FFH test drive.  Understand, temperatures here have been in the teens during my test drives.  EV range on the FFE started at 12 miles.

 

COMFORT question:

 

• Is the climate control effective on the FFE?  Both heat and A/C?  

 

EFFICIENCY questions:

 

Also, I see in the discussion about cold weather that many of the commenters seemed to avoid use of the climate control and any other optional features which use power (like the radio and defroster) in order to maximize their EV range.  I don't see myself being that zealous about maximizing my eMPG that I would do that.  I mean, I'm 54 and live in Chicago.  It's darned cold in the winter and darned hot and humid in the summer.  I want to be comfortable.  Heck, one of my deal breaker requirements is seat heaters!  And, I love listening to the radio.  

 

• Is the impact of using the climate control and seat heaters so dramatic that I should be dismissing the Energi?  How about the FFH?  

 

• Is there a difference between "preconditioning" and setting a Go Time?  

 

I currently drive a 2009 VW Jetta TDI and apart from having to buy diesel, it's a remarkably carefree way to minimize fuel consumption.  I average about 41 mpg in summer and 35 in winter.  The other car I'm considering is a 2014 Passat TDI which actually gets slightly better mpg than the Jetta.  

 

Right now, I'm really on the fence.  The Energi is intriguing and with the price reduction and the federal tax credit, it's not a bad value compared to the FFH.  However, I preferred the 2014 FFH overall during my brief test drive and the Passat is a safe, inexpensive, but boring choice.  

[blars]

I have had no issues with the climate control.  While I to try to skip it and use just the seat warmers (I live in Omaha...high of 3 on Sunday), I do use the climate control when I'm hauling around the kids, and it works great then.  Seems to me when you kick it on, your estimated range on EV drops 3-4 miles, so definitely not a deal breaker (for me anyway).

 

I've only had mine for 2 weeks, so I may be wrong, but I believe when you are setting up a go time, that you are setting up your car to be preconditioned, if that makes sense.

 

Also, I test drove both vehicles, and the only difference I found between the FFH and the FFE was the EV ability.  Otherwise, I found them to be identical.  For me, the choice came down to cost.  I could get the FFE for about the same price as the hybrid with the $4000 tax credit, and my drive to work is about exactly 20 miles, allowing me to use EV mode for pretty much the entire trip.  Yes, in hybrid mode, your getting about 4 mpg less than the FFH, but with my commute, I more than make up for it with the ability to run solely in EV.  Right now, I'm averaging just over 60 mpg, have 500 miles on mine, and have used just over half a tank of gas.

[Gigi]

With a 32 mile round trip commute, you will be able to drive to work and back mostly on electricity, which will save you a pretty good deal of money over time.

 

Preconditioning and GO times are the same thing.  GO times only work when you are connected to a Level 2 charging station.  The benefit of GO times is that when you get in the car, it will be heated to your set temperature and you will be comfortable when you start out in the morning.  In my experience with the FFEnergi, having a level 2 EVSE has been worthwhile.

 

I have found that when it is cold, and I am driving in EV mode, the heater often doesn't seem to quite reach the temperature I set.  This is not the only vehicle in which I have had this experience, the others being both ICE and electric vehicles.  I chalk that up to the vaguarities of temperature sensors in a cold car and variations in humidity, not the heating ability of the car.  I simply crank the temperature setting up a couple of notches and I am comfortable.

 

I have found that if it is very cold when I get in the car, coming home from work, say, if I use EV-Later mode for a few miles, this allows the engine to run and to heat the coolant to run the heater.  Then I switch back to Auto or EV mode once the car is warm.  Often, the electric heating element actually gets me more heat sooner, but it does make a hit on EV range.

 

When driving in EV mode and using the heater, the heater draws a lot of current.  The fan, radio, lights, wipers, even air conditioning are small loads compared to the heater, which uses a resistance coil, like an electric water heater.  Chicago has some brutally cold months when running the heater will affect your electric range.  On the other hand, most of the year, you don't need to use the heater and you will benefit from every mile you drive on electricity.

 

At 60, I'm with you.  When it's cold, I expect my car to keep me warm.  I love the planet, but I don't need to drive with my teeth chattering to prove it.  I turn on the heated seat as soon as I sit in the car.  I do whatever it takes to be warm, whether that's burning gas or burning electricity.  At the same time, when it's 40 or above and I'm comfortable enough in a heated seat without running the heater for a short trip, I'll choose to leave the heater off and saving some Watt-hours for later use.  My comfort comes first, however.  I have found that the Energi is more than adequate at providing heat even when the temperatures have dipped into the teens, especially when making use of GO times or when remotely starting the car.

 

I like the VW diesels.  I have a good friend who is very happy with his.  VW and Mercedes have done a lot to cushion and muffle their diesels over the years to be sure, but to me, the difference in noise and vibration between driving a diesel and an Energi is dramatic.  I really love the experience of rolling down the street smoothly and quietly on electricity.

[TujuMaster]

Not sure if this helps but one of the most convenient features is the remote start feature.  I turn the car on from my phone and I get into a nice warm car.  You do use the ICE to heat the car but I think it's way better than not having it warm.  

 

One observation about the climate system, specifically heating the vehicle, is that it takes a bit longer to get warm than my other vehicles from a cold start.  Basically, I will be almost a mile down the road before any air flows from the system.  It's about 3 to 5 miles before I actually get heat.  I will say the system does a great job keeping my temperature but getting there is a pain.  Unless, of course, I use the autostart feature.  

 

I agree with Gigi 100%, I like the Energi's smooth and quiet ride.  And sneaking up on pedestrians is kind of fun too when they turn around and see two tons of steel behind them that they didn't know existed.  I mean, I don't do it on purpose.  It's mostly for those people who confuse the street for a sidewalk when people are trying to drive. Does that make me a horrible person?

[meyersnole]

I have found that if it is very cold when I get in the car, coming home from work, say, if I use EV-Later mode for a few miles, this allows the engine to run and to heat the coolant to run the heater.  Then I switch back to Auto or EV mode once the car is warm.  Often, the electric heating element actually gets me more heat sooner, but it does make a hit on EV range.

 

 

This is an under rated tip.

 

cornfieldcraig,

 

You will find a lot of us talking about how to squeeze every bit of energy out of the battery, and trust me if you go through with the purchase you will too. Not because you have to, but because the car will continue to challenge you. One of the things I love about this car is that there is an incredible amount of information that is available to you how this car is using energy. And if you want to take it to the next level, then you need to follow larryh (he has a spreadsheet view any question you could possibly ask!).

 

Having said that, there are times when we are just hot or cold and the system goes on! As mentioned, it might take a little longer to warm up if your engine has not been idling the entire time like a normal ICE vehicle. But it seems to work just fine once it gets going. Unfortunately I do not see the limited impact of only 3-4 miles on the range that blars is experiencing, more like a 30-40% drop in range for me. But as mentioned by Gigi above, pop the car into EV later to heat the coolant and crank that heat.

 

Cold weather will have an impact on range (it does for normal ICE cars too), but there is a long topic on that here: http://www.fordfusionenergiforum.com/topic/1446-cold-weather-observations/

 

Here is another topic you might find interesting, How happy are you with your fusion energy :http://www.fordfusionenergiforum.com/topic/1527-how-happy-are-you-with-your-fusion-energi/