Free Money ....EPA mileage restatement

[Energized]

The Fusion Energi and some other cars are having their EPA mileage and range restated. We're supposed to be compensated for the change. Woo hoo!

 

https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en/news/2014/06/12/ford-motor-company-lowers-fuel-economy-ratings--for-six-vehicles.html

 

http://ford.to/1mNr9hV

Edited June 12, 2014 at 08:27 PM by Energized

[EnergiCCAATS]

Yeah, I'll take the money.  But from a marketing standpoint, this will kill Ford's Energi line in the eyes of the consumer.  DUMB move by Ford to lower the Energi ratings so much lower than the Hybrid.  We are finding the Ford/EPA ratings were already lower than real world results in the "charge sustaining mode" and electric only range and to lower them to 38 mpg and 19 miles (and MPGe to 88) is ridiculously low and much lower than real world results.

[Energitic]

I've had my Fusion Energi for about 3 months now and have purchased gas just once (my commute is easily covered in EV mode). At this rate, Ford's goodwill payment will cover my entire gasoline costs for several years.

 

BTW, I easily exceed the original rated EV range (have not really measured the engine MPG since I haven't driven a lot on gas yet).

[murphy]

I bought my Energi in April 2013.

During 2013 I bought 26.507 gallons at a cost of $85.12 for two trips to a destination 265 miles away.

I have not bought any gas so far in 2014 and have a 1/4 tank left.

My MPGe so far for this month is 112.4

My MPGe for 2013 was 59.94.

My MPGe for 2014 so far is 74.17.

The MPGe numbers were brought down by the never ending winter.

[howardbc]

I've had my 2013 FFE since April 2013. Driving around town, the MPG is phenomenal. 110-139MPG.

 

The one time I had to use the hybrid mode only was over a 5-day trip last Summer driving 550-miles (90% highway) with no charging. During that time I got 43-46MPG using just the hybrid mode.

 

My previous car was a Toyota Prius. It weighed 1000 lbs less but got about the same MPG during Summer weather. 

 

I can think of worse things than a car being "dinged" for the manufacturer having to re-state the MPGs. 

[JATR4]

I hope to get two--one for a 2014 FFH and one for my current FFE.  Whoopee!

 

I previously got $700 from Honda for my Civic Hybrid.

 

I love free money!

[howardbc]

I've only spent a grand total of $306 to drive over 7000 miles, so they won't hurt my feelings by sending me $750! 

[jeff_h]

I hope to get two--one for a 2014 FFH and one for my current FFE.  Whoopee!

Yep same here, getting $775 for the SE Hybrid that I had during 2013, then $850 x 2 for the Energis we have now.

 

Currently on a road trip with her car, plenty of hills so plenty of regen, I think the MPG turned out pretty well.

 

Edited June 12, 2014 at 10:58 PM by jeff_h

[Energized]

These new figures seem incredibly conservative. The old numbers were easy to beat. Regardless, an unexpected check is always welcomed.

[FormerFF]

Yeah, I'm not getting it.  Those few trips I've done in hybrid mode only in town I've seen right at 45 mpg, and on my only highway trip, I got 42 mpg, going 70-75 with a little A/C.  Last week I set a new personal best of 24.9 miles on battery only on a round trip to work.  This is the only car I've ever had that beat the EPA numbers, and now they're revising it down.

[Kybuck]

For those mentioning MPGe, the numbers reported by MFM aren't technically correct.  They don't take into account the inefficiencies of the charger (MPGe should be calculated using the power used at the wall, not just the power from the battery to the motor).  That being said, even taking into account inefficiencies and using 120V Level I charger, I still achieved near the old EPA numbers on a fairly regular basis.  And while some of my driving/fuel economy habits have improved with this car, I'm nowhere near the stereotypical hybrid driver that is super slow to accelerate, etc.

[SteveEnergi]

It's $850 for the Energi if you purchased, $525 for those who leased.

 

I think they would have been better served using the MFM data that they receive.  This would provide them truly real world numbers something a computer can't test for.  I was getting their previous #'s on the highway (43MPG), but I could only get that MPG driving around 60 MPH.

 

I'll take the $850, though.

 

Thanks, Ford.

[frbill]

 

 

Yep same here, getting $775 for the SE Hybrid that I had during 2013, then $850 x 2 for the Energis we have .

I had a 2013 C-Max that I traded to get my FFE, will I get the Pymt on that do you think? Edited June 13, 2014 at 02:26 PM by murphy

[larryh]

This is from the FAQs regarding the Goodwill Payments:

 

6) Will customers who already sold their vehicle get a goodwill payment?

     Yes. Ford intends to provide goodwill payments to current and previous owners of the affected vehicles.

[Russael]

Looks like a 12% cut from the original estimates.  Now while I won't cry at receiving a check from Ford for the car, I do exceed the original estimates over the course of 1 year of driving... but my driving habits are different than most.  A vast majority of the time, I only make a 10.6 mile round trip per day with a 16 mile round trip once every 2 weeks, and I don't use climate in the warmer months unless it gets unbelievably hot.  I also use 240V charging and charge the minute I get home until I need to depart again.

 

For about 1 year and almost a month of driving:

 

Lifetime MPGe is 110.

Lifetime MPG is 550.

 

I still have the dealership tank.  And I would've probably used a lot less gas if we didn't have a record setting winter with snow and sub zero weather.

 

I'm very curious about this error.  I'd love to know more about it.

[JATR4]

With the FFE it is all about the lengh of your trips--the shorter the higher your mpg..  With the FFH you have to work at getting good mileage.  We averaged 46.2 for 4,500 miles on the FFH.  And we sold it before winter came.  It would have been hard to get above 40 mpg in cold weather. 

 

With the FFE we easily get around 70 mpg (using the cost of gas plus electricity).  If take longer trips the mpg goes down.

[meyersnole]

 

I'm very curious about this error.  I'd love to know more about it.

 

This was on Green Car Reports and talks more about the Goodwill Payment and why.

 

http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1092703_ford-cuts-gas-mileage-on-6-models-what-you-need-to-know-and-open-questions?fbfanpage

[EnergiCCAATS]

My wife completed a trip to Atlanta and back over the weekend with 3 adults in car, trunk full of luggage and a/c on and averaged 53 MPG in charge sustaining mode on the way home (battery was already depleted when she left to head back). She drove TO Atlanta using "ECO Cruise" and only got 45 mpg, but was able to "foot pedal it" on the way home and achieved the 53 mpg.

 

I understand the derate on the hybrids, which put them close to the ORIGINAL Energi ratings, but to make the Energi now even LOWER than the re-rated hybrids makes no sense.

[Fat Fusion]

I am pretty excited about getting some mailbox money.  :woot:

[RAHTOL]

Unlike most of my FFE friends here on the forum I am quite unhappy with this latest error.  (Wasn't the original mileage of 47 mpg already downward adjusted to the previously stated 43 mpg?)  These mistakes seem to occur mostly to the detriment of the consumer.  I am still waiting for a press release from any car company saying "Sorry, we made a mistake, the actual mileage needs to be adjusted from 45 mpg up to 65 mpg. :)"    Such a statement probably would be followed by "We are gladly charging retroactively each original owner an additional $1,500 :(".

I understand that most members of this forum are very happy with their FFE and achieve mileages far exceeding the new and old FFE EPA standard, but if you look around you have people on other forums complaining of not coming even close to that original mpg. Now, who is right, who is wrong?  Well, we all know that the individual style of driving will determine the individual mpg achieved.  The efficiency rating is a mere measure of comparing mpg of different cars under like circumstances.  If Ford's testing procedures would have correctly indicated 43 mpg for a FFE (in hybrid mode), maybe all drivers (mpg overachievers and underachievers) could have had an even 5 mpg better real world result. 

I usually drive my cars (previously a Toyota Camry Hybrid) for close to 7 years, about 200,000 miles commuting, less than half now in EV mode. Fuel efficiency was certainly a buying factor and therefore these findings are very disappointing for me!  Gladly will I accept Ford's goodwill check of $850, although it is not even close to the impact that the difference of the original rating to the adjusted mpg rating will have.

 

Would I buy this car again?  In spite of my rant - YES!  Like I said before, fuel efficiency was an important buying factor, but the advanced technology in this car was the even more important reason for this purchase. 

[Energized]

Unlike most of my FFE friends here on the forum I am quite unhappy with this latest error.  (Wasn't the original mileage of 47 mpg already downward adjusted to the previously stated 43 mpg?) 

 

No, the Fusion Energi never had a 47mpg rating. This is the first restatement for the Energi.

 

I don't understand the new rating, it's way below what I've achieved over the last 15 months. You would have the drive and brake the car pretty hard to achieve a result as low as the EPA rating.

 

I think the EPA needs to go back to the drawing board and make their testing protocol simpler.

[RAHTOL]

You're right - it was the C-Max whose rating was reduced previously from 47 mpg to 43 mpg before this round of adjustments.

 

Early 2013 FFE sales brochures did not state explicitly the mpg rating, instead referred to as the engine being the same as the Fusion Hybrid (which had at that point a 47 mpg rating)

[Energized]

The mileage of the Energi's was always rated less than the regular hybrids due to two significant differences, the higher vehicle weight of the Energi (due to the larger/heavier battery) and the lower final gearing.

[RAHTOL]

yes, you're right - it just took a while before this was explicitly stated. (Look at early sales brochures.)

 

But to come back to the point of my posting, I am not happy that Ford for the second time has to adjust mpg ratings. If other manufacturers would use the same flawed testing process their mileage ratings would probably look much better as well. The implication is that people bought cars under wrong premises (I hope that Ford was truely not aware of their testing errors, otherwise I see lawyers already salivating over a possible "coverup"). At least this is not a mechanical problem warranting a recall. But then again a mechanical problem might get fixed while FFE owners have to live with this flaw, i.e. lower mpg rating.

 

As I said before, I can live with this flaw since mileage was not the main reason for buying this car.

[dlb92]

Great find, this car is the car that keeps on giving.  It will be a year in a month and a half and I have spent $120 on gas.  I've gone 9000 miles, average 200mpg and 96mpgE.

 

From the total EV miles minus regen I figured I have spent about $215 on electricity for the year.