2016 Chevy Volt vs Ford Fusion Energi - My comparison

[yakers]

Not addressing insurance issues (we turned in our 2012 Focus FFE for a 2015 Fusion Energi & our insurance went down a bit, don't know why, 21st Cen Ins) I did drive the new 2016 Volt and 2016 Energi before leasing a 2015 Energy on sale. I have heard complaints about the new Volt but I did like it, better handling & acceleration and some other changes. I liked the older models looks but that is totally subjective. Ultimately i (we) liked the ride of the Energy, the price & packages. I do wish it had more electric range although the 20-25 mile range should work out well for us. I think GM realized that if you have a (mostly) electric car you can have strong acceleration. Our Focus electric was seriously fast, like a Focus performance model, too bad we only could cover 80 miles, but it was like a little Tesla. It seems Ford has not featured electric acceleration in the Fusion but it has a great ride. Early days, 1 week & 300 miles but so far very satisfied with the Energi.

[jeff_h]

Not addressing insurance issues (we turned in our 2012 Focus FFE for a 2015 Fusion Energi & our insurance went down a bit, don't know why, 21st Cen Ins) I did drive the new 2016 Volt and 2016 Energi before leasing a 2015 Energy on sale. I have heard complaints about the new Volt but I did like it, better handling & acceleration and some other changes. I liked the older models looks but that is totally subjective. Ultimately i (we) liked the ride of the Energy, the price & packages. I do wish it had more electric range although the 20-25 mile range should work out well for us. I think GM realized that if you have a (mostly) electric car you can have strong acceleration. Our Focus electric was seriously fast, like a Focus performance model, too bad we only could cover 80 miles, but it was like a little Tesla. It seems Ford has not featured electric acceleration in the Fusion but it has a great ride. Early days, 1 week & 300 miles but so far very satisfied with the Energi.

 

I got my 2016 Volt 8 days ago and 900 miles thus far (I drive a lot of miles), and bottom line is that I think the Energi does a better job at amenities and back seat space, but the Volt has far better range and that was the primary reason for my switch.  We had two 2013 Fusion Energis on insurance, swapping one for the 2016 Volt brough the 6-month premium down by $8.

[Hybridbear]

Not addressing insurance issues (we turned in our 2012 Focus FFE for a 2015 Fusion Energi & our insurance went down a bit, don't know why, 21st Cen Ins)

We have Geico & insurance for our Focus Electric is quite pricey. We also had esurance & found the same thing. Geico & esurance don't differentiate out the Focus Electric from the gas Focus models. The gas Focus is typically driven by younger drivers who have more accidents/claims, thus the Focus falls into a higher risk bracket for the insurance companies.

Our Focus electric was seriously fast, like a Focus performance model, too bad we only could cover 80 miles, but it was like a little Tesla.

I would agree completely. I am very disappointed that Ford has done nothing to improve the Focus Electric since 2012, in fact, they've taken content away. Your 2012 had rain sensing wipers & Homelink. I wish Ford would take the HVB & electric motor from the Focus Electric & put it in the Fusion body. The Focus is just too small a car for our needs... The Volt is too. We carry 4-5 adults in the car at least twice a week. We drive very few miles with only 1 person in the car.

 

I got my 2016 Volt 8 days ago and 900 miles thus far (I drive a lot of miles), and bottom line is that I think the Energi does a better job at amenities and back seat space, but the Volt has far better range and that was the primary reason for my switch.  We had two 2013 Fusion Energis on insurance, swapping one for the 2016 Volt brough the 6-month premium down by $8.

That's interesting that a brand new 2016 Volt costs less to insure than a 3 year old Energi with a current value less than half what the Volt costs.

[cwstnsko]

Electric acceleration comes from 1) a strong motor and 2) a lot of electrical power.  It might seem like the electric motor in the Energi would be the limiting factor, but I would bet that it's more a limitation of the relatively small battery's ability to provide the high levels of power output needed for strong acceleration. For a given battery technology, the main factor in how much power a battery can deliver in a short amount of time is the overall capacity of the battery. This is the reason that all of the performance options of the Model S are only availble with the largest battery. The Focus Electric, Nissan Leaf, Chevy Volt etc. all have on thing in common relative to the Energi vehicles.... a MUCH larger battery.  By contrast the anemic Plug-In Prius has a much smaller battery and has proportionally less Electric acceleration as a result. 

[Hybridbear]

Electric acceleration comes from 1) a strong motor and 2) a lot of electrical power.  It might seem like the electric motor in the Energi would be the limiting factor, but I would bet that it's more a limitation of the relatively small battery's ability to provide the high levels of power output needed for strong acceleration. For a given battery technology, the main factor in how much power a battery can deliver in a short amount of time is the overall capacity of the battery. This is the reason that all of the performance options of the Model S are only availble with the largest battery. The Focus Electric, Nissan Leaf, Chevy Volt etc. all have on thing in common relative to the Energi vehicles.... a MUCH larger battery.  By contrast the anemic Plug-In Prius has a much smaller battery and has proportionally less Electric acceleration as a result. 

You are correct. The Energi allows a maximum discharge rate of ~68 kW with a full HVB. As the HVB SOC decreases the maximum discharge rate also decreases. The Focus Electric has a maximum discharge rate of 110 kW.

 

The Energi traction motor is rated at 88 kW, but it will never put out all that power in EV mode because it can't get that much power from the HVB. When the ICE is on at maximum acceleration you may see close to that power output by the electric motor.

[ClaveMan]

Also, until the battery is depleted (after 50-odd miles), the Volt never needs to engage the gas engine for any reason, even under full acceleration, heavy A/C use, and/or steep inclines. Driving my Fusion Energi requires a lot of patience as compared to my Volt if I don't want to use gas.

Forget brake regeneration charging for a sec.

 

The 2017 Volt has a new "Regen on Demand®" paddle you have to pull to get the car to charge when coasting. The Volt'ees are all excited about it on their forum.  Yuck.

 

My 2010 Honda Insight somehow does this without me having to put my coffee down to grab a paddle. It has a computer that switches to charging the battery through the wheels & gravity turning the engine (no gas is fed). The driver isn't even aware.  Happens dozens of times per minute on flat roads in traffic.

 

I assume the Energi system can harness a transfer of momentum (coast on flat road) or gravity (down hill off the gas but not on the brakes) when car is coasting? The idea is the gas is cut off to the engine. Then some kind of clutch rotates the engine cam shaft and the wheels turn it (reverse of normal) which turns the rotor/stator on a generator which charges the battery?

 

 

 

[ClaveMan]

..I thought I'd share the revised spreadsheets in case you guys were interested.  Thanks again for the suggestion.

Hee hee.. I love spreadsheets when buying a car. More factors and math the better.

 

A psychology professor once said to my class that there are generally two ways of decision making:

 

1. Thinking (person who does a big spreadsheet to buy a car)

2. Emotion (OMG that RED car is perfect. I'll take it!)

 

So true..

[ClaveMan]

I looked at a 2017 Volt briefly. Dealers seem to have them in stock now.

I want the most safety you can buy. The FFE has the most I have seen anywhere (Mazda is close) outside a Euro car).
The Volt doesn't have any pre-collision braking (in GM lingo the 2017 Chevy Volt pre-collision feature is "Late Availability" which means it will be in the 2018 model.)

[ClaveMan]

It's not that the gas is more efficient, it's that the Fusion Energi doesn't have the capacity to go up a hill with A/C running at full in 100-degree heat when the battery has less than about 20% left. If I can get home on 100% electricity, it's never more efficient to use gas, especially if the only reason is because the car is struggling to maintain all systems on just the battery. The Volt doesn't have this issue.

Does the 2017 FFE have Fords "Auto Start-Stop" feature. My 2010 Honda Insight stops the A/C about 75% on hot days at stop lights when the auto stop engages. I put it neutral and rev the engine at stop lights in order to bear 100+ heat.

[jeff_h]

I looked at a 2017 Volt briefly. Dealers seem to have them in stock now.

 

I want the most safety you can buy. The FFE has the most I have seen anywhere (Mazda is close) outside a Euro car).

The Volt doesn't have any pre-collision braking (in GM lingo the 2017 Chevy Volt pre-collision feature is "Late Availability" which means it will be in the 2018 model.)

 

The 2016 model does not have the braking but I've seen an owner of a 2017 post that his does have it and it worked well in an "unintended" test.

[ClaveMan]

The 2016 model does not have the braking but I've seen an owner of a 2017 post that his does have it and it worked well in an "unintended" test.

I assume you are talking about the stop and go "traffic jam" braking in heavy traffic? I was curious if that actually works. I haven't seen a feature (to do the braking for you) anywhere else but a " well equipped" Fusion.

 

I am discussing a feature common to hybrid and some newer cars where when you stop at a stoplight the engine cuts off for a minute. Obviously this helps curb emissions and saves fuel. Does the FFE have this?

[murphy]

I am discussing a feature common to hybrid and some newer cars where when you stop at a stoplight the engine cuts off for a minute. Obviously this helps curb emissions and saves fuel. Does the FFE have this?

Yes, the Energi and the Hybrid both have this capability.

[jeff_h]

I assume you are talking about the stop and go "traffic jam" braking in heavy traffic? I was curious if that actually works. I haven't seen a feature (to do the braking for you) anywhere else but a " well equipped" Fusion.

 

Maybe it's two different types of features that you are thinking of?  Front automatic braking will activate when an obstacle is in front and the collision alert goes off, regardless of how heavy traffic might be.  As for heavy traffic do you mean adaptive cruise?  That's also on the 2017 but not the 2016.

[ClaveMan]

Yes, the Energi and the Hybrid both have this capability.

Ford calls this "Auto Start-Stop".  If it can, the vehicle shuts off the engine when you hold down the break.  "If it can" means if the A/C is running or other electrical load it might not stop.