Potential Buyer - Question About Time Between Charging

[phevin]

Hi all,

I'm in the market for a new car, before my '01 Corolla has to face another winter (cutting it close, I know!).  There are some great sales on now, and I had decided on a Fusion Hybrid--until I did the math, and found that with the government rebate (I'm in Ontario) an Energi would actually come out slightly cheaper than the Fusion Hybrid SE I'd been looking at.  I'm definitely leaning towards an Energi now, but it could be some time before I will have a suitable place to plug it in to charge.  Y'see, my garage is currently FULL of stuff and I'll need some time to clear & organize space for the "new baby."  My current car has already been broken into in my driveway once, so I'm reluctant to leave it plugged in out there unattended (in case the cord goes "missing").  So, my question is, if I have to treat it like a non-pluggable hybrid for the next few weeks (maybe months), will I do any damage to the battery?  Will the fact that it is rarely plugged in to receive a full charge (especially through cold winter months) negatively affect the battery's lifespan, maximum charge level, etc.?

Thanks for any info you can provide!

-PHEVin'

[Russael]

Most plug-in vehicles are advertised as being able to plug in as an option.  Do you really need to plug in?  No.  You can drive it forever as a hybrid if you really wanted to.

 

Is there a way where you can park close enough to your garage to where you can at least run the cord under the door and out to your car?  What about jacking in at work?  Does your grocery store have any public charging stations that you can maybe use whenever you shop?  That's yet another option.

 

The other solution is to simply clear out your garage first, and then buy it.

 

Considering winter is upon us, keep in mind that the Energi will not want to stay in EV mode a whole lot, depending on how cold it gets where you are.  In winter, I run the car in EV Auto, and when it drops below 40F, sometimes the ICE (the internal combustion engine) will fire up for maybe 5 minutes until the car is warmed up, and then shut back down.  But once it gets below freezing, the ICE comes on a whole lot more.

[Doug0716]

Charge it fully once then drive it until the battery is at the long term storage percentage (I don't remember if it is 60% or 80%? check the manual or search more here) and then make sure it is in EV Later mode every time you drive.  It will essentially act like a hybrid and the battery should hold up fine.  You may need to charge it for an hour or two every now and then, before you go to sleep, to bring it back up to the range you want but I don't think it'll be an issue.

Also: Some have parked on top of the charge cord, that way it can't be stolen... I'm not a fan of that method but I guess it's an option.  Maybe if you got a plastic parking bump that the cable would fit through you could park on top of the plastic and the cable would be stuck under it and unable to be removed, but not parked on top of... something like this:
http://www.amazon.com/Sure-Park-Garage-Parking-Guide/dp/B00KWHK81C/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1448826795&sr=8-8&keywords=parking+mat

Edited November 29, 2015 at 07:54 PM by Doug0716

[Neil]

It probably would not be a problem.  Given the the hard winter you will be enduring, the Energi battery wouldn't be providing much anyway (16 miles maybe if you don't use the heat).  I'd run an extension cord out to the car in the driveway until you can move it inside.  You're not supposed to use an extension cord, but if you get a big enough gauge you'll be fine.  When I charge my Energi in a sketchy area (Washington DC parking garages for example) I loop the cord in front of the front left tire and then pull the car forward a little so I am parked on the charging cord.  To steal it you will have to move the car.  

[phevin]

Thanks very much for the advice and suggestions.  I'm too new to the world of PHEVs to know where there are avalable outlets, but I don't recall seeing any at the places I normally shop.  I will defintely find some, and make use of those, though.  I was thinking of running the cord out of the garage under the closed door, but figured if someone was determined to take it, they could probably manage to pull it through (not sure how big the plug that goes into the power receptacle is, but if it's about the size of a regular extension cord end, I think it could fit).  Hadn't thought of parking on the cord; that sounds like a great idea in a pinch (given the extrememe weight of the car), but the metal plate thingy looks like an ideal solution.  Though, from the sounds of it, I guess I don't need to worry about letting it go a while between charges, until I'm able to get my garage situation sorted out.  Thanks again for the feedback, guys!

Edited November 30, 2015 at 08:28 AM by phevin

[stevedebi]

Thanks very much for the advice and suggestions.  I'm too new to the world of PHEVs to know where there are avalable outlets, but I don't recall seeing any at the places I normally shop.  I will defintely find some, and make use of those, though.  I was thinking of running the cord out of the garage under the closed door, but figured if someone was determined to take it, they could probably manage to pull it through (not sure how big the plug that goes into the power receptacle is, but if it's about the size of a regular extension cord end, I think it could fit).  Hadn't thought of parking on the cord; that sounds like a great idea in a pinch (given the extrememe weight of the car), but the metal plate thingy looks like an ideal solution.  Though, from the sounds of it, I guess I don't need to worry about letting it go a while between charges, until I'm able to get my garage situation sorted out.  Thanks again for the feedback, guys!

I run my cable out under the large garage door. There is no way they could steal it without opening the door. The plug is attached to a huge device used to hold the cord when not it use. They could cut it off, of course. I roll mine up and put it in the garage during the day, then roll it out at night, closing the garage door over the cord.

[Hybridbear]

I'm definitely leaning towards an Energi now, but it could be some time before I will have a suitable place to plug it in to charge.  Y'see, my garage is currently FULL of stuff and I'll need some time to clear & organize space for the "new baby."  My current car has already been broken into in my driveway once, so I'm reluctant to leave it plugged in out there unattended (in case the cord goes "missing").  So, my question is, if I have to treat it like a non-pluggable hybrid for the next few weeks (maybe months), will I do any damage to the battery?  Will the fact that it is rarely plugged in to receive a full charge (especially through cold winter months) negatively affect the battery's lifespan, maximum charge level, etc.?

We'll loop the cord around the hood strut & keep the EVSE under the hood when traveling & charging in public places like hotel parking lots. The only parts that stick out are the J1772 plug that attaches to the car plus a few feet of cord & the rest of our extension cord. This should be reasonably secure. I'd recommend finding an outlet that you can access via extension cord as soon as possible. Driving in EV mode is so much better than driving with the ICE on! Once you try it you'll be hooked!

 

If you have to go for an extended period of time without charging at all, try to keep the battery at least somewhat charged. You can use EV Later like Doug0716 suggested. The negative to this is that the car will default to EV Auto every time you start it because it wants to use up its electric charge first to conserve gas. What is best to avoid is driving for extended periods with the HVB fully depleted where you are in hybrid mode & you can't select an EV mode. At this charge level the HVB cell voltage variation increases, and this is taxing for the cells. It's best to keep the cells at a higher voltage & thus a lower variation. Going for extended periods of time without plugging in may also lead to higher cell voltage variation, since the pack only rebalances when charging.

[Doug0716]

Driving in EV mode is so much better than driving with the ICE on! Once you try it you'll be hooked!

Truth!  So addicting.

[phevin]

Well, I did it--bought a 2016 Energi today!  Unfortunately there aren't any available anywhere that meet my specifications, so it will need to be built-to-order...with a delivery time of 2-4 months.  But on the plus side, at least now I'll have time to clear out my garage!!  Thanks again, folks, for the feedback on charging the battery--and for the cord anti-theft tips, too. :)