High mileage FFE NOT commuting or MPGe question?

[enfofan]

everything I have read about EV and PEV all focus on the commuters- I travel three states in a sales capacity, and average nearly 6000 (six thousand) miles a MONTH. I don't make the money for TESLA cars, so the VOLT and FFE were thought to be viable options. Can any one point me to any discussions for this scenario?

[meyersnole]

Do not think a Tesla would work for you, as even with the largest battery you would have to charge after ~200 miles. I am guessing you exceed that in a day frequently.

 

The Volt and Fusion Energi (FFE) both excel for short commutes as you pointed out, with the Volt excelling on commutes 20-40 miles, and about a was for commutes under 20 miles. As your trips grow longer the FFE starts to overtake the Volt as its engine drive is more efficient then the all electric / generator solution of the Volt. 

 

However! If you are looking for the best solution for high mile trips, you should look at either the hybrid, like the Fusion hybrid (47 mpg EPA), or a diesel car. Both would do better then the Volt of FFE in that use.

 

Edit: Both the Fusion Energi and Volt would return excellent mileage compared to most cars, just you would be paying extra for the battery that you would not frequently use. You would get better gas mileage for less money with a hybrid or diesel car.

 

Hope that helps.

Edited February 22, 2013 at 04:33 AM by meyersnole

[enfofan]

Do not think a Tesla would work for you, as even with the largest battery you would have to charge after ~200 miles. I am guessing you exceed that in a day frequently.

 

The Volt and Fusion Energi (FFE) both excel for short commutes as you pointed out, with the Volt excelling on commutes 20-40 miles, and about a was for commutes under 20 miles. As your trips grow longer the FFE starts to overtake the Volt as its engine drive is more efficient then the all electric / generator solution of the Volt. 

 

However! If you are looking for the best solution for high mile trips, you should look at either the hybrid, like the Fusion hybrid (47 mpg EPA), or a diesel car. Both would do better then the Volt of FFE in that use.

yes the traditional hybrid and or diesel is perhaps the logical choice, but gets me no more insulated from escalating fuel costs at the pump, nor really serves a role to be an early adopter of the extended range hybrid; and again I'm seeking discussion on putting high mileage on the technology of EREV's

[meyersnole]

Well, the Volt is using the EREV model, but GMs choice of using a gas engine (that runs premium fuel no less) makes it a little less efficient on longer trips then some of the technology that is being developed (EV + diesel). Problem is that this technology is still being developed and young.

 

If you are interested in the technology, and I completely get that, then go for it. I thought you were looking for the most efficient solution.  Now, the FFE will give you plenty of range at 620 miles before refilling and burns regular gas  http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=37597

[meyersnole]

How many miles between charges do you think you would be driving?

[enfofan]

How many miles between charges do you think you would be driving?

I travel Arkansas, Western Tn and Mississippi, and one week will be about 1600 miles rt, another week may only see 540 miles rt but I typically will be driving 400-600 miles a day on Sun/Mon and Th/Fri as I head to my destinations and return.

[jeff_h]

Sounds to me like you'd be paying a lot of money for a benefit that would only last 20 miles of a 200 mile trip... probably better to go with a hybrid, or if you know most of the miles will be steady interstate miles it might actually be better to find a car with proven highway MPG of greater than 40.  I know the hybrid is rated at 47/47 and that seems perfectly attainable for city driving, but much more difficult with highway driving.

[jsamp]

enofan - You say that Sun/Mon and Thu/Fri are your high mileage days.  How many miles do you each day of the weekdays in between?  If you can charge every night, and could cover half of your daily miles with the 20 or 40 miles of an Energi or Volt, there might be a case for a plug-in vehicle.  Other than that, I don't see you benefitting from the plug.

 

I agree that a std hybrid or possibly diesel is going to meet your needs best.  Anything that plugs-in is only going to give you a small benefit relative to your high mileage travel.  Plus the added weight of the battery is going to drag the MPG of your gas-miles down.

 

I did an analysis on one of the Fusion forums a while back that showed how the higher gas mileage overcomes the benefit of plugging in for longer trips.  The Volt's strength is for the <40 mile trips, with the benefit lasting up to 100 miles.  For trips over 100 miles, the Volt cannot match the mileage of standard hybrids like the Prius or Fusion.

[energifan]

You need to check out the XL1 - so that even when the battery pack is drained you can super-hyper-mile :happy feet:

 

http://www.myelectriccarforums.com/volkswagen-xl1-formally-introduced/

[meyersnole]

0-62 in 12.7 sec and top speed of 100 with a price tag competing with Fisker Karma or about twenty grand more then a fully loaded Tesla Model S? Sure the XL1 will stomp the Karma in fuel economy, but the Karma wins in looks/style and performance (by a mile). The XL1 still does better then the Tesla on economy and range, but also gets smoked on performance.

 

The XL1 is looking like a very low production car. Who would drop six figures on a car that gets smoked by a Prius off the line? Very cool from a technical standpoint, but at that price I would love to see the market analysis.

Edited March 7, 2013 at 01:10 AM by meyersnole