Nherring Posted April 28, 2013 at 01:00 AM Report Share Posted April 28, 2013 at 01:00 AM Hi all After using this excellent source of hands-on experience to confirm my decision, I ordered my FFE-SE last Saturday from the wonderful folks at Grappone Ford in Concord NH. This is my first American car in more than 20 years even though my family has been involved with FMC for more than 100 years (my great great grandfather was the venture capitalist who raised the money that funded the company (he brought in the Dodge Brothers and other early investors when the Detroit Bank and Trust where he worked as the senior loan officer turned Henry down). My mom remembers bouncing on Henry's knee as a little girl. I'm trading in my 2007 Nissan Altima Hybrid with 160,000 miles after averaging 33.9 miles per gallon for 5 1/2 years. Anyway, I'm excited to e back in the fold. Neil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rspray Posted April 28, 2013 at 01:28 AM Report Share Posted April 28, 2013 at 01:28 AM Congrats! I just picked up my Ruby Red SE (loaded like Ti, but Dune lthr) on Friday. I almost second-guessed and got Bordeaux, as I thought it would look pretty sweet with Dune, as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pluggedin Posted April 28, 2013 at 01:28 AM Report Share Posted April 28, 2013 at 01:28 AM Hi Neil, it's good to have such illustrious company join in the fun. This is my first ever Ford and my first American made car in 15 years as well. Welcome to the forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russael Posted April 28, 2013 at 02:19 AM Report Share Posted April 28, 2013 at 02:19 AM Welcome to the forums. Got a question for you though. Are you still going to be driving 30k miles a year? And do you have other places to charge your car aside from home base? In all honesty, you might've been better off with a Hybrid Fusion over the Energi with that volume of miles. Granted, even though the Fusion Hybrid totes 47mpg... it doesn't seem like a lot of peoople are really able to make those numbers, where they are here with the Fusion Energi model (and in some cases, exceeding it). Either way, welcome back to buying American, Made in Mexico. :hysterical: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff_h Posted April 28, 2013 at 02:42 AM Report Share Posted April 28, 2013 at 02:42 AM Welcome aboard... That's what kept me from getting an Energi, drive 40k miles per year and no charge at work (I asked, no dice)... so I didn't figure it was worth the cost for me. However my wife is very happy with her Energi, thus far it's perfect for her and her around-town driving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meyersnole Posted April 28, 2013 at 04:01 AM Report Share Posted April 28, 2013 at 04:01 AM Hi all After using this excellent source of hands-on experience to confirm my decision, I ordered my FFE-SE last Saturday from the wonderful folks at Grappone Ford in Concord NH. This is my first American car in more than 20 years even though my family has been involved with FMC for more than 100 years (my great great grandfather was the venture capitalist who raised the money that funded the company (he brought in the Dodge Brothers and other early investors when the Detroit Bank and Trust where he worked as the senior loan officer turned Henry down). My mom remembers bouncing on Henry's knee as a little girl. I'm trading in my 2007 Nissan Altima Hybrid with 160,000 miles after averaging 33.9 miles per gallon for 5 1/2 years. Anyway, I'm excited to e back in the fold. NeilWelcome Neil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nherring Posted April 30, 2013 at 01:51 AM Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2013 at 01:51 AM Hi all Thanks for the rowdy welcome. Russael, it was a close all but..... 1) I have an interesting commute that goes like this; 5 miles @ 35mph (electric); 35 miles @ 75mph (gas); 15 miles variable stop and go to 50mph (hybrid); free level 2 plug-in in my garage at Harvard. And then return. 2) I'll do this for about 2 1/2 years before I retire and ten my driving will be virtually all electric after that. Based on this, I think the plug-in will allow for close to 40 miles per day electric with a 50% discount on the electrons. I live in NH so the power price will be about $.13/kwh or net $.065/kwh. On top of that, if I can get 35mpg on the highway my overall mileage will be high enough to make up the cost difference. Also, the car is not yet sold out here in NH so I was able to negotiate a reasonable discount on the car. Coupled with the tax credit, I'm in good shape on overall cost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rspray Posted April 30, 2013 at 01:59 AM Report Share Posted April 30, 2013 at 01:59 AM Yeah, most everything in Cambridge and near Harvard is stop-and-go right now. I hope the Energi can keep you calm through all the construction... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russael Posted April 30, 2013 at 10:45 AM Report Share Posted April 30, 2013 at 10:45 AM Hi all Thanks for the rowdy welcome. Russael, it was a close all but..... 1) I have an interesting commute that goes like this; 5 miles @ 35mph (electric); 35 miles @ 75mph (gas); 15 miles variable stop and go to 50mph (hybrid); free level 2 plug-in in my garage at Harvard. And then return. 2) I'll do this for about 2 1/2 years before I retire and ten my driving will be virtually all electric after that. Based on this, I think the plug-in will allow for close to 40 miles per day electric with a 50% discount on the electrons. I live in NH so the power price will be about $.13/kwh or net $.065/kwh. On top of that, if I can get 35mpg on the highway my overall mileage will be high enough to make up the cost difference. Also, the car is not yet sold out here in NH so I was able to negotiate a reasonable discount on the car. Coupled with the tax credit, I'm in good shape on overall cost. What makes it worth it is being able to charge at your destination. If you couldn't, as some of us aren't so fortunate, then I think the advantage would've went to the hybrid. But since you can, all the better. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murphy Posted April 30, 2013 at 11:10 AM Report Share Posted April 30, 2013 at 11:10 AM What makes it worth it is being able to charge at your destination. If you couldn't, as some of us aren't so fortunate, then I think the advantage would've went to the hybrid. I don't follow this statement. The Energi is a Hybrid when the big battery is discharged or the car is put in EV Later mode. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russael Posted April 30, 2013 at 12:31 PM Report Share Posted April 30, 2013 at 12:31 PM I don't follow this statement. The Energi is a Hybrid when the big battery is discharged or the car is put in EV Later mode. The Fusion Energi's hybrid mode is not as economical as the Fusion Hybrid itself (47mpg FH vs 43 FFE, or if it's mainly highway, it's 47 vs 41). There is a point where if you drive so many miles in 1 day and only being able to charge once, such as at home, the Fusion Hybrid will beat the Fusion Energi in terms of fuel cost. That's why Jeff_h drives the hybrid model while his wife tootles around town in the Energi. Considering Nherring has a destination charge option available to him, it swings the ball back to the Energi's favor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BadRock Posted April 30, 2013 at 01:53 PM Report Share Posted April 30, 2013 at 01:53 PM The Fusion Energi's hybrid mode is not as economical as the Fusion Hybrid itself (47mpg FH vs 43 FFE, or if it's mainly highway, it's 47 vs 41). There is a point where if you drive so many miles in 1 day and only being able to charge once, such as at home, the Fusion Hybrid will beat the Fusion Energi in terms of fuel cost. That's why Jeff_h drives the hybrid model while his wife tootles around town in the Energi. Considering Nherring has a destination charge option available to him, it swings the ball back to the Energi's favor. The reduced efficiency is blamed on the added weight of the larger battery (298lbs), I guess that means I'm screwed as I will add another 300lbs. :doh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pluggedin Posted April 30, 2013 at 02:32 PM Report Share Posted April 30, 2013 at 02:32 PM The Fusion Energi's hybrid mode is not as economical as the Fusion Hybrid itself (47mpg FH vs 43 FFE, or if it's mainly highway, it's 47 vs 41). There is a point where if you drive so many miles in 1 day and only being able to charge once, such as at home, the Fusion Hybrid will beat the Fusion Energi in terms of fuel cost. That's why Jeff_h drives the hybrid model while his wife tootles around town in the Energi. Considering Nherring has a destination charge option available to him, it swings the ball back to the Energi's favor. The reduced efficiency is blamed on the added weight of the larger battery (298lbs), I guess that means I'm screwed as I will add another 300lbs. :doh:Hmmm, I'm not so sure about all of this. Where do I start? I am finding that I am getting better than EPA estimates on trips of 80 miles, or less. I started out getting around 46 MPGe but that has gradually increased to around 50 MPGe as my gas engine has begun to break in. I have done a lot more highway miles than I normally do on my first tank of gas and still hit the EPA rating of 100 MPGe, at around 102 MPGe, and my Lifetime MPGe is hovering around 70. The FFH may out perform the FFE, miles per gallon wise, on constant commutes of 100 miles or more but the FFE gives me more options all the way around than does the FFH. But I paid a lot for those options and that is where one must decide if the FFE is right for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russael Posted April 30, 2013 at 03:41 PM Report Share Posted April 30, 2013 at 03:41 PM OK, the nerd in me decided to calculate and figure out where the break even point is if you do mostly highway travelling with your ride and if you can only charge your FFE at home. Now, this IS skewed for highway travel which I intended to put the biggest disadvantage toward the FFE. I calculated using averages, EPA estimates, and yes, I understand some of you are currently exceeding it which is awesome, but there are others who are under it too. Numbers used: 10 cents per kwh to fill 7kw worth of battery capacity to give the 21 mile average; 3.50/gallon of regular gasoline. 47mpg average for FFH and 41mpg average for FFE. This will represent the break even and where the cost for the FFH becomes the better option for those of you who live on the highway. The difference in the vehicles as far as price goes was not factored. Stupid excel wouldn't let me change the line names so series 1 is electric mode, series 2 FFE hybrid mode, and series 3 is FFH. Feel free to pick it apart, debate, etc. jposs and pluggedin 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CombsAuthor Posted April 30, 2013 at 03:41 PM Report Share Posted April 30, 2013 at 03:41 PM Welcome to the forum, and congrats on getting an incredibly amazing vehicle. With your commute, you'll best be able to take advantage of the Energi by saving the battery power once you get up to highway speeds and using the stored energy once you get back into traffic. I've got the Energi and absolutely love it. By managing the systems and planning ahead I'm currently averaging 104 mpg/102 mpge.Admittedly, most,of that is comprised,from local trips of 30 miles or less (one way)...but we purchased our car based on the need and it has been a fantastic fit. You're gonna love it! pluggedin 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nherring Posted June 15, 2013 at 08:41 PM Author Report Share Posted June 15, 2013 at 08:41 PM Took delivery of my Burgundy Energi today.... 62.6 MPGe on my. 55 mile ride home. Awesome! Ordered my Leviton EVB32 L2 charger with 25 ft cord from Amazon this afternoon for $999.00 For those who are interested, the car netted out $1,500 below list (all Ford - XPlan via Mustang Care Club) and the loan rate (60 mo) was 2.29% from a local credit union for $21,500. My trade-in was about $500 light in my opinion but the service from the dealer was so good (Grappone Ford, Concord, NH) that I didn't care. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff_h Posted June 15, 2013 at 10:08 PM Report Share Posted June 15, 2013 at 10:08 PM Ordered my Leviton EVB32 L2 charger with 25 ft cord from Amazon this afternoon for $999.00If you haven't already, vote in the charger poll.... I wish I had spent a little more and bought one with 25' cord, I think the one on my charger is 18', http://www.fordfusionenergiforum.com/topic/710-what-level-2-charger-did-you-buyinstall/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric4539 Posted June 15, 2013 at 11:21 PM Report Share Posted June 15, 2013 at 11:21 PM Neil, Is your FFE as fun to drive as your Altima was? I am thinking of buying a Fusion Energi Titanium and currently own a 2008 Altima Hybrid. I really like the Altima. I test drove the Energi and thought it felt heavy and less peppy which is why I haven't purchased an Energi yet. I like everything about the Energi but wasn't blown away after the test drive. The biggest draw for me is that I would do most of my driving in electric mode since my daily drives are short distances. I know I the Energi is much more fuel efficient. Just wondering if your new FFE has made you forget your Altima...thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nherring Posted June 16, 2013 at 01:33 PM Author Report Share Posted June 16, 2013 at 01:33 PM Hi Eric You know, my test drive was very similar to yours but I wonder how much of that was having a sales associate sitting next to me. On the way home yesterday, I had some fun and found the care to e very responsive, corner flat and generally fun to drive. I also set the computer to ECO which causes the cruise control buttons to carefully add acceleration when using it. Result was a clear sense of low power. So you have a choice; drive the car for fun and it responds - drive it to optimize fuel use and it does that we'll too. I loved the Altima and drove it to 160,000 miles, saving an enormous amount of fuel costs. It was always fun, although I found the suspension to e soft ext to my previous Audis, and I'll miss her. That said, I don't think I'll look back:) I suggest to take another test drive and see if you can leave the sales rep at the dealership. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric4539 Posted June 16, 2013 at 06:43 PM Report Share Posted June 16, 2013 at 06:43 PM Thank Neil! The sales associate did not know a lot about the Energi. I wanted to drive in EV only but he said the battery did not have enough charge. I accelerated onto the freeway and the salesman said, "Doesn't it have a lot of power?" To which I replied, "It does not feel as responsive as the Altima nor does it feel as quick." He did not say much after that. I agree with many of the forum members. Most have researched as much as possible about the Energi so it seems we know a lot about the car that the sales people do not. I appreciate your comments and I am still leaning towards buying the Energi. I still have only 51,000 miles on my Altima, but I will definitely test drive the Energi again. I have to drive a minimum of an hour to get to a dealer that has one on the lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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