charge the high-voltage battery with an external charger?

[Kaleido]

Has anyone thought about a way to charge up the high-voltage battery with an external charger overnight while it is parked. That way you could start out the day with a fully charged battery. Lets say the battery is 3/4 charged, you could top it off to full with something like a battery tender / trickle charger.

I also posted this question in another Ford forum, but now I'm thinking it is just another version of this forum, sorry.

[jeff_h]

Good concept for the Energi, which is designed to plug in... for the normal hybrid, I've found that the system tends to behave in a way that keeps the battery meter somewhere around the middle, so figuring out how to force a higher initial charge (personally I wouldn't risk it) would probably just end up having the battery charge a bit less right off the bat in order to fall back to the optimal level.

[acdii]

I think you need a 600 volt charger in order to do that. IE dont screw with it. The amount of energy stored in the Hybrid pack is enormous, and can kill you quickly if you dont know what you are doing.

 

Also, the Hybrid system charges and discharges the batteries in a specific way to prevent over/under charge, Bypass that system with an external charger and you can damage the batteries, or shorten their life.

 

There are companies out there that make an add-on pack and charging system that can extend the EV range of the car, but you are adding weight to the car, which is already pretty heavy to begin with, so your non EV MPG can actually go down.

[jnissen]

This sounds interesting and could possibly help with the initial drive off. I suspect it would also require some additional programming to take advantage of the charge. If your really looking for that then the Energi version is what your after. Same basic vehicle but with the plug in option and a significantly larger battery.

[acdii]

You would be far better off getting the Energi than trying to add on an untested battery pack and charging system that is not covered under the car warranty and if anything gets damaged, the warranty will be cancelled.

 

That and by the time you add in the additional costs for adding the components, you would most likely pay more than the Energi.

[jnissen]

Our Fusion often shows 100% charge especially after a long downhill section. IN that state the EV mode is easier to maintain but it does not mean that it will always stay in EV mode. The throttle has more impact to staying or leavingt EV mode than anything. THe Energi would be a neat concept but I suspect that you may be able to get a majority of say the first 20 miles or so on the battery.Then it would switch to gas and start to charge that huge pack. I would think at that point the mileage would be no better than the standard Hybrid. If you can maintain speeds lower than 62 and don't have a lead weight for a foot that it may be a good vehicle.

Edited December 17, 2012 by jnissen

[acdii]

If what we are seeing with the new hybrids only getting 38 or less at highway speeds, the Energi wouldn't do much better after you use up the pack.

[GrayStrider]

Our Fusion often shows 100% charge especially after a long downhill section. IN that state the EV mode is easier to maintain but it does not mean that it will always stay in EV mode. The throttle has more impact to staying or leavingt EV mode than anything. THe Energi would be a neat concept but I suspect that you may be able to get a majority of say the first 20 miles or so on the battery.Then it would switch to gas and start to charge that huge pack. I would think at that point the mileage would be no better than the standard Hybrid. If you can maintain speeds lower than 62 and don't have a lead weight for a foot that it may be a good vehicle.

 

My husband was interested in the Energi model of the Fusion, but from what I read about the huge increase in price, and a side-by-side comparision of the CMAZ Hybrid vs. CMAX Energi, decided to go with the regular hybrid. The Popular Mechanics article I read basically concluded that if it were their money, they'd save the additional cost of the Energi and get the Hybrid instead - that the Energi would be great for those who don't travel more than 20 miles in one trip, but not worth the additional cost for those who drive more (like we do).

[acdii]

Agreed, its perfect for city people, something greenie wackos cant seem to grasp, those of us who usually drive 35+ miles one way to work would get no benefit from the Energi or PiP.

 

Would be interesting to see what real fuel usage would be comparing the Energi to the Hybrid in my daily drive. I would be able to use the EV towards the end of my trip when I get into city traffic, and on the way home until I reach highway then switch to hybrid mode.

[coach81]

Energi price tag and need for home charger were deal breakers for me..

 

as far as ext battery charging.. I know nothing more than where to put the oil and gas in.. but I would not think it would be wise to mess with that particular part of the vehicle...

[mrasmussen]

I did read somewhere that the energi can go 80ish in ev mode. Might improve hwy millage? Especially for those of us with a 65mph speed limit which means we are driving in the low to mid 70s.

[GrySql]

I am retired but still get publications from my past career, this month one such pub describes 'Fires in Vehicle Charging Stations.'

Some of this information may be of interest to any FFH members who may be thinking of a DIY in-home charging system.

-

These new SAE connectors for EV charging are a 5-wire design with the standard hot/neutral/ground, plus 2 smaller pins.

The smaller pins are for (1) software communication with the vehicle and (2) a signal to interrupt flow when the release button on the charging connector is pressed prior to removal from the vehicle.

I'll only give a quick summary the the three types of EV chargers that may be in a persons garage, not commercial L2, L3 installations.

 

These special charging assemblies plug-in to standard home outlets.

A L1 type charger comes with most Plug-in EV vehicles.

Level 1, Mode 1 - AC110V-120V on a non-dedicated circuit.

(This Mode 1 has the greatest incidence of tripping the household breakers)

Level 1, Mode 2 - AC110V-120V on a dedicated 20A circuit.

Both of these are slow charging modes, 8-10 hours for a full charge.

-

Level 2 - AC240V on a dedicated 30A - 240V circuit.

These wall mounted units control charging and circuit overload, fast charge in 4-6 hours.

Need professional installation and costly.

-

These garage charging connectors also prevent 'ignition on' when plugged in, preventing drive-away situations.

The plug-in connector is designed to melt and drop away from the car when exposed to fire.

 

Edit:

• The modern chargers found in most parking lots today are commercial L2 chargers, 4-6 hour charge.

•• BTW, a commercial L3 charging station (city buses, etc) can charge your batteries in one hour, but to only 80% capacity, too fast, too much heat.

Edited February 2, 2013 by GrySql

[acdii]

Well... I got a charge out of reading that!