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I have a 2014 Ford Fusion Hybrid Titanium and I am a Realtor that travels the Houston area and on many days I can drive 300 miles. I am now at 183,000 miles and have had no problems and in fact the Dealership says my brakes are half worn. I use the Adaptive Cruise Control about 75% of the time. Has anyone got this type proformance or more? Does anyone believe I can make it to 300k miles with the same batteries?Thanks

I am a new owner of a 2014 FFH Titanium. I am trying to find the best or correct way maintain the batteries if the car is going not be used for an extended period of time, several weeks to a couple of months. Can the car be connected to a trickle charger, such as Binder Minder, as other non hybrid vehicles? Any help would be very helpful.

Li-Ion King: New Ford Test for Hybrid Vehicle Batteries Simulates 10 Years of Use in 10 Months’ Time New Ford battery life validation protocol draws on two decades of electrified vehicle field experience to predict how lithium-ion (li-ion) batteries are likely to perform as far as 150,000 miles down the road Battery reliability has been identified as the top purchase consideration for potential customers, beating out other factors including fuel efficiency Ford is investing $135 million in the design, engineering and production of key components – including doubling its battery testing capabilities – for the five electrified vehicles it will offer by the end of the year Ford battery technology plays a key role in delivering class-leading fuel economy and range throughout its hybrid, plug-in hybrid and all-electric vehicle lineup Click to download PDF. FORD FUSION HYBRID FORUM – Ford is putting the equivalent of 10 years and 150,000 miles of wear and tear on hybrid vehicle batteries using a new lab test that takes less than a year to complete. Ford designed a new test – the Key Life Test – specifically for its new lithium-ion (li-ion) batteries, drawing on more than 20 years of extensive data and experience to deliver reliable hybrid vehicles today. The test allows engineers to simulate in a lab setting many factors, including location of a battery within a vehicle, the temperatures they might have to endure, and various kinds of acceleration and stopping that different drivers would apply. The scope of the testing also includes the ability to put 150,000 miles (the equivalent of about 10 years of average use) on the test batteries in about 10 months. The Key Life Test aims at delivering higher-quality and even more reliable batteries, said Kevin Layden, director of Ford Electrification Programs. In fact, battery reliability ranks as the single-most important purchase consideration by potential hybrid customers – topping 17 other factors such as fuel economy and number of safety features, according to a recent Ford-commissioned survey. “Recent studies show consumers are keeping their vehicles longer, and regulations in some regions now require batteries to carry warranties for greater distances,” said Layden. “Fortunately, our tests take into account distances and conditions that go way beyond those normal requirements.” Ford will offer five electrified vehicles by 2013 – all equipped with advanced li-ion batteries. Previous-generation vehicles from Ford’s lineup featured nickel-metal-hydride (NiMH) batteries. Li-ion batteries offer numerous benefits – including a size 25 to 30 percent smaller, and the ability to provide about three times the amount of power per cell than the previous state-of-the-art NiMH battery technology. Other battery tests include simulating hot and sunny Phoenix weather by subjecting batteries to greater than 140-degree Fahrenheit temperatures, extreme cold conditions in Manitoba, Canada with frigid -40-degree Fahrenheit tests, and by driving vehicles equipped with the batteries through ditches filled with water to ensure there are no issues. Ford’s experience with hybrid vehicle technology dates back to the late 1980s. The technology evolved quickly, resulting in limited release of the Ranger EV in 1998, the Escape Hybrid in 2004 and the Fusion Hybrid in 2009. Ford draws on these vast amounts of data it collected from previous-generation hybrids. For example, 50 million battery cells have been produced since 2004 in previous-generation production Ford hybrid vehicles such as the Escape Hybrid and Fusion Hybrid. Some of these have been put to use in taxi fleets in such cities as San Francisco and New York, with some taxi vehicles attaining more than 250,000 miles individually and taxi fleets in California alone attaining a total of nearly 100 million miles. The success rate is stellar: Of all Ford production hybrid vehicles produced to date, only six battery cells have failed of the 50 million that were put into use. “We can’t do an apples-to-apples comparison between the nickel-metal-hydride and lithium-ion batteries,” says Mazen Hammoud, chief engineer, Electrified Powertrain Systems. “But we can evaluate much of the data collected to see how hybrid vehicles are driven, the kinds of conditions they face and the demands that are placed on them. Knowing all of that helps us benchmark our tests and ensure the lithium-ion batteries are meeting or exceeding expectations.” Going further The Key Life Test represents just one aspect of Ford’s commitment to deliver leading fuel economy across its lineup and triple electrified vehicle production capacity by 2013. Ford is investing $135 million in the design, engineering and production of key components – including doubling its battery testing capabilities – for the five electrified vehicles the company will have in its portfolio by the end of the year: Fusion Hybrid, Fusion Energi plug-in hybrid, C-MAX Hybrid, C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid and Focus Electric. Ford also now has more than 1,000 engineers working on vehicle electrification, which is headquartered at its 285,000-square-foot Advanced Electrification Center in Dearborn. The investment in people and infrastructure is already paying off: Ford has reduced the cost of its current hybrid system by 30 percent compared with previous-generation technology and vehicles are coming to market 25 percent faster. More information about Ford’s electrified vehicle lineup – including press releases, fact sheets, product sheets, technical specifications, photos and videos – can be found here.

Ford’s New Li-Ion Batteries Reduce Use of Rare Earth Metals, Enable Superior Fuel Economy for Fusion, C-MAX Hybrids New projected 47-mpg Ford Fusion Hybrid and EPA-certified 47-mpg C-MAX Hybrid feature lighter, more efficient, more powerful lithium-ion batteries that are expected to reduce Ford’s use of expensive, rare earth metals by up to 500,000 pounds annually Dysprosium, the most expensive rare earth metal used in Ford vehicles, is reduced by approximately 50 percent in new Fusion and C-MAX hybrids’ electric machines These rare earth metal reductions helped Ford cut the cost of its third-generation hybrid technology by 30 percent, adding to the overall value of the new C-MAX Hybrid – America’s most affordable hybrid utility vehicle starting at $25,995 – and Fusion Hybrid Ford C-Max Hybrid Forum – Ford’s third-generation hybrid system, which replaces nickel-metal-hydride batteries with new lighter, more efficient lithium-ion batteries, could reduce the company’s use of expensive, less-abundant rare earth metals by up to 500,000 pounds a year. This reduction of rare earth metals is important for both financial and physical reasons. First, the cost is reduced by 30 percent when compared to previous-generation hybrid batteries. Also, lithium-ion batteries are 50 percent lighter and 25 to 30 percent smaller. The result: Better fuel efficiency in Ford’s new electric vehicle offerings, including a projected 47 mpg for Fusion Hybrid and an EPA-certified 47 mpg for C-MAX Hybrid. “We’re continually looking to find ways to provide greater fuel efficiency as well as cost savings to customers of our hybrid vehicles, and the reduction of rare earth metals is a key part of this strategy,” said Chuck Gray, chief engineer, Global Core Engineering, Hybrid and Electric Vehicles.“The third-generation hybrid technology we are now using builds on our 20 years of electric vehicle innovations.” Among the rare earth metals used in nickel-metal-hydride batteries are neodymium, cerium, lanthanum and praseodymium, none of which are used in the new lithium-ion batteries. Additionally, Ford has reduced its use of dysprosium by approximately 50 percent in magnets employed in the hybrid system’s electric machines. Dysprosium is the most expensive rare earth metal used in Ford vehicles. This reduction is the result of a new diffusion process that is used in the magnet manufacturing process. The overall reduction of rare earth metals in the lithium-ion batteries and electric machines lowers vehicle costs, which is key as Ford triples production of its electric vehicles by 2013, ultimately translating to more affordable, fuel-efficient vehicle choices for customers. Rare earth metals are a set of 17 atomic elements in the periodic table. While some are indeed rare, others are plentiful within specific regions in the earth’s crust. These metals are used in many consumer products including mobile phones, LED televisions, computer screens and hybrid vehicle batteries. Maximum power of choice The 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid is projected to deliver best-in-class 47 mpg on the highway, making it America’s most fuel-efficient sedan. The new Fusion will also give customers the power to choose across three powertrain options – gasoline, hybrid and plug-in hybrid. Ford’s all-new C-MAX Hybrid, in showrooms this fall, is EPA-certified at 47 mpg on the highway, 47 mpg in the city and 47 mpg combined, making it America’s most fuel-efficient hybrid utility vehicle. C-MAX Energi, launching later this fall, is projected to deliver 95 MPGe. Press releases, videos, photos and other material related to Ford’s electrified vehicles can be found here.