New owner, FFH opened my eyes!

[Trout74]

Bought a 2014 FFH yesterday, love it!

2014 fusion hybrid SE, 33000 miles $21,255 OTD. Certified pre-owned.

Drove 320 miles yesterday up and down hills, Des Moines to Carroll, then to Omaha, then back to Des Moines, lots of hills. averaged 41.7 mpg and drove 75 mph on highway and 65 mph on two lane highway.

Coming from GMC Yukon XL, averaging 15 MPG. Never thought I would buy a hybrid, but the cos to fuel finally boiled my blood , and I decided to make a change. Holy buckets! I had no idea how fun it is to try to get good mpg and go all day on a business trip and use only half a tank, and a 14 gallon tank at that. My Yukon would burn a tank of gas on a day like yesterday and it's a 30 gallon tank.

 

My eyes have been opened! And I can drive in town to my parents house or kids school and almost do it all in electric, you got to be kidding me. Once I learn to " un lead " my foot I'm gonna average 50 mpg I swear.

 

Thank you ford for opening my eyes!

Love this car.

[Trout74]

Love the forum, been enjoying reading all the topics. One thing I keep reading is about how mpg improves with ambient temperature. Can someone explain why temperature matters, it's it just using the heater uses up battery power and reduces its ability to supplement the gas engine, or is it something else?

Thanks

[CCalvinN]

As I understand it (and I"m no expert by any means), there are many factors going on. Keep in mind that a drop in fuel economy happens to all cars in the winter, not just hybrids. We just happen to be the folks constantly watching our fuel economy and watch it closer. I bought my FFH in February and was shocked at how few miles per gallon it was getting. My first three fill ups were all below 32mpg. For comparison, my last two fill ups were over 43mpg.

 

Two major factors in lower fuel efficiency for colder weather are higher air density and thicker fuel. Higher air density means using more fuel to keep the same mix, and also means it's harder to 'push' your car through. If the fuel is thicker it requires more of it to keep the same combustion. Bad road conditions means more wheel spin, more wheel spin means more fuel used. The low rolling resistant tires used to improve fuel economy get less grip, so the effect is magnified on our cars. Using the heater to warm the cabin uses more energy as well, especially if you turn your car on early (or leave it on when standing still) to warm the car up.

 

Those are all true for all cars. In my previous car (2012 Focus) my summer gas use was as high as 40mpg while my winter gas use was closer to 32mpg. Then we have the specific hybrid effect. Our cars get better fuel economy by having the battery push the car at times when the engine isn't needed. During the cold the engine has to run just to heat itself up. Once the engine starts it won't shut off again until it's reached a particular temperature, even if your driving conditions don't require the engines push. In most cars the engine gets up to temp and stays there, but on a hybrid it will eventually shut off and start cooling down.... requiring it to run longer once it does start back up. Then there's the other side of the equation; the batteries. It takes more energy to charge them in the cold, and they don't discharge energy as well when they're cold.

 

The last few days as the temps (at least here in Michigan) have dropped I've noticed my mpg going right back down. Not as bad as February when I was using the remote start, idling the engine for heat, and still learning how to drive in an efficient manner... but a noticeable drop none the less.

 

Hope that helps!

[SteveB_TX]

Howdy Trout74, and welcome to the forum! Colder weather, and the subsequent use of the heater, are what drive down your MPG. The ICE (ironic name to be sure) or engine provides the heat for the interior, just as any "normal" car. The colder the outside temp, the longer the ICE must run to keep up with the need for heat. As the outside ambient temperature rises, the need for heat is lessened, therefore the need for the ICE to run is lessened, reducing fuel usage and increasing MPG. Whew! I think that covers it. :) (Usual Disclaimer Applies) ;)

 

Edit: Okay, Calvin beat me to it with a novel. Mine is shorter. Wait. What? Never mind! ;) Oh, and good point about the HVB being less efficient the colder the ambient temp!

Edited April 25, 2015 by SteveB_TX

[Texasota]

Here is a link from fueleconomy.gov that explains the reasons (and there are many) why MPG takes a big hit in the winter. It also addresses some hybrid specific issues:

 

https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/coldweather.shtml

Edited April 25, 2015 by Texasota

[Trout74]

Thanks guys for the replies. That makes sense. Funny thing, I have been scooting around town all day today and my mpg are in the high 30's all day. While two days ago on my cross state journey I was getting 41.7. Thought I would be getting like 45 in town, maybe I need more practice

[hybridbear]

Thanks guys for the replies. That makes sense. Funny thing, I have been scooting around town all day today and my mpg are in the high 30's all day. While two days ago on my cross state journey I was getting 41.7. Thought I would be getting like 45 in town, maybe I need more practice

In town the brake score has a fairly large impact. Higher brake scores mean more energy recovered and less energy wasted by the brake pads as heat. How are your brake scores?

[corncobs]

Welcome to the world of hybrids! It's really nice to read how a good first drive can open someone's eyes in such a positive way.

 

The rolling hills definitely help with the working principle of our FFHs.

 

Again welcome and enjoy the gas saving rides on business trips.

Edited April 26, 2015 by corncobs

[Trout74]

Thanks corncobs. Did some reading on the forums and tips and tricks. I got schooled today,and I love it. I took a 27 mile Saturday drive with the family, mom,me and three little kids. Did all the things I read about like EV till 10-15 mph, then gas up to speed limit, then hold speed with EV, and brake slowly etc. 27 miles, 16 miles in EV 2.9 regen and I managed 49.1 mpg at .55 gallons. I can't even believe it! .55 gallons for 27 miles with the whole famdamily in the car?.......that is insane! I'm hooked, never been much of A green/ whatever guy, but this mpg thing is changing my views on everything. next, LED bulbs throughout the house. Now I want to break 50 mpg.

Thanks everyone

 

Trout

Edited April 26, 2015 by Trout74

[corncobs]

Thanks corncobs. Did some reading on the forums and tips and tricks. I got schooled today,and I love it. I took a 27 mile Saturday drive with the family, mom,me and three little kids. Did all the things I read about me EV till 10-15 mph, then gas up to speed limit, then hold speed with EV, and brake slowly etc. 27 miles, 16 miles in EV 2.9 regen and I managed 49.1 mpg at .55 gallons. I can't even believe it! .55 gallons for 27 miles with the whole famdamily in the car?.......that is insane! I'm hooked, never been much of A green/ whatever guy, but this mpg thing is changing my views on everything. next, LED bulbs throughout the house. Now I want to break 50 mpg.

Thanks everyone

 

Trout

Very nice! For now you're still watching all the gauges but eventually it becomes second nature and you do this automatically on every drive.

[machoman1337]

Congratulations. I'm also on my very first hybrid and I love it.

 

Also, on hot days you will see your fuel economy get worse if you blast the AC. Not as much as if you blast the heating on a cold day, but still a noticeable drop.

 

On cold days, use your seat heaters (if equipped) instead of blasting the HVAC if you don't have anyone riding in the back.

 

The cost of gas also factored into my decision to buy my hybrid. Last summer it hit $1.56 CAD/litre, about $5.40 USD per gallon at the exchange rate back then. We enjoyed a month of $1/litre when oil prices crashed (along with our currency but that's another story), and prices have gradually risen up as summer approaches - it's now $1.30/litre or $4 USD/gallon.

Edited April 28, 2015 by machoman1337

[acdii]

The one thing that wasn't mentioned is ICE temps. The hotter the engine is, the more efficient it becomes. When you can get up to and sustain 200*+ in the ICE, it will use less fuel, this is a reason why cold weather has such a large impact, along with winter blend fuel which is not as good as summer blend. It uses aromatics that in the summer evaporate much too quickly and is used in the winter to replace slower additives. Why they do this, who knows.

 

When the combustion chambers are at their peak temps, less fuel is needed to get a clean burn, so it runs more efficient. In really hot weather the decrease is mostly due to AC use, as I have frequently seen 47 in 100* temps with just the roof vented and the back windows down to provide airflow and not use AC. In cold weather, the use of grill covers(which is a hot debate now regarding trans temps) helps to keep the heat in, but getting to that magic temp of 200+ it not easy even with covers, unless you drive a lot of highway miles and use little heat inside. The most I usually saw was 186*, with it peaking over 200 only when I came to a stop and the ICE heat soaked for a few moments, but quickly drops once the ICE runs again.

 

Whats funny is the last 4000 miles I drove the car, I didn't care what the gas mileage was, I just set the cruise and drove it. As long as it fell somewhere in my expected range I was fine with it, and it did, no complaints.

 

The average driver should expect 38-43 MPG in this car, as long as you are in between that range, you are doing fine. Then there are those like a few members here who have an exceptional drive everyday and can get well above 43 MPG all the time. They are not typical to the FFH, they are the exception! 38-43 that should be your goal, go above and you are doing great!

[higheroctave32]

I've gotten to the point where I occasionally arrive home or to work and see 49-51mpg. What did I do wrong? lol

Edited November 10, 2015 by hybridbear
profanity removed

[expresspotato]

I just find it stange... Aside from the added cost, Ford should have made the Hybrid standard. Probably would have done wonders for the brand when you could say half your sedans are already hybrids.

 

Glad to see another converted person. Its just a great car, happens to be hybrid.