Fusion Active

[B25Nut]

The Fusion Active should be available late next year.  As a plug-in hybrid, this may make me a Ford owner again.

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a32064857/ford-fusion-active-confirmed-2022/

 

[mwr]

I've always been intrigued by your forum name and the photo of the B-25. Have you flown one? A friend restored an A-26 and flew it. His insurance required him to have an experienced A-26 pilot along (it had dual controls) when he flew it, so I never got to sit there and fly it.

Edited December 25, 2020 by mwr

[ptjones]

16 hours ago, B25Nut said:

The Fusion Active should be available late next year.  As a plug-in hybrid, this may make me a Ford owner again.

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a32064857/ford-fusion-active-confirmed-2022/

 

Kind of looks like an New FEH

 

Paul

[Cobra348]

Based on current pricing between FFH and Energi, it'll be a good couple K more expensive than the hybrid sibling - if there was one.  Meaning, your price just went up for the same vehicle essentially.

 

SUC, CUV, XUV - call it what you might.  It's still a damned station wagon.

 

 

[B25Nut]

 

https://www.autoweek.com/news/future-cars/a32365684/ford-fusion-active-wagon-details/

 

 

[hphong2003]

https://www.explica.co/is-it-the-new-2022-ford-mondeo-new-spy-photos-from-china-point-it-out/

[hphong2003]

Fusion Active

https://fordauthority.com/2021/01/2022-ford-fusion-crossover-prototype-spied-testing-for-the-first-time/

[hphong2003]

Mondeo Evo, Fusion 2022 ?

https://www.facebook.com/mondeoclub/photos/pcb.3937250133000122/3937249669666835

[Cobra348]

Don't bet on it.  Mondeo is the EU version of our Fusion but EU and other markets get things that the US one does not.

[MeeLee]

 

On 4/19/2021 at 10:32 AM, Cobra348 said:

Don't bet on it.  Mondeo is the EU version of our Fusion but EU and other markets get things that the US one does not.

For one, sedans and hatchbacks,

And two, their newer 3 cylinder variants of the 4 banger cars we will never see.

 

I would have loved to see that ford fusion with a 600-900cc 3 pot banger, and double the electric motors (80HP like the prius) on the rear wheel.

 

It wouldn't be hard to beat the prius, and reach 60mpg that way.

Edited April 27, 2021 by MeeLee

[Sky14FFH]

Nope don't like the Active but the wagon is ok. SUVs are tippy and dangerous.  As soon as you lose control you roll.  Prefer what we have but in hatchback Mondeo form.

[Waldo]

10 hours ago, Sky14FFH said:

Nope don't like the Active but the wagon is ok. SUVs are tippy and dangerous.  As soon as you lose control you roll.  Prefer what we have but in hatchback Mondeo form.

 

SUVs from 20 years ago were tippy and dangerous.  As with everything, technology and engineering evolves to solve problems.  Besides, it's all relative.  I've got an older Miata in my garage so compared to that, a Fusion is tippy and dangerous.

[Sky14FFH]

On 5/14/2021 at 8:03 AM, Waldo said:

 

SUVs from 20 years ago were tippy and dangerous.  As with everything, technology and engineering evolves to solve problems.  Besides, it's all relative.  I've got an older Miata in my garage so compared to that, a Fusion is tippy and dangerous.

 SUV's center of gravity is too high and when they lose control they roll over.  When a car like the fusion loses control they slide sideways unless they meet an obstruction but even an especially then they are less likely to roll over than an SUV. 
On my way home last year on a different route through a small city I was perplexed by the turned over Buick Encore and the distraught young woman I saw sitting beside the road.  The SUV was completely on its roof.  There were no rocks, no large curbs and no noticeable collision damage from another car. 

'A person is 11% more likely to die in a crash inside an SUV than a regular car.A deadly problem': should we ban SUVs from our cities? | Cities | The Guardian

These Rollover Statistics Show SUVs Roll More than Cars.
February 22, 2019
View SUV Rollover Statistics from the NHTSA
 

This guy explains it simply.
Do SUV Rollover Accidents Continue to Occur?
"They still have an issue rolling over." 

 

Chrysler Demonstrating how its Jeeps are likely to roll over.

 

Former Assistant Attorney General with over 20 years litigating Cases addresses how SUVs are less safe than passenger vehicles because they roll over.

 

What Vehicles are Most Likely to Rollover in a Crash?

All SUVs

 

I was once in an accident just like this one in a 2010 leased fusion.  The red light runner t-boned us and spun us around 260degrees.  We didn't roll over like we would have in an SUV though.  The girl who ran the red was in a Neon and her car was totaled with a yard sale all over the road.  Fusion had a big gash in it.
Because of incidents like this I will never buy an SUV.  They are too dangerous.

Edited May 15, 2021 by Sky14FFH

[MeeLee]

I only hope they will address the 4 weaknesses of the fusion hybrid:

 

1- The weak electric electric motor.

The 40hp motor is barely powerful enough to brake with only a driver in the car, let alone with passengers. I constantly lose energy by needing the brake pads. At the very least, they should increase it to 60HP, preferably 80HP for braking.

For acceleration, the same is true. Most low speed streets are 30-45mph, and the 40hp motor (limited to 20HP under electric driving), is barely able to accelerate to 25 normally, and is very sluggish from 25 to 30, and is unacceptably slow from 35-40mph.

Bumping the motor size should resolve this, but will need point 2 below:

 

2- The short electric range:

The current size of the battery is abysmal compared to Tesla cars. Not only in the battery pack size, but also in the density. The FFH has a battery pack of roughly 1/4th the size of a tesla car, with 1/25th to 1/50th the energy density (1/6th to 1/10th the density for the energi's battery).

By doubling the motor output, at the very least the battery capacity should be doubled (to an absolute minimum of 5 kWh). But preferably using 10kWh or more pack, as I am not confident that the 1,4 kWh on current FFH will really last very long (I don't think it'll survive much beyond 100-150k miles, leaving FFH owners stranded with a 2 liter ice car at higher mileages.

 

3- The ridiculous small trunk size

I know they want to save on design cost, by converting the ice fusion to a hybrid, but if they're not going to use the spare wheel well in the trunk, they might as well remove it and make that the battery compartment, so that there's at least enough trunk space available to store more than a single large and small suitcase, with a backpack and a duffel bag.

that's enough space for 1 person luggage. 2 large suitcases don't fit the trunk!

Moving the battery to the wheel well, should also reduce the FFH's understeer a bit, and balance the car out a bit more.

Because it has traction control/torque braking, most people won't ever notice the understeer, unless they disable the technology manually.

Moving the battery to the wheel well, is also a great idea in case of a fire. The battery pack is too close to the fuel tank, which quite literally could add fuel to a potential battery fire!

 

4- The front and rear a, c, (and perhaps the new model's d) pillars, that are exactly in the spot where one needs to see oncoming traffic. It's my biggest gripe about the FFH. I literally can't see oncoming traffic in an intersection, or make turns without having to rock my head left to right, or back and forth, or trying to see if the road has a shoulder or center divider, when trying to turn into a dark alley at night.

I have never had this issue with any of my other cars, including Kia optima, Chevy Cruze, Ford Fiesta, Subaru Outback, Mazda Millennia, Pt Cruiser, Dodge Neon, Buick Enclave, nor experienced it with any other car I've driven, like the Dodge Dart, Chevy Spark, Smart ForTwo,  Honda Oddisey, Nissan Versa, Nissan Pathfinder, Dodge Grand Caravan, Chrysler Town And County, and many other vehicles I've driven..

The Fusion is the very first car that i clearly notice, puts those pillars right there in the wrong spot; right where I need to see!

 

I hope ford engineers read this.

These issues can easily be resolved, with minimal engineering redesign (save for the pillars.. they need redesign).

Edited May 16, 2021 by MeeLee

[Waldo]

On 5/15/2021 at 5:38 PM, Sky14FFH said:

 SUV's center of gravity is too high and when they lose control they roll over.  When a car like the fusion loses control they slide sideways unless they meet an obstruction but even an especially then they are less likely to roll over than an SUV. 
On my way home last year on a different route through a small city I was perplexed by the turned over Buick Encore and the distraught young woman I saw sitting beside the road.  The SUV was completely on its roof.  There were no rocks, no large curbs and no noticeable collision damage from another car. 

'A person is 11% more likely to die in a crash inside an SUV than a regular car.A deadly problem': should we ban SUVs from our cities? | Cities | The Guardian

These Rollover Statistics Show SUVs Roll More than Cars.
February 22, 2019
View SUV Rollover Statistics from the NHTSA
 

This guy explains it simply.
Do SUV Rollover Accidents Continue to Occur?
"They still have an issue rolling over." 

 

Chrysler Demonstrating how its Jeeps are likely to roll over.

 

Former Assistant Attorney General with over 20 years litigating Cases addresses how SUVs are less safe than passenger vehicles because they roll over.

 

What Vehicles are Most Likely to Rollover in a Crash?

All SUVs

 

I was once in an accident just like this one in a 2010 leased fusion.  The red light runner t-boned us and spun us around 260degrees.  We didn't roll over like we would have in an SUV though.  The girl who ran the red was in a Neon and her car was totaled with a yard sale all over the road.  Fusion had a big gash in it.
Because of incidents like this I will never buy an SUV.  They are too dangerous.

 

It's not nearly as black and white as you'd have us believe.  The first article you quote, while it is dated 2019, is actually referring to data from a NHTSA report from 2004.  Back when automakers weren't really worried about roll-overs.  These days, automakers put a lot more thought and effort into roll-over prevention.  Things like stability control, suspension tuning and even tire compounding all go into the designs.  As such, modern SUVs (especially the unibody-based ones) are much less likely to roll over than those of 20 years ago and in fact aren't really that far away from "cars".  The 2020 Ford Escape has a 4-star NHTSA rating for rollover prevention.  The 2020 Ford Fusion also has a 4-start rating while the Mustang has a 5 star.  So in fact based on real data and testing, the difference in rollover risk between a Mustang and a Fusion is bigger than that between a Fusion and an Escape.  I'm not going to suggest that the Escape is really equally likely to roll as a Fusion, but what I'm saying is the difference is really negligible and not worth basing your entire vehicle purchase decision over.  If you really are stuck on this concept, then why aren''t you driving a Mustang?  That would be far safer than your Fusion.

[Waldo]

18 hours ago, MeeLee said:

I only hope they will address the 4 weaknesses of the fusion hybrid:

 

I hope ford engineers read this.

These issues can easily be resolved, with minimal engineering redesign (save for the pillars.. they need redesign).

 

Not sure why you think Ford engineers would care about comments made on an 8 year old design.  Although your Fusion is a 2019, the stuff you're talking about hasn't changed since the vehicle was first released in 2013 - over 8 years ago!  Add in the design cycle time and the decisions you're talking about decisions that were likely made about 11 or 12 years ago.  In those 12 years, Ford's engineers have learned a lot and made a lot of changes.  To put that in perspective, at the time Ford engineers were putting the final touches on the FFH, they wouldn't likely have even ever seen a Tesla Model S.

 

But your point about putting the battery in the spare tire well is ridiculous.  First of all there's only about 1/4 the amount of space available in that well, so why are you asking for more battery power in a smaller space?  But secondly, putting any significant weight behind the rear axle is a very bad idea for vehicle dynamics.   While technically it does "balance" the weight distribution, the moment of inertia it creates would completely ruin the handling balance.  Think early Porsche 911 or Chevy Corvair.  But lastly, the idea that a battery in the spare well would be safer makes me laugh.  The area behind the rear wheels is a crush zone.  It's designed to absorb the energy in a rear crash before it gets to the critical components like the fuel tank and battery.  So even if the battery doesn't explode in a rear crash (which would be far, far more likely), the fact that it would just directly pass all that energy through to the main structure of the vehicle and then the occupants means you'd have significantly higher rates of injuries.

[MeeLee]

While I'd agree with the crumple zone comment, the rest I far from agree with!

 

One being, if engineers learned so much, why was a 2019 model even being manufactured without upgrades to the weaknesses? 

 

Two, explain exactly how the 'handling balance is affected?

 

Three, the spare wheel well can be removed, and the battery installed occupying the entire bottom of the trunk. Not just the wheel well.

 

Four, batteries will just short circuit when the positive terminals touch the body frame of a car. They certainly won't electrocute or charge the car frame. With a good design, any flames from exploding batteries will be routed out and downward, not in the cabin, like with current design.

 

Oh, and I forgot to mention, how easy it is to switch the dial from reverse to park by mistake...

[Sky14FFH]

On 5/17/2021 at 8:59 AM, Waldo said:

Things like stability control, suspension tuning and even tire compounding all go into the designs

Sounds like trying to cram square pegs into round holes.  Just make cars instead.

 

On 5/17/2021 at 8:59 AM, Waldo said:

I'm not going to suggest that the Escape is really equally likely to roll as a Fusion

No doubt the escape is far more likely to roll.  SUVs aren't just dangerous to their occupants, they are dangerous to other motorists, pedestrians and are slower driving.  It has nothing to do with point and shoot, it has to do with being able to get around town and parking lots more quickly while running multiple tasks.  They are slower around corners.   Always takes longer than in a small car.  There's also the poor fuel economy and the fact they obstruct vision of the road ahead to drivers behind you.  They are just too unsafe.  To my knowledge even Shia LaBeouf lost his thumb in a rollover accident when his truck was t-boned by a redlight runner, and he has been mentally unstable every since.  It'll do that to you.

 

On 5/17/2021 at 8:59 AM, Waldo said:

  If you really are stuck on this concept, then why aren''t you driving a Mustang?  That would be far safer than your Fusion.

It's not just crash test and roll over likelihood that keeps you safe, it is also ease of control and maneuverability or in other words keeping out of accidents. I test drove a mustang and it was very awkward to drive.  The laid back seating position makes visibility terrible, not that the fusion is that great.  I'd much rather have a Focus or Fiesta ST.

Oh well after owning Fords all my life these will be my last American ones I'll ever own.  If I were to get an SUV like car it would be a Subaru or a Toyota Rav4 which gets more power and better gas mileage.

Besides, SUVs are UGLY AF and I have no mind to be a clone of everyone else.  If I was interested in that, I'd start wearing leggings. 
 

Edited May 19, 2021 by Sky14FFH

[Waldo]

18 hours ago, MeeLee said:

While I'd agree with the crumple zone comment, the rest I far from agree with!

 

One being, if engineers learned so much, why was a 2019 model even being manufactured without upgrades to the weaknesses? 

 

Two, explain exactly how the 'handling balance is affected?

 

Three, the spare wheel well can be removed, and the battery installed occupying the entire bottom of the trunk. Not just the wheel well.

 

Four, batteries will just short circuit when the positive terminals touch the body frame of a car. They certainly won't electrocute or charge the car frame. With a good design, any flames from exploding batteries will be routed out and downward, not in the cabin, like with current design.

 

Oh, and I forgot to mention, how easy it is to switch the dial from reverse to park by mistake...

 

1.  Money.  It costs a lot of money to make changes, especially the major ones you're talking about.  Like hundreds of millions of dollars.  And for a car that didn't make any profit, why would any business do that??  Plus not all the things you consider "weaknesses" are problems for everyone else.

 

2.  Polar moment of inertia.  Google it.  Some guy wrote a book about it, I think his name was Nader.

 

3.  If you remove the spare wheel well, what will crumple in a crash?  The battery certainly won't.  BTW my spare wheel well has a spare wheel in it (didn't come from the factory like that though).  Also it would cost millions and millions of dollars to make the floor different on a hybrid Fusion compared with the regular gas Fusion.

 

4.  I'm not talking about the electric implications of the battery entering the cabin, I'm taking about the physical mass of the battery being pushed forward and causing the cabin to crumple.  Basically there will be nothing to absorb the energy of a rear impact and thus that energy gets passed directly to the occupants, increasing injuries.

 

 

[Sky14FFH]

21 hours ago, MeeLee said:

One being, if engineers learned so much, why was a 2019 model even being manufactured without upgrades to the weaknesses? 

If the engineers had the slightest clue what they were doing they wouldn't have had put such enormous grills in the front end that prevent the engine from getting up to operating temperature in sub 15 degree weather enough to even warm the cabin. Instead they sloppily put leaky louvers in and still thought it was a good idea to use conventional heating to heat the interior.  I think even the prius engineers knew that if the engine doesn't run all the time it isn't going to heat up and put electric heating in instead.  

[Sky14FFH]

delete

Edited May 19, 2021 by Sky14FFH

[Waldo]

1 hour ago, Sky14FFH said:

If the engineers had the slightest clue what they were doing they wouldn't have had put such enormous grills in the front end that prevent the engine from getting up to operating temperature in sub 15 degree weather enough to even warm the cabin. Instead they sloppily put leaky louvers in and still thought it was a good idea to use conventional heating to heat the interior.  I think even the prius engineers knew that if the engine doesn't run all the time it isn't going to heat up and put electric heating in instead.  

 

You mean like the Fusion Energi has?

[Sky14FFH]

On 5/16/2021 at 2:52 PM, MeeLee said:

1- The weak electric electric motor.

The 40hp motor is barely powerful enough to brake with only a driver in the car, let alone with passengers. I constantly lose energy by needing the brake pads.

I'm not sure what you mean by that. Is it the motor that doubles as the re-generator?  I get 80% to 100% brake regeneration score most of the braking time. 
[I just changed my rear pads where to my knowledge there is no regeneration.  This was after 70,000 miles.  I thought that was pretty good.  $24 for premium pads on sale at rockauto.  Used the borrowed tool kit from Autozone.  Easiest brake job I ever did.  I was actually impressed with the simplicity of the rear suspension too.]

  The only time I get down to 46-56% is when a light turns red. 
Are you sure you aren't following too close?  If I recall from the state manual you need to keep at least a 2 second follow time from the car in front of you simply to stop safely in dry conditions.  3 second in rain and 4-5 in snow.   I usually try to keep about 3 seconds.  Even though it has enough go this isn't a sports car.  More like a just chillen car to me which combined with its quietness has been the most relaxing car I've ever driven.

On 5/16/2021 at 2:52 PM, MeeLee said:

he 40hp motor (limited to 20HP under electric driving), is barely able to accelerate to 25 normally

I agree with you.  However, I've actually been able to get up to a full 55mph in just chillen mode in the electric motor.  I get up to 40 all the time in just electric.  However, it seems to drain the battery more.  To my knowledge in automatic cars the best fuel economy is had when you accelerate briskly (not fast) up to speed and let off the gas and then with our hybrids that's when you enter electric mode.  I accelerate in a manner that is both brisk and regenerating the battery. I've gotten 700 miles to the tank and a lot of 600 mile tanks.  I'm headed for a 600 mile tank now.  I've also been able to squeeze out about 2.5 to 3 miles all electric on country roads going about 50-58 (speed limit 55) and maybe about a 1 1/4miles at 70-75mph. (keep meditating on that foot pressure and keep an eye on the bar in Empowerment Mode. I sometimes drive (ie. taxi) all the way home on electric taking the back streets at 25mph with the final leg in ev+. This nets me about 100mpg according to the computer when I shut off the car.  It's much more chill and scenic taking the back way too.

 

On 5/16/2021 at 2:52 PM, MeeLee said:

2- The short electric range:

I agree.  And worst of all is the amount of space the battery pack takes in the trunk.  They've killed the fusion now so maybe this all pointless to say but the batteries need to be integrated into the chassis like in other makes. The fusion also needs to be a hatchback like the Mondeos in the UK are to maximize utility space and make the fusion something you can sleep in.  With bedbugs and exorbitant cost of motels/hotels in the US, some of us just want to be able to sleep in our cars on a cross country trip till we reach our destination. There are a LOT of people doing that these days actually with YouTube howtos on the Prius plentiful.  This used to be a focus on cars back in the 80s when I was a kid.  

On 5/16/2021 at 2:52 PM, MeeLee said:

(I don't think it'll survive much beyond 100-150k miles, leaving FFH owners stranded with a 2 liter ice car at higher mileages.

Well that's not true.  Plenty of +200,000 mile hybrid owners out there including PTJones here. My neighbor has a 2006 hybrid camry with over 300k on the clock and his battery works strong.  However, those didn't get as good fuel economy as the newer FFH.  He gets about 38 which he is happy with.

On 5/16/2021 at 2:52 PM, MeeLee said:

that's enough space for 1 person luggage. 2 large suitcases don't fit the trunk!

Hmm I'm not so sure about that.  I got one huge suitcase, one carry on suitcase, a cooler and a 5 gallon Coleman water tank in the back of the fusion with plenty of space in one of the rear passenger seats for another person on a 2 person three day country crossing with plenty of space up on the shelf for incidentals.  The battery pack is still a real pain though.

On 5/16/2021 at 2:52 PM, MeeLee said:

Moving the battery to the wheel well, is also a great idea in case of a fire.

I think I was just watching something on an all electric car where they did just that and totally agree with you. It could have been Charlie and Ewan's Long Way Up in the Plymouth, Michigan made Rivian EV trucks or in a car SupercarBlondy was reviewing. 

 

On 5/16/2021 at 2:52 PM, MeeLee said:

4- The front and rear a, c, (and perhaps the new model's d) pillars, that are exactly in the spot where one needs to see oncoming traffic. It's my biggest gripe about the FFH.

YES!!  The pillars are far too thick and block too much view of the road.  They can be made just as strong without all the trim wrapped around them. The lack of visibility in the fusion is really scary actually, which is why I drive very mildly in it.  You can't have a stiff neck in this car. You have to crane your head back and forth to make sure absolutely no one is in the lane next to you when changing.  (my Explorer was worse - but I changed my driving habits in that being an SUV).
The best solution to all this is to raise the seat up to a higher position. 
5- I'll add no where to comfortably rest your left leg. The false pedal is no good. I always have my foot resting on the small rise in front of the seat with my knee resting against the arm rest.  Being in a constantly stretched out position may look good for a crash test dummy but it isn't comfortable.  We need our legs raised.

On 5/16/2021 at 2:52 PM, MeeLee said:

I hope ford engineers read this.

Don't get your hopes up too high.  Lots of the engineers are millennials now and think they have known all about there is to life since age 20.  You can't tell them anything.  There's one on this forum (ehem).  As it is said, "They 'know' (ie. can access a lot of info) so much but understand so little."

Edited May 29, 2021 by Sky14FFH

[MeeLee]

1- The electric motor works well in braking slowly, when using the empty car and just the driver.
Once you have to brake normally (like most cars do), the regen isn't enough on the Hybrid. 
Not sure if the Energi can brake better, since it has a bigger battery, and thus can absorb the braking energy better.

Once you have 1 or 2 passengers, forget about ever hitting 90% braking efficiency. The brake pads always NEED to aid the motor, because the motor just isn't enough; defeating the purpose of regen!

 

Not to mention 4 to 5 people and luggage, the motor is completely useless, with braking efficiency of below 50%!

It's far from acceptable!

Red light, stop signs, speed bumps. We see them all in abundance here, and hitting 80+ on regen while not raging out the driver behind me, is impossible!
While it's perfectly possible to just drive slower, I think the 40HP motor would have worked in 1980's to 1990's cars. Not today, where time is of the essence, and people are used to accelerate and brake more briskly.

An 80HP motor for regen, is the way to go for a Prius, thus should be the minimum for the FFH.
Heck, Honda uses 2 motors, the main motor, and a generator; and each can be used in parallel with one another to aid braking or acceleration.
Their generator is tiny. About 1/3rd the size of the FFH motor. Probably a true 20HP motor/generator; but it also rotates a lot faster.

 

2- The electric motor actually can do 60-62MPH at 20HP. That is, if you are already cruising at ~60MPH. But it's totally useless to propel the car beyond 50-55 without running out of battery.
The battery is also too small to maintain 60MPH for long.
Driving at anything above 55MPH makes no sense, as you'd be using up a charge in seconds (like literally less than a minute).

This only causes much faster wear to the battery, which is what I'm trying to prevent.

I was actually amazed at how little power the motor needed for speeds between 15-25MPH. Like literally 2-4HP. And cruising at that speed, one could spend minutes on electric alone!
For that, I'm really thankful to Ford. The Energi would have been the better car for sure, but also is more expensive.

At speeds between 55 and 65-70MPH, the engine and motor switching out between themselves, is really irritating.
I would consider it battery wear for nothing!
I'd have to keep my foot perfectly still, and not move it a millimeter, for the engine to maintain running at 70MPH.
With the CVT gear ratio, anything above 60MPH is best done on the engine, preferably 70-80MPH where it gets nearly identical MPG.

And the electric motor really should be turned off above anything above 60MPH, save for on a downhill.

 

Another thing I dislike, is that at speeds below 30MPH, when the battery is empty, the engine kicks in.
It's nearly impossible to keep the car at below 30MPH on the ICE engine!
It wants to slowly accelerate to about 40-45MPH, with the throttle open to the minimum.
Once the car accelerates beyond 30-35MPH, I'm forced to release the throttle a bit, causing the electric motor to activate.
But without having enough charge in the battery, that motor shuts down quickly, and the engine starts again, doing the whole thing over again!

I bought slightly fatter (taller sidewall) tires. Instead of 225 50 R17, I went with 235 50 R17.
An increase of about 1.5% larger diameter.
Hopefully this will somewhat tax the engine (by 1.5% more; ~1/3rd of an inch larger diameter), by lowering torque,  and also lowers road noise.
If I'm not happy, my next tire will be a 225 55 R17 (0.8 inch/3%) difference.

 

38MPG is basically what the 2.0 atkinson engine gets by itself. Look at the Hyundai Elantra using the same engine design. Gets ~36MPG average (up to 45MPG on the highway).

The battery in this case is totally toast, and only good enough to kickstart the engine.

 

3- The trunk compartment really only carries a large suitcase, and a small one.
As a driver, I have a 1ft cube container in my trunk, that hosts all the gear I'm lugging for myself, including tire airpump, cleaning gear, masks, etc... 
Because of the shape of the trunk, I can at best, add 2 more backpacks to a large suitcase + handluggage.

The back part of the trunk does host 2x medium suitcases.
But most passengers I pick up from the airport carry a large and small suitcase per person.
That means, one large suitcase has to go in the front seat. Not ideal.

Also, if the small suitcase is packed too full, it won't fit on top of the battery. Something with the metal bar protecting the trunk hood? Not sure...

4- The battery really needs to be mounted lower, and away from the interior of the car and gas tank.
In case of a fire, there needs to be a firewall (insulator sheet) protecting the cabin, so that fire will blow out from underneath the car, rather than in the trunk.

When removing the trunk wheel well, will offer plenty of space for the battery pack.
At the very least, the battery can be placed lower, and only halfway in the trunk, still allowing for a crumple zone.
At the same time, if the battery lowers by just a mere 3 to 5 inches, hand luggage can be stacked vertically, and the trunk would be able to fit 1 large, and 3x small suitcases (plus my 1^3 ft toolbox).

 

5- Being an Uber/Lyft driver, the left footrest is a bit too angled for me. It hurts my foot, keeping it tilted up so high for so long.
I did add a rubber carpet under it, so my foot will be slightly less back tilted.
But even then, my knee starts hurting after 10-12 hours of the same position.
Believe it or not, but I found that I can stretch my leg, by placing the left foot BEHIND the brake pedal.
Seems unsafe, but it isn't!
I can still fully depress the brake pedal, but also have my left foot rest behind it!

Thank you FORD!

 

A new issue has come up, and now I understand why not so many people like FORD.
They're complaining about low profit margins, but I just had to change my cabin and engine air filter, and what the heck was that all about?

6 screws for the engine filter?
Why would they go with that ridiculous design of a filter? Why not use the 6 cylinder engine air filter? It's not only cheaper, but the design comes with clips.
Most cars, engine air filter swap is minutes. This was 5 minutes.
And then the interior cabin air filter was a disaster, peeling off half the front dashboard to get to it?
Like W T F?

They should have used the Fiesta's design, which is the design of almost all cars.
Which is, just open the glove compartment, and at the back there should be access to the filter.
Not peel off 2 panels, lose or break those damn plastic clips, and unscrew 4 screws where of 2 of them are in a very difficult to reach spot... ???
Damn you FORD!

Edited May 29, 2021 by MeeLee

[Sky14FFH]

12 hours ago, MeeLee said:

Once you have 1 or 2 passengers, forget about ever hitting 90% braking efficiency.

Hmm something is amiss.  I get it almost all the time and am almost always with a passenger, except iike when I said, sudden red lights. (how could a 120lb passenger make such a big difference on a 3500lb car?)  This is according to the brake coach.  I'm also real accustomed to when the lights turn red. Like the flashing orange crosswalk sign is a giveaway for me to let off the gas a 1/4 mile away knowing the yellow will come soon.

 

12 hours ago, MeeLee said:

Driving at anything above 55MPH makes no sense, as you'd be using up a charge in seconds (like literally less than a minute).

Hmm again something is amiss. Well it isn't easy but it isn't hard either.  I've spent 5 minutes in electric mode cruising back streets at 25mph.   I'll reverify this just so it doesn't seem like I am exaggerating.  Have you had any hypermiler self-training in the past 14 or so years?  Visit Ecomodder's website.  Are you using the Empower screen on the left?

 

12 hours ago, MeeLee said:

I was actually amazed at how little power the motor needed for speeds between 15-25MPH

Oh yeah that's what I usually do.  Start from a stop in electric to about 20-25 and then put the pedal down for a brisk acceleration to desired speed and then let off to let the electric take over again.  Just today on the way back from carry out computer said I got 60mpg.

 

12 hours ago, MeeLee said:

It wants to slowly accelerate to about 40-45MPH, with the throttle open to the minimum.

I'd have to experience what your car is doing to see what you mean.

The only thing I do not like is when BOTH the electric motor (battery draining) and regular motor are moving the car at the same time. I'd rather the ICE be charging the battery if it is on as well as using the shared energy to propel the car

12 hours ago, MeeLee said:

I'd have to keep my foot perfectly still, and not move it a millimeter, for the engine to maintain running at 70MPH.

I just use cruise control in eco mode and let the car figure it out.  I'm sure I could do better hypermiling but it takes too much mental energy and I'd rather just keep my eye on the road

 

12 hours ago, MeeLee said:

preferably 70-80MPH where it gets nearly identical MPG.

According to the computer and scangauge yeah, but I wonder how much of that is real life or just maybe a weird glitch.   I'm amazed when I am running at 66 miles per hour and getting over 50mpg while the battery is regenerating according to the computer.  It seems like an awesome sweet spot but is that really what it is getting?  I somehow doubt it.  I always get worse fuel economy on the freeway.

 

12 hours ago, MeeLee said:

I bought slightly fatter (taller sidewall) tires. Instead of 225 50 R17, I went with 235 50 R17.

 

Word to the wise.  Stick with the OEM Energy Savers and you can't go wrong.  Herein could be the source of your problems.

12 hours ago, MeeLee said:

Also, if the small suitcase is packed too full, it won't fit on top of the battery. Something with the metal bar protecting the trunk hood?

Yeah that's totally why it needs to come in hatchback form like the Mondeo. Oh well that ship sailed.

 

12 hours ago, MeeLee said:

The battery really needs to be mounted lower,

100% with you there.

 

12 hours ago, MeeLee said:

At the same time, if the battery lowers by just a mere 3 to 5 inches, hand luggage can be stacked vertically

I've actually gotten 2 bikes in the back with some struggle and after taking the front wheels off.  Scratched the left side passenger door trim with a pedal once though.

Sure would be nice to get 2 bikes in easily without removing any wheels.  But that damn battery shelf and rear window/trunk bar.

 

12 hours ago, MeeLee said:

But even then, my knee starts hurting after 10-12 hours of the same position.

Oh I believe you.  I almost always drive with my left leg up though.

12 hours ago, MeeLee said:

6 screws for the engine filter?

I dunno I thought that was kinda easy.  The cabin filter easy enough to do too, but a bit of an unnecessary added struggle.  Remember I do my own brakes and on my other car have done tie rods, struts, valve cover gasket etc.

12 hours ago, MeeLee said:

Most cars, engine air filter swap is minutes. This was 5 minutes.

Not my old car.  It's a fiddle too, getting the clips off the cold air intake and struggling with the K&N - cleaning it, drying it and reoiling it.  At least it does its job according to the scangauge and the air intake temperature sensor matches the outside air temperature when moving.

 

12 hours ago, MeeLee said:

Which is, just open the glove compartment, and at the back there should be access to the filter.

Yeah that would make sense, but I'm careful and as far as hardness level from 1-10 I give it a 3 or 4 where changing the spark plugs and oil is a 2 and refilling the coolant and window washer fluid a .5.

 

12 hours ago, MeeLee said:

Damn you FORD!

Yeah, damn you Ford.  Why do the British and Europeans get all the fun?  Bring those cars here and you'll do well.

 

 

 

Edited May 30, 2021 by Sky14FFH