FFH Long Time Road Test

[Howie411]

http://www.insideline.com/ford/fusion-hybrid/2010/2010-ford-fusion-hybrid-long-term-road-test.html

[lolder]

Car of the year at the Detroit Auto Show: http://money.cnn.com/2010/01/11/autos/ford_car_truck_of_year/index.htm

[Bigkart]

I now have over 15,000 miles on mine. Took delivery in March 2009. The only thing I don't like ("LOVE") about it is that it is hard to tell if the road is slick due to isolated steering feedback and CVT that "slips" when you give it gas. If it were a lock-up torque converter in an automatic, you'd know that if the engine revs up and you don't speed up, your wheels are spinning. Same with manual. But with CVT, you can't tell squat!

 

Due to that same issue, I think I could get better road mileage with a lock-up torque converter. This thing "gears down" when going up the slightest hill. I dunno, maybe that's more efficient, but I watch the mileage meter drop down to "unacceptable" range, and it gets to me.

 

Winter mileage (Indy) is 33 or so (calculated), but that's primarily due to the need for a heat source. Turn off the heater, and mileage is almost like summer. But I LIKE heat...

 

Bob

[lolder]

The rpm increases because the ICE is always running at a very high percentage of the torque available at that rpm. The traction motor gives the instantaneous acceleration and the eCVT quickly ups the rpm for the additional power needed. A 6 speed auto tranny with a lock up torque converter has probably less losses but it's much more difficult to have a parallel hybrid and regenerative braking with that. There are losses with the EV system and eCVT control that they are working on. The eCVT system and EV components are the simplest for a hybrid. Going up a hill costs more with all vehicles. The eCVT is never slipping.

[bill77ocean]

The rpm increases because the ICE is always running at a very high percentage of the torque available at that rpm. The traction motor gives the instantaneous acceleration and the eCVT quickly ups the rpm for the additional power needed. A 6 speed auto tranny with a lock up torque converter has probably less losses but it's much more difficult to have a parallel hybrid and regenerative braking with that. There are losses with the EV system and eCVT control that they are working on. The eCVT system and EV components are the simplest for a hybrid. Going up a hill costs more with all vehicles. The eCVT is never slipping.

i kinda wonder about this "slipping" thing to in my FFH, there doesnt appear to be a passing speed mode on this eCVT, the engine on mine tacks up to 6k RPM, but is not converting to acceleration right away, kind of a lag when getting on it to me..

[Oman]

The software is designed to get the ICE up to the target RPM as fast as possible so it mostly has the torque from the main traction motor when you tromp on it until it hits the proper rpm. When you are used to a geared transmission that will put out the torque earlier in the cycle it will feel like something is slipping. Essentially you hear the ICE starting to rev without actually having the "feel" of the associated acceleration at the exact same time. Then when the ICE is near the desired RPM the eCVT will start to resist and the torque from the ICE will be applied to the wheels, joining the power already being put there from the HVB. This feels like a sudden "grab" after the "slip".

 

The eCVT is actually extremely efficient, more so than a standard CVT. The only loss is in the fact that when the eCVT is converting RPM to Torque (high demand) it is consuming/generating electric power that is then put back to the wheels by the main traction motor. This motion to electric power to motion conversion has loss.

 

The traction motor can consume quite a bit more power than the HVB can put out because at high load times both the HVB and eCVT are contributing electrical energy.

 

Jon

 

 

i kinda wonder about this "slipping" thing to in my FFH, there doesnt appear to be a passing speed mode on this eCVT, the engine on mine tacks up to 6k RPM, but is not converting to acceleration right away, kind of a lag when getting on it to me..