My parents got their Energi

[hybridbear]

Their Energi arrived on the 26th and they picked it up on the 27th. Tomorrow I'm going to go over to their house & hopefully my dad & I will be able to do the clay bar & Zaino treatment on it

 

 

Edited June 29, 2013 by hybridbear

[acdii]

Nice. I'm sure you will show them how to get the best out of it!

[GrySql]

I know you helped them with the idea of purchasing it, now it will be fun to share it's potential.

That is a very nice color for that body style, all it needs is a Sharkfin!

[hybridbear]

I know you helped them with the idea of purchasing it, now it will be fun to share it's potential.

That is a very nice color for that body style, all it needs is a Sharkfin!

Nice. I'm sure you will show them how to get the best out of it!

My dad and I went for a drive to run errands yesterday and he let me drive. I got over 150 MPGe driving around the city, with the air conditioning on!! One of the nicest things is that the electric motors aren't penalized by short trips having to warm up like the ICE in the hybrid. They've driven about 150 miles since the 27th and have used less than 1 gallon of gas.

 

I installed their 240V charger yesterday and put leather conditioner on the seats. Next step is Zaino sometime within the next few weeks.

 

Here are some more pics

 

 

[acdii]

Funny, I saw the plate just as I started to eat one.

[hybridbear]

Best Energi gas mileage trip in the few days I drove it. EPA city mileage is 108 MPGe out the wall which equates to about 144 MPGe according to the car's display on the dash due to charging losses. From Friday to Sunday that I drove I averaged about 144 MPGe using AC most of the weekend. I loved driving it and I wish I got to drive it every day!

 

Edited July 9, 2013 by hybridbear

[acdii]

Well, trade your Fusion with them :)

[GrySql]

You say they have only used 1 gallon since the 27th?

That will be the first car I've heard of that needs gas conditioner additive so the fuel doesn't go skunk before they use a tank.

 

I'd like that problem... :)

[hybridbear]

You say they have only used 1 gallon since the 27th?

That will be the first car I've heard of that needs gas conditioner additive so the fuel doesn't go skunk before they use a tank.

 

I'd like that problem... :)

Yes. They hopefully will be able to go months without buying gas. There isn't a single day of the week that they'll consistently use any gas, it's only on the occasions where their trips are enough all at once to take them more than 25 miles in a day.

[hybridbear]

I've been curious to see how high I could get the MPGe on the Energi in comparison to the FFH. On the route from our apartment to their house I consistently get about 64 MPG in the FFH. I hypothesized that I could get 175 MPGe in the Energi on that same drive. Over the weekend I got the chance to try it.

 

From their house to our apartment

 

From our apartment to their house

 

After seeing that going to their house was lower I went back and looked at my old pics of trips here and I discovered that I average 62.5 MPG going to their house long-term and 66.0 coming home. This matches with the fact that there's a slight elevation change. The graph below shows our house on the left and their house on the right.

 

Another thing that was interesting is that the Energi showed more Regen miles. I don't know if this is because the computer calculates regen miles differently or if the Energi actually is able to regen more energy than the hybrid. I typically average 1.3 regen miles with no difference based on direction whereas the Energi showed more than 2 miles from regen each way.

 

This may not be of much interest to anyone else but I found it quite interesting and I wish we had an Energi!

Edited July 22, 2013 by hybridbear

[acdii]

Doesnt the Energi run a ICE cycle occasionally to circulate the gas and oil? I thought I read that in the manual.

[hybridbear]

Doesnt the Energi run a ICE cycle occasionally to circulate the gas and oil? I thought I read that in the manual.

If you go more than 9 months without using up your gas tank it will force hybrid mode until only 1 gallon is left. That's called "Fuel Freshness Mode". Then there's also "Oil Maintenance Mode" which will make the ICE run so the oil doesn't break down from long periods of inactivity. The OM doesn't specify what makes the oil mode happen.

[murphy]

It's 18 months, not 9 months for the Fusion Energi. See page 158 in the Owner's Manual. If fuel is added to the tank the fuel freshness data is recalculated.

[rfruth]

0.0 used :victory:

[hybridbear]

It's 18 months, not 9 months for the Fusion Energi. See page 158 in the Owner's Manual. If fuel is added to the tank the fuel freshness data is recalculated.

You're correct about adding fuel resetting the clock. The C-Max Energi Manual states 9 months on page 189. Interesting that they're different. It states that adding 1 gal stops Fuel Freshness Mode and that adding as many gallons as are remaining in the tank will disable Fuel Freshness Mode for a maximum of 9 more months.

[hybridbear]

So my parents had to finally put gas in their Energi. The first tank lasted them just over 2200 miles and just a few days shy of 3 full months. Using the spreadsheet created by an Energi Forum user which I then tweaked we calculated that the Energi is adding about $25/month to their electric bill. Over the course of those 2200 miles they saved about $290 compared to what it would have cost to put gas in the 300M that the Energi replaced and over $320 compared to driving their Nissan Murano for those 2200 miles. They still drive the Murano a lot more than I would because they like the larger vehicle for longer trips and trips where they know they'll be carrying passengers. Even if they're only going to have one other person with them they often choose to take the Murano because they say the back seat of the Energi is too small and that they don't want to make people sit back there.

[djminfll]

So my parents had to finally put gas in their Energi. The first tank lasted them just over 2200 miles and just a few days shy of 3 full months. Using the spreadsheet created by an Energi Forum user which I then tweaked we calculated that the Energi is adding about $25/month to their electric bill. Over the course of those 2200 miles they saved about $290 compared to what it would have cost to put gas in the 300M that the Energi replaced and over $320 compared to driving their Nissan Murano for those 2200 miles. They still drive the Murano a lot more than I would because they like the larger vehicle for longer trips and trips where they know they'll be carrying passengers. Even if they're only going to have one other person with them they often choose to take the Murano because they say the back seat of the Energi is too small and that they don't want to make people sit back there.

That is AMAZING, going 3 months without having to refill the gas tank! Maybe they should have gotten the Fusion Energi instead of the CMax - back seat is comfortable, I think the ride is better on a long trip, and they'd probably be getting the same or better mpge, right?

Edited September 30, 2013 by djminfll

[hybridbear]

That is AMAZING, going 3 months without having to refill the gas tank! Maybe they should have gotten the Fusion Energi instead of the CMax - back seat is comfortable, I think the ride is better on a long trip, and they'd probably be getting the same or better mpge, right?

The Fusion is too low to the ground. They were shopping for a crossover/small SUV before I suggested the C-Max. They were skeptical that it would be too low to the ground until I measured the height of the seats in their Murano and measured the height of the C-Max seats at the dealer and could show them that the C-Max seats sit only 1.5 inches lower than the Murano. The biggest reason why they were getting rid of the 300M was that my mom couldn't get in and out of it anymore because it sat too low to the ground so my dad had been the only one using it for more than a year, and only using it when he was going somewhere alone. It was also getting increasingly harder for him to bend his knees sharply and climb out of it with his arthritis so they needed a change. A few times he has rode with me in the FFH and he's groaned about climbing in and out of it. My mom is 67 and my dad will be 69 in a few months and so comfort was their first priority.

Edited September 30, 2013 by hybridbear

[djminfll]

The Fusion is too low to the ground. They were shopping for a crossover/small SUV before I suggested the C-Max. They were skeptical that it would be too low to the ground until I measured the height of the seats in their Murano and measured the height of the C-Max seats at the dealer and could show them that the C-Max seats sit only 1.5 inches lower than the Murano. The biggest reason why they were getting rid of the 300M was that my mom couldn't get in and out of it anymore because it sat too low to the ground so my dad had been the only one using it for more than a year, and only using it when he was going somewhere alone. It was also getting increasingly harder for him to bend his knees sharply and climb out of it with his arthritis so they needed a change. A few times he has rode with me in the FFH and he's groaned about climbing in and out of it. My mom is 67 and my dad will be 69 in a few months and so comfort was their first priority.

I guess everyone is different - my dad is 86, drives a Prius, and he says that getting in and out of my FFH is easier than anything else he rides in. But I know what you're talking about, comfort is always his first priority too.

[hybridbear]

I guess everyone is different - my dad is 86, drives a Prius, and he says that getting in and out of my FFH is easier than anything else he rides in. But I know what you're talking about, comfort is always his first priority too.

Yes, everyone is different. For my parents the height of the chair off the ground is a big concern for both of them, not just in cars but when out and about too. For me I found the C-Max with its higher seat to be less comfortable. Since I'm tall (6'3) I like a lower seat that's farther away from the pedals so that the angle of my knee bend is less. Higher seats that then put you closer to the pedals are very uncomfortable for me. One of the vehicles my parents found to be most comfortable for them was their 2007 Dodge Caravan. I found that car to be incredibly uncomfortable for me because I could never get far enough away from the pedals so my knee and ankle were always bent in an awkward way and would hurt after driving it. I find the same thing in their Murano. My parents are both shorter than me but not short (5'9 & 5'10) so while many older ones who are short (5'6 or less) like smaller cars for their comfort my parents like a car that's higher off the ground.

[djminfll]

Yes, everyone is different. For my parents the height of the chair off the ground is a big concern for both of them, not just in cars but when out and about too. For me I found the C-Max with its higher seat to be less comfortable. Since I'm tall (6'3) I like a lower seat that's farther away from the pedals so that the angle of my knee bend is less. Higher seats that then put you closer to the pedals are very uncomfortable for me. One of the vehicles my parents found to be most comfortable for them was their 2007 Dodge Caravan. I found that car to be incredibly uncomfortable for me because I could never get far enough away from the pedals so my knee and ankle were always bent in an awkward way and would hurt after driving it. I find the same thing in their Murano. My parents are both shorter than me but not short (5'9 & 5'10) so while many older ones who are short (5'6 or less) like smaller cars for their comfort my parents like a car that's higher off the ground.

Absolutely correct, my dad was only 5'6" when he was younger, but he's shrinking, so now he's probably only about 5'4"!

[acdii]

I have to agree with your parents on the Cmax too. I found that you dont climb in the Cmax, you sit in it, and step out of it. Getting in and out was like stepping out a door. I liked the Cmax, but preferred the Fusion. Now if the Flex were a Hybrid........... I prefer that over all of them.

[JATR4]

The Fusion is too low to the ground. They were shopping for a crossover/small SUV before I suggested the C-Max. They were skeptical that it would be too low to the ground until I measured the height of the seats in their Murano and measured the height of the C-Max seats at the dealer and could show them that the C-Max seats sit only 1.5 inches lower than the Murano. The biggest reason why they were getting rid of the 300M was that my mom couldn't get in and out of it anymore because it sat too low to the ground so my dad had been the only one using it for more than a year, and only using it when he was going somewhere alone. It was also getting increasingly harder for him to bend his knees sharply and climb out of it with his arthritis so they needed a change. A few times he has rode with me in the FFH and he's groaned about climbing in and out of it. My mom is 67 and my dad will be 69 in a few months and so comfort was their first priority.

Has your dad considered a knee replacement? Had two done in 1999 and that is one place on my body that never hurts. Have also had one hip replaced. Painless there also.

Edited October 2, 2013 by JATR4

[hybridbear]

Has your dad considered a knee replacement? Had two done in 1999 and that is one place on my body that never hurts. Have also had one hip replaced. Painless there also.

My mom has had both knees replaced and one hip. The surgeries reduced her pain but didn't make it any easier to get in and out of the low to the ground car. My dad doesn't have knee pain, just limited flexibility as he's gotten older. Perhaps in the future he'll need surgery too, but not right now. Glad that your surgery has gotten rid of your knee/hip pain.