HannahWCU

If I remember right when I had my scangauge hooked up, it burns about 0.65GPM. The CMax doesn't actually idle when it cuts on to charge the battery, I think it runs at around 1900 RPM while charging (if the ICE is warm). Someone might correct me on this. I am doing this from memory and my memory isn't what it use to be.

As Paul states, water temperature (WT) is VERY important. I have used a scangauge to monitor WT When it is cold outside (as in below freezing), I can drive 30 miles to work and never see the temp above 180F. I covered 75% of my grill with Lexan covers (I made myself) and see the temp go over 200 and stay there most of my drive. As for getting too hot, I drove with the grill covers up Old Fort on I-40 near Asheville, NC (a 6%+ grade for 6+ miles) outside temperature was in the mid 50's and the highest temp I got was 218F. So as long as you don't leave them on in the dead of summer you should be alright. As for exactly how much additional MPG you will get with grill covers, I can't give an exact answer, but I would guess it's worth 5-10%. One of the main reasons I did it was to get faster and better cabin heat. The car heats up MUCH faster and stays there longer with the heat on.

I agree with this, but now having the opportunity to drive both back to back (I now own a 2014 Ford Focus Electric), The focus handles MUCH better. I think this is mostly due to the focus being lower overall and the driver sitting much lower. I can comfortably take corners at a much higher speed in the focus than in the CMax. Of course both cars could have the same cornering ability, but the higher stance in the CMax alerts my internal "oh CRAP" meter much sooner than in the focus. :shift:

I agree with Plus3 with the fact that this discuss made a right turn on preconditioning. But I like the discussion as I have not had my FFE during the summer. As for why I precondition, for me it is because I don't currently have a level 2 charger. If I didn't precondition in the morning before I left for work, I would would use significantly more Kw getting to work. If I use too much energy I might not be able to get a full charge at home. I run the risk of getting to a point where I can't ever get a full charge (with my Level 1 charger) Currently when I precondition, I do not use (or use minimally) the heat in the car for my commute (mornings have been in the upper 20's lately). When I get to work I have used about 7.1-7.4 KW of energy. I can charge at work with a level 1 (120V). The FFE will finish charging in about 7 hours. If I run the heat on the way to work, I will not be able to get a full charge before leaving for home. If it was really cold and I ran the heat on the way home, I could get home and not be able to get a full charge overnight. Once I get more used to my car and I get Level 2 charge (next week, hopefully) This all becomes moot for me. Because no matter how much energy I use during the day I know I will be able to get a full charge at night. So for me, preconditioning is about range anxiety. I want a "full tank" before I leave on every trip. As for air conditioning. I am guessing I'm going to be like Kelleytoons and not precondition in the summer. I like running with the windows down most of the time anyway.

This is an issue I am running into. For the most part, keeping within 30 miles of my home is not a problem. I went out Saturday for a day of shopping and had no issues with driving around AND using the heater all day. Got home with about 50% charge left. That said. I would like to venture out further. Charlotte is certainly within the range (one-way) of the FFE. The problem is finding a charger near my destination. My big wish is to drive to a Carolina Panther Football game. But since I will use about 75% of my charge to get there I HAVE to charge to get home. There are plenty of chargers around the stadium, but you cannot "reserve" a space with a charger. And since I can't reserve a charger, and I don't want to be stranded, I can't drive the FFE. I tried calling the Panthers organization, but since all the parking around the stadium is private (not run by the Panthers) they cannot help. Overall though, It is working out for me. It is what I expected.

One big difference between the Leaf and Focus is the Focus has active thermal battery management. I have heard that some of the problems with the Leafs is the battery getting too hot. But you are correct. Long term range loss is still an unknown. I would have liked to have leased, but just driving back and forth to work I will put 15,000+ miles a year. Not good for leasing. In my case, I actually paid about $3000 less than a similarly equipped ICE Focus. So for me I thought I would give it a shot. We will see.

I have read that the HVAC heating in the FFE is 6000 watts (6kw). So yes, the 120V charge cord can only supply about 1560 watts (120V X 13amps) whereas the 240V cord can do the full 6.6kw (6600watts) that the on board charger is rated for. With the 240V you can charge AND pre-condition. I use the pre-conditioning to keep from running the heater on the way to work. As fotomoto said, with the seat heaters no heating is necessary.

As I stated in another thread (http://fordcmaxhybridforum.com/topic/4554-changing-vehicles/), I bought a Ford Focus Electric recently and handed down the CMax to my wife. Fotomoto wanted a quick review so here is my initial impression (with ~ 450 miles): - Much less room. For me (6'2" 300+ pounds), it is a little harder to get into and out of (than the CMax). The back does not have near the storage space of a CMax. A large part of the hatch area is taken up by the 6.6KW charger. But since I bought this a strictly a commuter and around town vehicle, not a real big deal. - Plenty of power. At least in the 0-30mph range it is quite quick. I would put it on par with the CMax for acceleration. I have never been left wishing for more. That said, it is no Tesla (not that I driven a Tesla ;) ). - Charging. Right now i only have the 120V charge cord. I have a 240V charger on order, should be delivered next week. For those that don't know, the difference between a 120v and 240V cord is the speed of the charge. The 120v cord takes 20 hours to charge a fully depleted battery, while the 240V will do the same in 4.6 hours. This isn't a big deal for me as I have not driven over 45 miles without charging. I am lucky enough to be able to charge (at 120v) at work. My 27 mile drive to work takes about 6-7 hours to recharge at work. So I have a full "tank" when I head home. - Range. The FFE is EPA rated for a 76 mile range. As I said I have not driven more than 45 miles without charging. That said, the FFE hates cold MUCH more than the CMax. But not directly because of the battery getting cold. The FFE has a Thermal Management System for the battery so it will actively heat and/or cool the battery to keep it at the optimal tremperatures. This has an adverse effect on range, as heating or cooling the battery will use part of the charge available for driving. But the biggest hit to range comes with using the cabin heater. Turning the heat on immediately reduces range by 10-11 miles!! - Cool Features. Pre-conditioning! The coolest part of an electric in my opinion is pre-conditioning. Pre-conditioning is like a pre-programmed remote start. I use MyFordMobile (app or web site) to tell my car that I will be leaving the house every morning at 6:10AM. 15 minutes before that the car turns on the heat and pre-heats the cabin to 85F. It will maintain this temp for up to 15 minutes after my "GO" time. This way the car uses the house electricity to heat the inside and not the battery (assuming it is plugged in). You have 3 pre-set temperatures to choose from when pre-conditioning (68F, 72F and 85F). Another cool feature is the Navigation system. If you program in a destination, it will tell you whether you enough charge to get there or not. If you don't program in a destination, it assumes you will be charging back at home, so it draws a circle in the nav that tells you when you have crossed the "point-of-no-return"! - Running cost. Here in NC, I'm paying about $0.11 per KW for electricity. I estimate that charging at home cost me about $0.029/mile. With gas prices hovering around $2.50/gallon here that still works out to over 86 MPG equivalent. Also, remember that there is basically NO maintenance on an electric. The first scheduled service to anything drivetrain related is at 150,000 miles (replacing the coolant for the controller). And it is direct drive. No clutches, no transmission, no oil, no air filter, no nothing (from a maintenance standpoint). And no gas pumps ... ever! Overall, I like it.

Included labor. They had to get some cash out of me somehow! ;)

I just might do that. They did replace the Spark Plug ($17). I drive it down to the beach this weekend (~300 miles) ran no different than before the issue.

Yes but downhill injector isn't firing (i.e. no gas). but to "burn up" the spark plug, I am guessing the injector was firing, just not enough fuel. Thats why it was running lean. Of course this IS a dealership, so they could just be trying to get my $$ for replacing a spark plug when not needed. The dealer told me the injector was covered under warranty, but the spark plug wasn't. Seems to me the plug should be covered due it needing replacement because of the faulty injector. but truthfully I'm not too worried about it, the plug shouldn't cost too much. Although the dealership does charge $500 to change 8 plugs on a 1997 F-150 4.6L ... so maybe I should be worried. :headscratch:

Yes, I know about the powertrain warranty, but I was thinking it was a coil. Reading the warranty information that came with the car, I read it that ignition coils are only covered for 24 months or 24,000 miles. Turns out it was a faulty injector. And since I drove it 35-40 miles, it "burned up" (the dealers words) the spark plug from running lean. I am now worried about what other possible damage I did to the cylinder from running it lean. Seems to me the car should not have let me run with a cylinder running lean OR it should have shut down the cylinder completely.

Ok, so does anyone have the full information on this TSB? Driving home tonight my CMax started running REALLY rough and started flashing the check engine light. Scangauge read code P0302. My understanding is that is a misfire in cylinder 2 (and the way it was running I believe that!). Taking it to the dealer tomorrow, but at 45k+ I'm well out of warranty so I'm wondering what the TSB is.

Yep, I always say "the best way to increase your fuel economy, is to adjust the nut behind the wheel!" :shift:

The dedicated 120V is for charging the car BEFORE I get the 240V charger. The car should pull about 12 amps by itself so you really don't want anything else plugged into the same outlet. As for the local power company (Duke Energy), they used to have programs for both the charger and the electricity rate. But they all have expired.

I joined myfocuselectric.com, so that's good. I had a 240V 14-50 outlet on a 60A breaker installed over the weekend (along with a dedicated 120V outlet). Am seriously thinking of the assembled premium JuiceBox and buying the 50A charge cord with it. (hopefully) Future proofing things! I know the juicebox is overkill, but for the price of a "standard" charger I can get the premium JuiceBox with WiFi and have a 15kwH "charger". So when I win the lottery and buy my Tesla .... ;)

Wheels very close to those Focus ST wheels ARE available in 17", but they are VERY hard to find. Those are what I really want for my CMax also. Here is a picture I took of the one's I saw. It might show up but the tire size is 215/50/17: I keep my eye on this web site. It list junkyards that have wheels from wrecked cars: http://www.car-part.com/

Good to know on the range. The car is being picked up today in Georgia and will be delivered tomorrow morning. The dealership charged it fully before it is picked up, just wondering how much charge will be left after 24 hours in sub-freezing temps. Which Forum? fordfocuselectric.com or myfocuselectric.com?

Will do! It is scheduled to be delivered Tuesday evening. I hope to drive it to work Thursday or Friday. I'll give some initial impressions and some follow-ups (if anyone is interested).

This is true. I considered the Energi when I purchased the Hybrid. But my commute is 30 miles one way, with the Energi only having 20 miles of EV range, I didn't think it fit my needs. Also, the Energi is more expensive (~$32,000 vs ~$29,000) and with incentives and tax credits the FFE works out over $8000 cheaper PLUS it has 0% for up to 60 months. I really like my CMax and know that the Focus will be alittle tight for my 6'2" 300# frame, but I have owned a Dodge Neon and 2nd Generation Saturn. So I think I can make it work. Plus $8000 is a HUGE difference.

EPA Rated for 76 miles on a full charge (and we ALL know about EPA Ratings :lol: ). For charging, my work doesn't have an actual charger, but I have access to a 120v outlet. At 120v a full charge will take 20 hours, about 4 hours on a 240v charger (which I will be installing at home in the near future). There is a Volt owner at work that drives 30 miles one way also, he says that depending on the weather, he can get a full charge (from the 30 miles used) in his work day. Since both the Volt and Focus use active thermal management systems for the battery, on cold days it will take longer to charge the battery as the car uses some electricity to keep the battery warm. But even if I don't charge at work I "should" be able to get to work and home on a single charge. As some have said on Focus Electric forums, I will need to get used to ALWAYS being almost out of fuel. Most people fill-up their gas tanks with more than 76 miles to empty. I will start every drive with that or less.

Well ... I'm making a slight change in vehicles. No not getting rid of the CMax, just handing it down to the wife. I took the big plunge and bought a Focus Electric. I couldn't pass up the deal on them currently. The one I got had an MSRP of $30,055. I had access to X-Plan pricing, so out-the-door I got a price of $30,216.50. there is currently a $4000 rebate from Ford PLUS 0% for 60 months AND you get the (up to) $7500 tax credit (no state credits here in NC :nonono: ). which will bring my net price to around $19,000. The big reason that I am doing this (besides the $$) is that my wife recently changed jobs and she went from a 5 mile to a 30+ mile drive to work. This is costing us about $60/week in fuel (she drives a 2005 Ford Escape). And I will be able to Plug the Focus in at work, So even though I have a 30 mile drive to work, I hope to save in fuel and electricity ;) . Even at <$3/gallon for gas ($2.75 in my area :thumbsup: ) we should save at least $200/month in gas, while spending less than $50 in additional electricity. So the net payment will be about $160/month. Not bad for a new car! I also did the whole deal over the phone. First time I bought a car sight unseen, and never have driven it :headscratch: . No Electrics in NC, bought mine from a dealer in GA. No way to drive an electric home from GA (unless I want to take 5 days to do it :shift: ), So I am using U-Ship to get it home. Should be here Tuesday. Wish me luck.

I wanted to add a little to this discussion. I finally remembered to take a few pictures on my mountain descent: Here I have Hill Control on. I am running 55MPH, the battery is fully charged (State of Charge 100%), ICE is engaged (4296RPM), no fuel burning (0.00GPH), and a slight charge into the battery (-1.28 AMPs). This is 1.5 miles later. Same conditions, but as you can see the car has accelerated to over 60MPH now (STEEP hill! LOL) Now where is that 1+ amps going? Well the AMPs fluctuates from +1.?? to -1.??. My assumption is that those amps are what the car uses to keep everything running (i.e. radio, fan on HVAC, electric steering, electric brakes, charging 12v battery, etc.) Anyway, just thought I would post a little more information for everyone.

I use the uncorrected Smart Gauge. I am hoping to get to 47.1 (45 on Fuelly) before the cold weather starts the downward trend.

It's mostly normal driving. For the last 2 months or so, I have taken a rural route to and from work (~29 miles each way). This route keeps my speed in the 45-55 MPH range. This had helped with MPG tremendously! Going back beyond 2 months, most of the driving was Highway, 65 MPH posted speed limit. No aero mods. Just 50psi in the tires. Last weekend I did add some grill covers, not to improve MPG, but to help keep the temperature up in the ICE. As it gets colder, my rural route runs the ICE much less than the highway route. This give me less heat on those couple of cool morning we have had here lately. I re-installed my scangage to keep an eye on the ICE temps. Before the grill covers I would drive almost 20 miles before seeing engine temps in the 190+ range. And if I ran the heat, I have seen engine temps stay below 180 for most of my drive to work.