New C-Max owner . . . don't know what I'm doing!

[frbill]

Hey DrDiesel...jus curious? Do you baby the car when in the full EV mode for the 1st 25 miles? For me, if I am in EV, I am babying, minimalist use. Ive heard the Enegi run as much as 1800+ miles on a tank because of the continual plug in charge. Amazing.

Jus,

 

I moved over to the Fusion Energi platform but I use the same skills I used in the C-max. I have been able to stretch the EV range to almost 32 miles in town. Never accelerate over 2 bars, P&G and long regen braking runs, all this I learned from you in your quest for 8-- miles. Now my quest is to never use the Hybrid Mode of my Energi(Not realistic but a guy has to have goals :rockon: )  If not for a need to get back from St. Louis on Friday afternoons by 1pm I could almost do it.

 

Peace,

 

Father Bill

[Jus-A-CMax]

I drive it the same as if I was in hybrid mode. Of corse you'll get more mileage per charge if you don't drive it hard.  I was able to get 32 miles before it kicked over to the hybrid side. If I added both before the ICE came on, I could get about 34 miles.

Supercharging will gain a few more miles, but that another subject. Gary has a thread on the Energi forum on that. It works too.  I know of people that never use gas and still have the full tank form the dealer. You could neve use gas, if you can do it all on a charge. Or at least multiple charges per day.

 

I love it and always save 10 miles of EV battery using EV later when I need to hit the highway. It allows better hybrid driving with more EV time because it will use some of the EV battery power too. I think the ratio is 75% saved and 25% can be used in hybrid mode when using EV later.

 

Sounds like it! If the Energi didn't have a hump in the back, I would be all over it. Thanks man.

 

Jus,

 

I moved over to the Fusion Energi platform but I use the same skills I used in the C-max. I have been able to stretch the EV range to almost 32 miles in town. Never accelerate over 2 bars, P&G and long regen braking runs, all this I learned from you in your quest for 8-- miles. Now my quest is to never use the Hybrid Mode of my Energi(Not realistic but a guy has to have goals :rockon: )  If not for a need to get back from St. Louis on Friday afternoons by 1pm I could almost do it.

 

Peace,

 

Father Bill

32? C'mon...I expect at least 40 out of you fr.Bill....lol...j/k... Good to hear the Energi is working out so well fr.bill and you are ALWAYS WELCOME in our CMax forum - remember that :)

 

 

Now, fr.Bill and DrDiesel - on the freeway, do you both get the "blip" the pedal to kick the car into the ICE high mpg mode aka negative split mode?

[HannahWCU]

Frank: So, in essence, you plug your car in every day?

Just to be clear, because my wife didn't understand how the Energi worked, with the plug-in Hybrid, you have about 21 miles of driving using nothing but electricity (battery). Once the 21 miles are used up, the car continues on like any other Hybrid. Using both battery AND the gas engine. Every time you plug in and recharge the battery you get another 21 (or so) miles of pure electric.

 

With the Energy, you actually have 3 modes, EV Now, EV Later, and Hybrid. EV Now uses pure electric when you start out, then switching to hybrid mode. EV Later starts as a hybrid saving the 21 miles until you want to use them. Hybrid mode uses the whole battery as one big hybrid battery. Hope this helps.

 

My wife thought the Energy was like the Tesla, it only had a 21 mile range! She wondered why you would buy a car that needed to be charge every 21 miles. She didn't understand that once you used the 21 miles it functioned like any other hybrid.

[drdiesel1]

Just to be clear, because my wife didn't understand how the Energi worked, with the plug-in Hybrid, you have about 21 miles of driving using nothing but electricity (battery). Once the 21 miles are used up, the car continues on like any other Hybrid. Using both battery AND the gas engine. Every time you plug in and recharge the battery you get another 21 (or so) miles of pure electric.

 

With the Energy, you actually have 3 modes, EV Now, EV Later, and Hybrid. EV Now uses pure electric when you start out, then switching to hybrid mode. EV Later starts as a hybrid saving the 21 miles until you want to use them. Hybrid mode uses the whole battery as one big hybrid battery. Hope this helps.

 

My wife thought the Energy was like the Tesla, it only had a 21 mile range! She wondered why you would buy a car that needed to be charge every 21 miles. She didn't understand that once you used the 21 miles it functioned like any other hybrid.

Actually..... Hybrid mode only uses the 1.4 kWh section of the battery, unless you can regen enough back into the battery to add back EV miles.

So yes, it acts just like the hybrid version after the EV charge is used.

Edited October 31, 2013 by drdiesel1

[Noah Harbinger]

1) Remember to enjoy the car, and don't worry about how you're driving. Keep mileage in perspective:

 

You've just spent about $30,000 on the car.

 

35 MPG = 2.9 gal/100 mi = $10 (roughly, at $3.50 per gallon)

40 MPG = 2.5 gal/100 mi = $9

45 MPG = 2.2 gal/100 mi = $8

50 MPG = 2.0 gal/100 mi = $7

 

So each 5 MPG increment would save you what -- $100 to $200 per year -- in gas expense? "Involved" driving is a hobby, not a moral imperative.

 

I absolutely think this is the most important, yet hardest thing to keep in mind. 

 

A lot of people think "well I got a hybrid so I want to save as much gas as possible on top of that". But I would say that that's really backwards: We're already saving lots of gas just by driving a hybrid. Why not relax and enjoy it? It's the people without hybrids, who get 27MPG on a typical tank (I'm looking at you, Camry) who really should be agonizing over every drop they might save. 

[Noah Harbinger]

Actually..... Hybrid mode only uses the 1.4 kWh section of the battery, unless you can regen enough back into the battery to add back EV miles.

So yes, it acts just like the hybrid version after the EV charge is used.

 

Are you saying there is a physical compartmentalization between the EV battery and the hybrid battery? I never thought about that but it would make sense, since it would allow the full EV battery to be more energy-dense and cheaper, knowing that it doesn't need to go through as many full-discharge cycles and doesn't need to discharge at 25C, just maybe, what, 4C?

[Noah Harbinger]

The avg. trip in the USA is 11 miles.   Most of mine are under 10 but in several segments per day.  If you can charge in-between, you can drive gas free.  Also anything under 10miles, even in a hybrid like the CMax, delivers less than optimum mpg due to a cold ICE (gas engine).   

 

I could probably do my full commute in EV-only, if I had an Energi. Of course that would require a charging station.

[drdiesel1]

This is why I like my Energi so much...... I can drive it like a normal car and still get 1000 or more miles per tank.

At first I would fill up every 2 weeks. Then 5 weeks. Now, I'm out to 7 weeks :worship:  I don't worry about gas much anymore :happy feet:

[drdiesel1]

Are you saying there is a physical compartmentalization between the EV battery and the hybrid battery? I never thought about that but it would make sense, since it would allow the full EV battery to be more energy-dense and cheaper, knowing that it doesn't need to go through as many full-discharge cycles and doesn't need to discharge at 25C, just maybe, what, 4C?

Nope. It's one big 7.6 kWh battery. The software controls how it divided and used.  You get the same 1.4 kWh battery use as the hybrid model after the EV  charge is used.

Edited October 31, 2013 by drdiesel1

[drdiesel1]

I could probably do my full commute in EV-only, if I had an Energi. Of course that would require a charging station.

I charge mine with the factory supplied 120 volt cord plugged into a standard outlet.  I do have a 220V outlet to use, whenever

I buy my 220 charger.  I'll just plug it in like the 120V unit. Nothing special about it.

[C-MaxSea]

:nonono:  :nonono:  :nonono: Oh, the shame of driving the 'least reliable' car in the nation !   I can only imagine the pain you Energi drivers must experience :cry:  :cry:

 

- and laughing all the way to the bank ! :yahoo:

 

Enjoy those Energis !  (Wish I had one, but happy with the simple hybrid.)

Edited November 1, 2013 by C-MaxSea

[drdiesel1]

:nonono:  :nonono:  :nonono: Oh, the shame of driving the 'least reliable' car in the nation !   I can only imagine the pain you Energi drivers must experience :cry:  :cry:

 

- and laughing all the way to the bank ! :yahoo:

 

Enjoy those Energis !  (Wish I had one, but happy with the simple hybrid.)

The hybrid is a great car, but the plug in works for me.  I'm at 101 mpg's on this tank. 820 miles on 8.11 gallons :yahoo:

[Jus-A-CMax]

The hybrid is a great car, but the plug in works for me.  I'm at 101 mpg's on this tank. 820 miles on 8.11 gallons :yahoo:

 

I swear, if Ford had given us :airquote: mere hybrids some plugin ability, we would KILL the MPGs as well. So many times, the day I have more charge when I return home, I get a wee better run to work but thats if I change my route to a less efficient one on the way back home. Its a give-n-take. Hell, market the CMax like Tesla market the Model S with the different battery size. Yep, I will mention this to them next time - I got another survey coming up again :skateboard:

[drdiesel1]

I swear, if Ford had given us :airquote: mere hybrids some plugin ability, we would KILL the MPGs as well. So many times, the day I have more charge when I return home, I get a wee better run to work but thats if I change my route to a less efficient one on the way back home. Its a give-n-take. Hell, market the CMax like Tesla market the Model S with the different battery size. Yep, I will mention this to them next time - I got another survey coming up again :skateboard:

Yeah, even a 3 kWh would serve well for extended EV times :happy feet:  The 7.6 kWh battery was the draw to the C-Max for me.

Toyota's 4.4 kWh battery was kind of useless to me. The car was 41K and it's a crap box, IMO ;)

[Jus-A-CMax]

Gotta agree, the Prii plug-in was a complete joke, plus those Prii are stuck on 45 mph max EV anyway, screw that....

[fotomoto]

Gotta agree, the Prii plug-in was a complete joke, plus those Prii are stuck on 45 mph max EV anyway, screw that....

 

The Plug-in Prius has a 62mph max in EV mode.

Edited November 1, 2013 by fotomoto

[Noah Harbinger]

I charge mine with the factory supplied 120 volt cord plugged into a standard outlet.  I do have a 220V outlet to use, whenever

I buy my 220 charger.  I'll just plug it in like the 120V unit. Nothing special about it.

 

More specifically I'm in a shared housing situation where it would be difficult to separate out my costs without putting the car on a separate meter, and where I do not have an indoor location to park the vehicle while charging. 

[Corndart]

The Plug-in's have a 62mph max in EV mode.

 

That is not correct, it's 85MPH

 

http://www.ford.com/cars/cmax/features/#page=Feature7

 

This new hybrid powertrain uses an eCVT, or electronically controlled continuously variable transmission. It is engineered, designed and produced in-house by Ford in an all-new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility. The eCVT combines power from the engine and electric motor to deliver power to the wheels when you command it. The C-MAX Hybrid is projected to operate electrically up to 85 mph*, allowing the electric traction motor to power the vehicle, providing maximum efficiency. It also eliminates the noticeable upshifts and downshifts of conventional transmissions, providing a seamless driving experience.

 

• *Models produced or recalibrated after 7/8/2013.

Edited November 1, 2013 by Corndart

[HannahWCU]

 

That is not correct, it's 85MPH

 

http://www.ford.com/cars/cmax/features/#page=Feature7

 

 

 

They are talking about Prii, not Cmax (Cmaxi, CMax's?). :)

Edited November 1, 2013 by HannahWCU

[fotomoto]

 

That is not correct, it's 85MPH

 

 

 

I was correcting misinformation about the Plug In Prius (aka PIP) not the Ford lineup.   Sorry for the confusion, I will edit my post for clarification.

[drdiesel1]

The Plug-in Prius has a 62mph max in EV mode.

And 11 miles for advertised range :lol2:

[bemyax]

More specifically I'm in a shared housing situation where it would be difficult to separate out my costs without putting the car on a separate meter, and where I do not have an indoor location to park the vehicle while charging. 

I don't know any of the specifics of this product such as allowable power load. Or how well it shows the cost of operation. http://www.belkin.com/us/F7C029-Belkin/p/P-F7C029/ This is the new WeMo Insight switch.  I use an older model WeMo switch on my Bunn coffee maker to automatically turn off the tank overnight. If you are stuck with a power company that has different time-of-use rates, you could choose to charge only during low-rate periods.

[userw014]

@Noah Harbinger:  In another discussion, someone mentioned this device ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?gclid=CNSPsZ_LnrsCFWLNOgodOEYASA&Item=N82E16882715001&nm_mc=KNC-GoogleAdwords&cm_mmc=KNC-GoogleAdwords-_-pla-_-Home+Gadgets-_-N82E16882715001&ef_id=UnLYYQAAAMcP5QhY:20131207170041:s ) in the context of the AC outlet in the cabin.  However, at 15A it ought to be enough to handle the load of the 120V charger.  As it claims to report cumulative KWH, it might be a way for you to report the expense of charing an Energi fairly.