FORD FUSION ENERGI: Cold, hard truth - lithium ion battery pack

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Since the launch of the first hybrid more than a decade ago, the idea of being able to drive the entire commuter route without running a gasoline engine has aroused my interest in the technology.
There's a special two.
The memorial park stretches a kilometer through Osborne Bridge and through the villages of Winnipeg, where the choice is to drive home from the city center at the wrong time, which often makes drivers marvel at the ability of pedestrians to be faster than they are
In this case, the first time I was driving Prius, I was able to walk at a snail-like speed and only needed a drop of gas.
This is where hybrid cars shine.
Last fall, when I first got Fusion Energi and managed to drive my entire 12-
No matter how fast the traffic is, power is available for a kilometer commute.
I even have enough juice left in the battery pack to make the most of it on my way home without charging.
But it was then, it was winter.
Ford has lent me one of their 2013 Fusion Energi press cars for six weeks in the deepest part of our prairie winter season.
This year, although few of our great nations have survived the wrath of the elderly, at the heart of this country, it is a particularly challenging country for a long time
The weather at 30 degrees Celsius is accompanied by an unusual chill, the coldest winter in recent memory.
We also saw 63 cents higher than normal, which didn't help.
Usually one or the other;
We both have this winter. Plug-
Hybrid technology slots between traditional hybrid and fully electric technologies.
Technically, it has more in common with traditional hybrids. an Atkinson-
Cycle engine with high efficiency but low torque, so-
Suitable for pairing with torquey motor.
But this is a hybrid. there's a turning point: lithium.
The total energy of the ion battery pack is 7.
6 KW hours (the battery of ordinary Fusion Hybrid has 1. 4 kWh).
Not only does the car rely on a gas engine and a regenerative brake to charge the battery pack, it also includes a standard SAE J1772 plug interface that allows charging from the grid.
It takes seven hours to charge from the 120 V power supply (which everyone has at home;
Connect the package to the 240 V power supply and the time drops to 2. 5 hours.
Fusion is not the only plugin
Hybrid cars on the market;
Ford also made C-
Max with the same power system and plug provided by Toyota
Version of the Prius hybrid.
Honda introduced a plug
The Accord hybrid version, but can only be used south of the border.
Like most electric cars, the car is promising: it's a 100-mile car, according to the EPA. per-
A gallon (equivalent to) a car.
The MPGe figures are designed to represent the combined consumption of gasoline and electricity for cars.
According to the Ministry of Transport of Canada, the comprehensive rating is 1.
9 liters/100 km, equivalent to 124 miles per equivalent to the United StatesS. gallon;
We hope this number is optimistic.
But how optimistic?
Ford's news material gave Energi a pure one.
Electric range of 34 km;
We will test the system by monitoring the range of the system at different temperatures and at different heating loads, and to see if the gas engine is relied upon in cold weather, even with a rechargeable battery pack.
There are several technologies that help achieve Ford's goal of getting a large number of drivers around without starting a gas engine.
When the engine is not turned, there is an AC compressor that takes out the cooling directly from the battery pack.
Without the need for the engine to operate, an electric coolant heater was installed to send hot air into the cabin. A power-
Split transaxle manages power delivery from electric traction motors and gasoline engines to drive vehicles.
It also allows the engine to run as a generator, feeding the charge back into the battery pack.
Regenerative braking is the main way to use the "free" energy generated by deceleration and convert it into the charge of the battery.
In traditional systems, this energy is lost by friction and subsequent heat;
The regenerative braking system utilizes energy and serves as a side benefit that allows the brake pads and rotors to last longer. The 2. 0-litre Atkinson-
Cycle engine produces 141 horsepower and 129 lbs-ft of torque;
Together with the motor, the power of the whole system is raised to 188 hp.
As a leading car
The price of Energi is predictable.
The price of Ford Fusion can be $22,499, but the price of Energi is $38,899. It is well-
However, equipment.
High-
The technical powertrain caused most of the price difference, but the Energi SE also has heated leather seats, double
Regional climate control, MyFord Touch user interface, 110-
Volt power point, fog lights, LED taillights and a bunch of other good things.
Our tester is $41,399 Fusion Energi titanium, added 12-
Sony sound speaker, parking sensor, rear-
View Camera, push-
Button start and factory remote start.
Add $300 in Ruby paint, $600 in activity park assist, $1,500 in adaptive cruise control, $700 in navigation system, $1,450 in Driver Assist Package (blind-spot and lane-
Warning of departure, automatic beam and rain-
Induction wiper), plus some other incidentals, you can get to our-
The test price is $46,339 before destination and tax.
Yes, friends, we are over $50 K from Ford Fusion, including taxes.
From a practical point of view, Energi differs from other Fusion models in a very important aspect: freight volume. Where the gas-
Power Fusion has a luggage volume of 453 liters, and Energi's cargo hold is reduced by half at a speed of 232 liters.
Plus, no pass-through.
The battery consumes half of Fusion's available load, not to mention adding 136 kilograms of weight to the curb.
We tried to go to my daughter's hockey training.
Four of us, a hockey bag and a stick.
Realize that the hockey bag has to occupy one of the five passenger positions and that the stick has to be in the car as well, since neither position is suitable for the trunk.
So now, when the four of us went to hockey, Fusion was sitting in the garage.
I 've done some winter tests with non-use.
Regular power trains for the past few seasons;
A Lexus HS 250 h, Audi A3 TDI and Kia Optima Hybrid had a long holiday with me in the cold winter months.
This is of course the case of "your mileage may be different", but Audi and Lexus consume roughly the same fuel when they are with me in winter city conditions;
The consumption of Optima is surprisingly high.
I will fully disclose here: in general, I am not a fan of hybrid, mainly because people seem to be attracted to them for the wrong reasons.
It's not a financial decision, it doesn't make sense to calculate the break-even point with prepaid premiums and pump saved money.
However, I find this technology very attractive and will provide some real
Based on my experience in a good, old world, world data
Winter in Canada.