Extended Test Drive

[campfamily]

Hello, first time poster here. I'm seriously considering purchasing an Electric Car, and right now, the FFE is at or close to the top of my list. I'm wondering whether Ford offers any kind of Extended test drive to help potential owners evaluate whether the car will meet their needs? Reason I ask, is that BMW gave me an i3 to drive for a long weekend (picked it up on Friday morning, returned it Monday after work); this way, I could do a couple of round-trip work commutes, as well as use the car for weekend travel. Loved the car (very quirky, but in a good way), but having trouble stomaching the price tag. I'd like to do the same with the Focus.

Apologize in advance if this topic has been covered in the past, but I didn't come up with anything with a quick search.

Thanks,

Keith

 

[jmueller065]

Haven't heard of anything like that and given that Ford doesn't want to sell them you'll likely not find any available for an extended test drive anyway.

You could try the iEV App on your smartphone; it has the FFE in it:
http://www.ievapp.com/

 

[damania]

Check out sites like https://relayrides.com/car-rental/bloomfield-hills/ford-focus/26860 or see if someone like Budget or Hertz has one?

Try one of these sites from google?
https://www.google.com/search?q=rent+an+electric+vehcile&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8#q=rent+a+car+from+owner

 

[rabar10]

I think your best bet would be to take that information to the dealer -- they would be more inclined to go along with it, if the sales guy there could spin it to his manager as "potentially stealing a sale away from the BMW dealer"

 

[Rogerschro]

Haven't heard of anything like that and given that Ford doesn't want to sell them you'll likely not find any available for an extended test drive anyway.

That is an inaccurate description. If Ford didn't want to sell them they would not build them. They can get carb ratings through their hybrids. Not a very helpful way to encourage a potential buyer, and a disservice to them with false information.

But to the OP question, I doubt very much there are many dealers that would do so. It isn't up to Ford corporate. An alternative would be to test drive the Titanium model from 2014 or earlier. The MFT and sony are the same, overall layout of the interior is the same, the suspension feels the same also. What is different is the FFE is quieter and the acceleration is seamless with no shifting gears. The one noticeable thing is when you let off the accelerator on the FFE it feels like you forgot to fully disengage the parking brake. Odd at first, but you quickly start to use the region as a light brake action in traffic to control speed instead of the brake itself. I owned an ICE Focus before the FFE and handling is very similar. In my area, no one has an FFE to test drive. I bought mine used from out of state but I knew how it would feel because I had the ICE version. It is the same platform. Having driven the BMW, you know some of the differences already from a conventional auto, much of those differences are with the FFE as well.

 

[michael]

Where do you live? Possibly someone here can help you. I will be happy to try if you are in Los Angeles

And I agree with the previous post. I had an ICE Focus before so was totally comfortable with the car itself, only issue was the electrical drive, which is quieter and smoother, I think superior in every way except range. An ICE Focus will be easier to get hold of for a trial, so the electrical range and performance will be the main issues to resolve in your mind.

 

[jmueller065]

That is an inaccurate description.

Nope it isn't, at least according to the Ford employee's I've talked to.

 

[campfamily]

Guys - thanks for all of the replies. Yes, i do live in the LA area, I live in the San Gabriel Valley, and work near LAX.

I don't think I will have an issue getting a test drive,there are dozens of these in dealer inventory within 50 miles of me. But, what I'd like to do is live with one for a few days, like I did with the i3.

Keith

 

[jmueller065]

I don't think you'll be able to live with one for a few days unless a forum member here is willing to share their ride for a day or more.

When I put my order in all I went on was a short 3 mile test drive (and the fact that I had been driving an ICE Focus for 2 years). What are you expecting to learn in a few days that you can't learn from everyone on here?

 

[brogult]

@campfamily

You don't say where in the SGV, but most likely the FFE will have enough range for your round trip, but without a lot of reserve. The i3 leaves you more leeway. Do you have charging at or near work?

I'm not sure what a 3 day trial accomplishes, since we are six months in with ours and still figuring out stuff. For example, long trips (Palm Springs, LAX to pick someone up, Big Bear) are all possible with planning, but probably just not worth the effort. For all of our local needs, it's perfect. I hadn't even figured out where to park or charge it after 3 days. Also, if you are going to use if for commuting, you would need to drive it to work for week or more before you figure out how much that white sticker helps and when the optimal times are (if you commute solo) because at some times the difference is huge (and FastTrak is free) and others it doesn't matter much.

However, if you really want a long test drive, I'd suggest you ask at Ford of Montebello near you. They happen to have a leftover 2014 FFE that they'd likely be very interested in moving. I can't speak for them, but perhaps if you told them what BMW is doing they would go along. Then again, if you look at the sales numbers--YTD FFE=370, i3=2681--maybe I'm overly optimistic.

Keep in mind that after all the money is done flying around, the FFE should cost about HALF what the i3 does.

 

[campfamily]

Brogult - thanks for the reply. I appreciate your inputs. I'm lucky in that my workplace has charging stations available for employee use, and the distance to the office (45 miles) is well within the range of the FFE, so I'm not worrying so much about range anxiety. Also, about 75% of the time, I drive to the Norwalk train station and ride Metro the rest of the way; there are no charging stations at the Metro parking lot, but it's about 55 miles round trip from my house, so I'm not worried I can't make it round trip.

As far as other, longer trips, I will still have another vehicle at home to use when the distance isn't practical for an EV.

I noticed my local dealer (Colley Ford in Glendora) has a white FFE with the leather interior. I'm thinking this weekend I'll stop by between kid activities and go take a test drive in it. Who knows, this time next week I may be a full-fledged member of this forum, instead of just a wannabe!!

Thanks to the rest of the folks who replied to my post as well. Great group of people here.

Keith

 

[epaminondas]

Haven't heard of anything like that and given that Ford doesn't want to sell them you'll likely not find any available for an extended test drive anyway.

You could try the iEV App on your smartphone; it has the FFE in it:
http://www.ievapp.com/

Yeah - interesting. I think if people clamor for BEV Ford will respond. There is catch-up by a lot of the manufacturers in this area including Chevy and others. The european manufactureres are just starting to get it with the i3 and the VW Golf EV. Nissan and Tesla really caught everyone with their pants down. Recently Volvo introduced their PHEV SUV in England and the the demand has far outstripped the supply. Europe is slightly behind us in this area. The same will happen with BEV as more and more hit the roads.

I don't know that Ford doesn't want to sell the FFE it is they don't really get how good of a car it is and how many of them they could sell if the car was given as much attention as they give their PHEVs like the CMax

 

[hybridbear]

I'm not sure what a 3 day trial accomplishes, since we are six months in with ours and still figuring out stuff. For example, long trips (Palm Springs, LAX to pick someone up, Big Bear) are all possible with planning, but probably just not worth the effort. For all of our local needs, it's perfect. I hadn't even figured out where to park or charge it after 3 days. Also, if you are going to use if for commuting, you would need to drive it to work for week or more before you figure out how much that white sticker helps and when the optimal times are (if you commute solo) because at some times the difference is huge (and FastTrak is free) and others it doesn't matter much.

I think there is a lot of value in the extended test drive. Doing so would give you a chance to figure out how the FFE compares to other vehicles in the areas that are important to you. It would give you the chance to check out things like the MyFord Mobile app if that is something that is important to you (it is to us) as well as things like how the car works for transporting people and cargo. You can't assess those factors in a short test drive. Before we bought our Fusion Hybrid in 2012 the dealer let us do an overnight test drive. We were deciding between the Fusion Hybrid and Camry Hybrid at the time and the Toyota dealer let us do a 3+ hour test drive where we were able to have both the Camry Hybrid & Fusion Hybrid at home to compare them side-by-side. At first the Toyota dealer didn't want to do this, but once they knew that we were serious buyers and that the Ford dealer was letting us have their Fusion Hybrid overnight they agreed.

Once we get close to the end of our FFE lease we plan to do the BMW extended test drive to see what the i3 is like to know if we'd even want to consider it. I think that the 3-day test drive is a great idea!

 

[campfamily]

So stopped by the local Ford dealer this afternoon and took a black FFE with the leather package for a quick spin around the block, and a short blast on the freeway. I will have to say, I was impressed. The car felt tight, was very comfortable, quiet, and had plenty of pep. There just might be one of these in my future. My wife (the CPA) is running the numbers right now. Looks as though with the incentives Ford is offering, as well as the tax incentives, it should be possible to get out the door for under $18K. Not too shabby.

Keith

 

[WattsUp]

My wife (the CPA) is running the numbers right now. Looks as though with the incentives Ford is offering, as well as the tax incentives, it should be possible to get out the door for under $18K. Not too shabby.

And don't forget to factor in the money you WON'T be spending on gasoline and maintenance (oil changes, tune-ups, etc.).

 

[campfamily]

My wife (the CPA) is running the numbers right now. Looks as though with the incentives Ford is offering, as well as the tax incentives, it should be possible to get out the door for under $18K. Not too shabby.

And don't forget to factor in the money you WON'T be spending on gasoline and maintenance (oil changes, tune-ups, etc.).

Yep, that's a big part of the calculation. Currently getting about 20 mpg out of my daily driver, so with a 52 mile round trip every day, should make sense. But, there are a whole lot of variables in the cost of the electricity, makes it hard to calculate. It's not as easy as just multiplying the cost of the electricity, it depends on what rate plan, when you charge, what season it is. Some scenarios show my electric bill going up much more than just the cost to recharge the car, since the electricity for the car will push me into a different price tier for the rest of my electricity.

Keith

 

[damania]

I would say anything over $.30/kwh for electricity will make it actually more expensive to run than a hybrid. And especially here in California with Edison, you can get into the higher tier quickly becomes $.49/kwh.

Right now my cost is $.20/kwh which gets me 75 miles on $4 assuming a 20kwh charge (this includes overhead and loss during the charge). At 40mpg with a hybrid that's about a 1.9 gallon equivalent, so at $3.25 per gallon it costs $6.18 to go the same distance. So it costs 64% of gas to go the same distance on electricity. That's 2/3rds the cost of gas.

Now if I were to fill up at Blink for $.49 it would cost me $9.80. Now it actually costs me 1/3d more to go electricity than gas.

Breakeven is calculated as follows: 1.9 gallons x $3.25 = $6.18 for 75 miles. Divide by 20 khh = $.30 kwh.

It really makes sense to get solar in the sunny areas with 30% rebate from the feds and depending on your city an dstate you can get another 30% rebate netting you a cost of 1/3 of actual cost. So if solar costs $15k to install it actually ends up costing you $5k.

 

[WattsUp]

Breakeven is calculated as follows: 1.9 gallons x $3.25 = $6.18 for 75 miles. Divide by 20 khh = $.30 kwh.

That's probably close, but the reality is probably slightly higher.

(You're not factoring in oil changes and other typical expensive ICE maintenance.)

 

[michael]

Blink, etc. are expensive ways to charge. I think of them as "convenience store" items...more expensive and to be used only when necessary.

I have LADWP which is relatively inexpensive (by California standards) but offers little advantage for time of use. I wish they would offer a powerful incentive to charge at night but so far they don't.

I agree that there are many costs of ICE beyond fuel. My dealer service guy keeps mentioning oil, fluids, brakes, etc because he sees so few FFEs and has a hybrid mindset. Electricity, window washer fluid, and tires. That's about it....

 

[campfamily]

My wife (the CPA) is running the numbers right now. Looks as though with the incentives Ford is offering, as well as the tax incentives, it should be possible to get out the door for under $18K. Not too shabby.

And don't forget to factor in the money you WON'T be spending on gasoline and maintenance (oil changes, tune-ups, etc.).

Yep, that's a big part of the calculation. Currently getting about 20 mpg out of my daily driver, so with a 52 mile round trip every day, should make sense. But, there are a whole lot of variables in the cost of the electricity, makes it hard to calculate. It's not as easy as just multiplying the cost of the electricity, it depends on what rate plan, when you charge, what season it is. Some scenarios show my electric bill going up much more than just the cost to recharge the car, since the electricity for the car will push me into a different price tier for the rest of my electricity.

OK, so I'm estimating I'll use about 14 kWhr of electricity to make my 52 mile roundtrip commute (factoring in about 80% charging efficiency). Does that sound about right?

Also, what are people experiencing with respect to their car insurance?

Keith