FFE is gone

[campfamily]

So yesterday was a sad day, I walked away from my trusty FFE after 3 1/2 years and 38,500 miles of ownership. The last drive down to the dealership to pick up my new car was bittersweet...anticipation for what I was getting, but sadness since the FFE had far exceeded my expectations. The FFE showed me that an electric car could meet more than 95% of my transportation needs, and do so at a cost far below a traditional vehicle with an ICE. It also did this without sacrificing the fun of driving. The Focus is a wonderful platform to begin with (I also own a Focus RS, which, if you haven't driven one, you really should!!), and the electrification of that platform doesn't sacrifice what it is really good at, which is road feel and driving dynamics.

Over the course of my FFE ownership, I had no repair bills or failures due to the car, except for the 12V battery, which died about 2 1/2 years into ownership and was replaced under the Ford factory warranty. I did have one breakdown, but that was not the fault of the car, it was my fault for leaving edibles in my garage that the local critters found and enjoyed, and then decided to continue feasting on the car wiring. My dealer fixed this for $400. I was still on the original tires, rotated every 7500 miles or so. Over the life of the car I kept a weekly log of energy useage. Over the entire 38,500 miles I averaged 246 Whr/mi. Lately my energy useage improved to the high 220's / low 230's. Not sure what I was doing different to cause this. But I was not a hyper-miler; I frequently was running on the speed limiter, just so that I wasn't getting run over by traffic. But I also spent a lot of time in bumper to bumper traffic. Depreciation, despite what the EV-critics say, was the best of any car I've ever owned. After incentives and discounts, I paid $13,800 for my car brand new. I was given $11,500 as a trade-in. Yes, compared to MSRP, that's a huge depreciation, but in real-time costs (which really matters), that is almost nothing.

I'm going to miss the FFE. It was highly practical, highly efficient, and a hoot to drive. I'm also going to miss this forum, which was very helpful when I was a noobie to EVs. I've since moved on to another EV, but the FFE will "always be my first"....and so I will always remember it fondly.

Cheers, and best of luck to the (shrinking) FFE population.

Keith

 

[scottt]

Sorry to see another go. I've got a Ford 8 year bumper to bumper warranty on mine....so the plan is to at least keep mine until late 2025.

 

[campfamily]

Been tracking my old car on the Ford app, it's already down at an auction house in San Diego (actually Otay Mesa, right next to the US/Mexico border). They didn't waste any time with it!

 

[SpecVStrom]

Hey campfamily,

I didn't factory reset my 2014 FFE before lease returning it. I continued to track it to various warehouses and storage facilities. Then one day I looked it up, and it was in Amman Jordan. Apparently a lot of FFE's ended up in Jordan. There is quite an FFE following there.

PS I bought a barely used 2016 FFE that I now have. Was 18 months into service and 2300 total miles. $15900.


Jaden

 

[campfamily]

My car "disappeared" after about two weeks at a place called Cedars Express International in Carson, CA. While it was there I would periodically get the "Your car has gone to sleep, no more communication until somebody wakes it up" message, but then somebody would open a door or move it across the parking lot and it would wake up again. Last week, I started getting "Update Failed" every time I tried to see where it was; I'm thinking, since this is a different message, that the car might have been put in a container or in a truck, so that it can't communicate with the outside world. Wondering where it's going to show up.

@SpecVStrom - were you able to track your car in Amman? I didn't think the modems Ford put in these cars worked outside of the continental US?

Keith

 

[EVA]

What a great story. It is a fantastic car. And congratulations on the Model 3. It is a whole different world in that car.

When we turned in our FFE from lease a couple years ago - I could track the car for a few weeks. At some point, Ford figures out you sold the car and turns off your account.

A long time ago when we totaled an FFE, Ford wasn't doing any kind of clean up of the accounts. I was able to track if for a very long time to an auction / salvage yard. At some point the battery died and I couldn't track the car.

On the other hand, the car might be in a container headed to Jordan.

 

[AAFEV]

re: FFE is gone

I am half way thorugh a 3 year lease on 2017 FFE; and had a 2014 FFE on 3 year lease before that. Somehow I can still track the first car, it is on Aman, Jordan. I found they have a favorable tax set up there for used BEV's and maybe hybrids too.

Both cars great in my view.

 

[campfamily]

re: FFE is gone

I am half way thorugh a 3 year lease on 2017 FFE; and had a 2014 FFE on 3 year lease before that. Somehow I can still track the first car, it is on Aman, Jordan. I found they have a favorable tax set up there for used BEV's and maybe hybrids too.

Both cars great in my view.

So, when you say you can track the car in Amman, Jordan, can you see that from the Ford app? Reason I ask, my old car disappeared from the app in early January, after sitting at a shipping company in Carson, CA. Over the weekend I got a text notification that a warning light had turned on. When I went to look on the app, I could see that the car was being driven again, and when I went to look at the location, it showed the car was 7574 miles away, but the location icon had a red dot above it. Coincidentally, Jordan is about 7500 miles from Los Angeles as the crow flies.......

Keith

 

[campfamily]

Update........I am currently in Paris. On a whim, decided to check if I got anything different from the Ford app. The FFE is in Jordan, just a bit west of Amman, at a place called Az Zarqa.

Keith

 

[Evanite]

Could you tell me why you changed your FFE to Tesla? It would really be very interesting for me to listen, as I am thinking about purchasing a second car for myself. It is important for me that the new car is more representative class. I'll give the FFE to my wife (I'm not ready to part with this car completely). Were there any difficulties when switching from one electric vehicle to another? I had doubts about whether I should switch to Tesla or not, but in various forums dedicated to electric vehicles, like Tesla.com, https://myev.online and so on, they say that this is an excellent solution, which I will not regret. I would be interested in your opinion, what do you think?

 

[campfamily]

I changed for a variety of reasons. First, I was concerned about long-term support for the FFE from Ford. Second, the trade-in was so good. Third, my carpool lane sticker was going to expire. And fourth, I wanted a Tesla. When I bought my Tesla, the $7500 federal tax credit still applied, so that helped in the cost trades as well. Although that isn't true, purchase price of a Tesla has dropped since I bought mine (although, the configuration I bought, Long Range Rear Wheel Drive) isn't offered any more.

I love the Tesla. 20,000 miles so far, averaging 235 Wh/mi (a bit better than the FFE). Way more fun to drive, plus the Autopilot feature is awesome, particularly on my commute in LA traffic. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another one.

Keith

 

[electrons]

If you think its affordable, I highly recommend any model Tesla. (The Model Y is AWESOME.) Joe Rogan had Rich Benoit on his show a while back, and Rich had an interesting story about how to make the proven Model S affordable for the not-so-rich amongst us. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPmbyIxSHq0

My '16 Focus Electtric, even with its horrible 76 mile range, is a very useful car for me. Drives like a sports car, as most know who have driven any Focus, has that Euro Hot-Hatch VW GTI feel to it, which works well. It's cheap. That counts a lot for some of us. I plan to keep mine through its 8 year battery & electronics system warranty. After that, I might just wait til something big breaks and then drive it off a cliff with cardboard images of Thelma & Louise in it.

Stay tuned for my tutorial on how to change the engine oil & spark plugs on a Focus Electric, you'll enjoy doing that job...... :roll: