New features

[jeffand]

One feature I would like to see added, is to be able turn the climate control or defroster on and off via the steering wheel controls. This would make it safer to switch climate control on and off. I often on cold mornings switch the defrosters on and off when I'm driving. This is done to extend the range of the car.

Eco-charging, the car would charge at a rate that would be most efficient. This could be set up so it would do it automaticly when you are at your preset locations. This can be done via the navigation system telling the charging system that it's at home location. The only time the car would not charge at this rate would be when the Go time is to soon to Eco-charge the car in time.

 

[danholl]

It is possible to turn the defrost on/off with a voice command

 

[jeffand]

After seeing your post I had to try it.
Yes, voice commands do work for the climate control.

 

[SolarSteve]

I am thinking about purchasing the FFE but have anxiety fears as I live in western New York and there are no public chargers. Only 1 Ford dealership sells the car here and it is out of the way from where I work. I work nights and my one way commute is 26 miles. If there was a charger at work I would not have range anxiety. I also get out of work at 2am and need headlights and some heat/defroster in the winter. How about offering a plug so that a customer could tag along an optional 3kw LiFeP04 battery pack to plug into an outlet in the car for these occasions. This would only add 70#.

 

[stangale]

Don't worry SolarSteve,

A 52 mile round trip is easy no matter how much heating you're using.

And if you plug in your car at work with the supplied 120 volt charger, it'll be fully charged hours before you drive home anyway.

 

[dmen]

Have to disagree with Stangale- a 52 mile trip can be done but is NOT easy to do if you really need heating. See posts from folks in Canada. Living in Chicago, my car predicts 48 miles range when temp is below ~35 degrees. I drive zen. That 48 assumes cabin heating remains on. You can go further but you will have to cycle heating on and off. I picture Western NY as pretty hilly, per my drive for Boston to Cleveland many years ago. That may give a hit too. And you'll have to keep speed in check. Come spring you'll have no problem.
If you have access to 120 v outlet and work 8 hrs and can secure the brick or trust your coworkers to leave the brick out, you can regain about half of capacity at work.
I would also like to see some option to add on battery capacity. Maybe on a future model...

 

[Fluke]

I'd second that - 52 miles is not a given when you live where the temperature regularly goes well south of freezing. This result is even foregoing heating except for seat warmer.

Easy in the summer, not in the winter.

 

[WattsUp]

I think if SolarSteve's place of employment will allow him to charge everyday while he works using the 110V charger, he should have very little range anxiety in an FFE, even in the winter.

Let's say that, during the winter, the 26 mile commute (with full heat, defroster, wipers, etc. all the way in) uses up 50 miles of the standard 76 mile range, leaving only 26 once at work. Then, 8-10 hours of Level 1 charging at work should restore 30-40 miles of range, for a total of around 60 when ready to go home. If the commute back also consumes 50 miles of range, it could get close, but should be doable comfortably.

Now, that would be worst case, keep in mind. If you can drive fairly conservatively (it's not difficult), avoid the freeway (or just keep it around 55 mph), you most likely won't likely be depleting the battery at twice the normal rate, even in winter. That said, the extra draw can be significant (as others have pointed out), but you'd have to work really hard to hit 2x, I think.

And... come warmer months, your 26 mile commute would be so easily doable, even without charging at work. Though, if you do "top-off" there, it would make the car more useful before/after work, or just leave you with more energy to zoom around and have some fun.

In non-extreme temperatures, a 26 miles commute really is perfect for the FFE. When the weather is severe, you will just need to be a little more careful.

 

[dmen]

Yeah if charging at work is an option for Steve, even 110V, it won't be a problem. His post implied that charging at work is not an option.
Looking at it in terms of how much of the "standard 76 miles range" used is confusing and just guessing. Look at it in terms of energy. My winter commute averages 250 Wh/mi without heat, and 400 Wh/mi with heat. This is city driving, streets and stop-and-go highway. In subfreezing, count on 16 kWh available capacity if battery's not preconditioned, 19.5 if it is. So leaving home running heat you'll use 400*26 or 10.4 kWh, leaving you 9 kWh for the return trip. Because it's sitting in the cold off plug while you work, you'll probably have 7 kWh available. You won't make it home with cabin heating. If you leave the heat off for the home drive, you'll make it with 2 miles to spare (7kWh/0.25kWh/mi). More likely you'd do it the other way-- no heat on the way in since car is preheated, and heat for the way home, shutting it off if range gets too short. As I said, it can be done but not easily.
Beyond the cold, you have to consider snow. The windshield can't be defrosted with cold air if snow is on it, and snow builds up on the sides due to the wipers. So even if you choose to just shiver, you still have to see where you're going.
The other thing that isn't obvious until you deal with it is the bigger impact heating has the slower you drive. Heat is going to add a set energy hit in a set amount of time. If you drive half as fast you're spending twice as much time in the car so you're using twice as much energy on heating.

Sorry to get off topic as far as the "new features" original post. My FFE range is perfect for my needs, and would be perfect for a lot of people who wouldn't think the range is adequate. But people have to look at it somewhat worst-case to know what they're potentially getting into.

 

[WattsUp]

I assumed Steve just meant that there was no "big" Level 2 charger installed at work. But, no problem, his portable Level 1 will work, assuming it's allowed. And, other than during winter, he can probably skip charging at work.

But, good points about considering the actual power usage and the effects of pre-conditioning. It sounds like Steve would definitely want to program in "go times" for his commutes to/from work, in order to get the best battery performance in cold weather. (Also, a go time when leaving work would imply that you could plug in while at work.)

 

[SolarSteve]

Thanks for all the feedback. Where I work I don't even have access to a 120 volt plug. The terrain is flat here in Rochester, New York and I use the expressway for about 18 of those 26 miles. The remainder are country roads. I had thought about using this as a 3 season vehicle. I like the looks of the Focus over the Chevy Volt. The Focus also uses better softer interior materials. Perhaps I could pull into a close by Chevy or Nissan dealership and charge for 1/2 hour! It is unfortunate fast food places don't install chargers around here with the federal tax credits that are available. I quess we are living the early 1900's all over again. Change didn't happen overnight.

 

[WattsUp]

Thanks for all the feedback. Where I work I don't even have access to a 120 volt plug.

How's that? Is it just that there is currently no 120V outlet within parking distance? Or, is it that your employer won't provide one? You asked? You could offer to pay (assuming the expense is within reason). But, heck, if they would go for that idea, do it right and have them install a 240V 30A outlet (same as you have at your house for a clothes dryer). Then, you'd be able to use a portable Level 2 charger.

I'm thinking about getting a ClipperCreek LCS-25 portable Level 2 charger (on sale now for $595) and attaching a standard dryer plug to it. Then, I'll be able to quick-charge at home, or while parked in the driveway of most any other house (where I'm welcome to be, of course). The LCS-25 is actually a 20A charger, but at 240V, it can charge at 4.8kWh/h, which should fill an empty FFE in about 4 hours.

 

[WindPowered]

I'm thinking about getting a ClipperCreek LCS-25 portable Level 2 charger (on sale now for $595) and attaching a standard dryer plug to it.

If you're handy enough, you can easily build your own EVSE for about the same price, that's even more flexible. i.e. supports any power input ranging 90V-260V, 12A-80A.

http://code.google.com/p/open-evse/

Chris is backed up about a month for delivery of the core components, but a simple 30A unit with all the parts can be put together on a Saturday for about $400, and you could build it with a adapters for a few different plugs to support various 120V or 240V sources.

This would give you a unit that you could use at home at 240V/30A with say a L6-30P plug, and throw it in the trunk to take it with you for charging at work at 240V/20A with a cheap homemade L6-30P to L6-20P adapter. And if you stop by a friends house, plug the same unit in at 120V/12A with a L6-30P to 5-15P adapter.

You simply toggle the button and the LCD indicates what voltage/amperage combination it advertises to the car. It's a nice flexible, portable solution if you need it.


WP

 

[SolarSteve]

I see you can get a level 2 charger from Leviton w/outdoor metal enclosure and 25' J1772 cable for$999 from the Home Depot or Amazon. Being an electrical person myself, is there any advantage to building your own EVSE other than having the schematic to fix it when it breaks?
Getting off the topic of open EVSE. I wonder why Ford didn't use a multi-speed transmission such as that developed by Antonov so that the motor can operate at maximum efficiency at different speeds. I believe Tesla used a transmission on their Roadster but not sure about the Tesla model S. This would allow the EV to go further.

 

[jeffand]

The Tesla roadster first had a two speed transmission for slightly faster acceleration. Tesla opted for a single speed transmission because it was more reliable. I think the model S also has a single speed transmission. AC motor are more efficient over a wider speed and load range than a DC motor. Having a simple single speed transmission improves over all efficiency of the drive train. No clutch, torque converter, and less gears are used.

 

[francishsu]

It's sad that a city of the size of Rochester, NY has no public charging stations. I couldn't believe it when I read that and had to check out Plugshare to confirm. In Holland, MI, population around 33000, where I work, there are 8 public charging station locations in the city center and additional ones scattered further out. Grand Rapids, which is just a bit smaller than Rochester in terms of population, also has around 8 locations to charge as well. I would think there would be just as much, if not more, of a market for EVs in western New York as here.

Update.. just found this article, which looks promising for Rochester..
New York announces electric vehicle charging stations