New FFE; some questions

[Ganraeln]

I just bought a 2014 FFE about a week and a half ago - what an awesome car! I love it!

I do have a few questions if anyone knows the answer:

1) How do I set the car up to start at a specific time and preheat or precool before I leave for work / from work? I can't find it in the FFE owner's manual, and suspect it's out of date with the latest version of SYNC anyway.

2) Speaking of which, where are detailed instructions on the latest version of SYNC? I have my car updated to the latest and greatest, and want to explore all the things I can do.

3) I'd like to understand better how the status display for the battery computes its values. I noticed that the full charge estimated my distance at more and more miles as I drove it throughout the week (presumably because it's learning my habits) - how does it arrive at this value? For that matter, is the "status" strictly a function of relative remaining battery charge compared to this initial estimate - so it's positive when I'm using less energy than the initial budget calculated, and negative when I'm using more energy?

I think I'm one of the first in the Cincinnati area to own one of these babies - the dealership I bought my car from told me that I purchased the first one that they'd ever had in stock. Go Midwest - we're lagging behind you east and west coasters, but I'm raising the flag (and hopefully the awareness) by driving a pure electric!

 

[jmueller065]

You'll want to install the smartphone app, and setup an account on http://www.myfordmobile.com (that is where you setup the charging times and the "Go" times)--however we all just got an e-mail from Ford indicating that the website will be going through some updates this weekend (they are merging the BEV website with the PHEV website). I'm hopeful it will fix some of the issues with the data on the website (although not too hopeful given Ford's track record! LOL).

You can also watch all the Ford Focus Electric youtube videos (I have created a playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLz2NZyBglqGg2V4bQwwiBmXFyuK1RycwC ). Ford uploads these under the "fordowner" channel (If you want to see more videos just go to that channel).

Finally I've put quite a few details about FFE ownership out on my blog (ok yeah shameless plug): http://jamiegeek.myevblog.com/

 

[EVA]

Congratulations Ganraeln. This car is fun to drive and I love it too. I have one of the few in the Chicago area. So, yeah, go Midwest. I think we are 46 now (MI, WI, OH, IN, IL)

The remote start is good for 10 minutes. If you don't get in the car and drive off within 10 minutes of the Go time, the car shuts off. You can also start it remotely with your key fob (you might find that easier and possible from inside your house). You can also remote start it with the website and the mobile app. But as JMueller says, all that is chaning this weekend.

Oh good luck with Sync. The basic stuff works great, you'll get used to going through the menus. Bluetooth pairing with an iPhone is sweet - it does a good job downloading your contacts and indexing the music you have on the phone. We've gone to plugging the phone in with an iPhone cable - music quality is better and the phone battery charges at the same time. A good button for energy use is in the middle, the icon that looks like a road with a leaf. There is real data about how much battery is left in kWh's (you'll get used to that measure).

Syncmyride.com is the website.

All the apps and deeper stuff - I've never figured it out on three cars. Ford has so many variants of Sync, and the website is supposed to cover every variant. I get lost every time I look at that website. Set up an account over there with your VIN number.

You got it exactly right about the status display - it is positive or negative compared to the initial budget. The distance estimate appears to be a rolling average of your fairly recent trips (like the last one or two). It doesn't go back very far, so the number is super volatile if you use different amounts of electricity. For example, if you turn on the heater, you'll see minus numbers immediately - could be up to -12 miles, maybe more. If you drive on the highway at 60 or 70 MPH, you'll see that number drop a lot. If you drive on streets no faster than say 45, brake with 100% recovery, and have the windows open with the climate control system off; you'll get a ton of positive. That number is impacted by how you drive and what you use in the car. (the radio and lights have almost no effect)

There is no real documentation about how those displays are calculated. I've guessed at it. Others here have guessed also.

 

[Ganraeln]

I'm a software engineer, so I can figure out how to get into the nooks and crannies of this thing - I just didn't know where the software was to control the car from your phone, and was having trouble finding it - thanks everyone!

I actually have a Samsung Galaxy S3, and it doesn't provide the metadata to let the car browse my music library - so I just tossed it all onto an SD card, plugged the card into a USB card reader, and hooked that up. Works like a champ! All the other phone integration works, though. Hopefully the software engineers at Microsoft/Ford figure out how to get the S3 fully compatible.

Only 46 of us, eh? Wow. I just wish I could convince my wife to let me get a custom plate, that would have been even MORE fun

I did notice the minus after starting the heater right away. I have a 47 mile round trip to work, most of which is not freeway. I found that without using the heat or AC, I was using a measly 11 kWh for the trip. Sweet! I'll see how that changes this winter.

I already messed with the leaf icon, didn't notice any numbers on electrical usage though - I'll have to look closer (just didn't want to do it while driving).

Next up is the level 2 charger installation. I have one on order (thanks to the threads here, I found the one at Home Depot for $700) and will install it in a few weeks. After that, I'll be calling the electric company to find out how much and during which hours my rates change at night, to squeeze even more savings out of this car.

Heck, just buying this car is making me think about how I can reduce my overall home electrical usage - I installed a water heater jacket last night, and am looking into having some infrared taken outside the house to find out where my heat leakage is.

Even without any state support from Ohio on tax rebates, this car only runs $4000 more than an equivalently loaded ICE Focus (after the federal rebate), $4600 if you include the cost of the charger. That will put me at break even right around the time I make my last payment on the car. From then on, I'll be pocketing a good $1000 per year in cost of ownership savings. Great stuff, and great for the environment!

 

[hcsharp]

Congrats on your new FFE! It has a few quirks but it's hard not to like this car.

I just bought a 2014 FFE about a week and a half ago - what an awesome car! I love it!
...
3) I'd like to understand better how the status display for the battery computes its values. - how does it arrive at this value?

I've finally determined the formula. It goes like this: Roll some dice. Take the result and multiply by 12. Then add the day of the month your birthday falls on. Divide by the square of how many hours you've been driving since your last charge. This formula works every time!

In other words, that number is all but useless. :roll:

 

[WattsUp]

3) I'd like to understand better how the status display for the battery computes its values.

Congrats on your new FFE! There is a lot to learn about it. Hopefully, we'll be able to help.

Try this topic for more about the status/surplus number:
http://www.myfocuselectric.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=1343

 

[EVA]

You might check about Electric plates in Ohio. It wasn't obvious to my dealer the first time around and he sold me regular car plates at $101 per year. The Electric plates are from a special services department and cost $35 for 2 years. In Illinois, if the dealer sold you the wrong plates you can get the plates reclassified through a full service DMV.

I only mention this on the outside chance there is a similar plate program in Ohio. The Illinois program was extremely difficult to find.