Potential FFE owner.

[Calvin@KTP]

I found out today that my employer plans on installing a charging station. That was one of the hurdles I had to cross in order to own a FFE. I have a few more boxes to check before I am ready to take the plunge into the all electric world.

I have a 47 mile commute to work. 94 miles round trip. This is a combination of surface streets and highway at speeds from 45-65. With the exception of a couple hills the drive is pancake flat. I make this drive 4 or 5 times a week. It takes 55 mins to an hour to make the drive. I live in Kentucky so temps can be anywhere from 10 - 95 degrees. I currently drive a 2008 ICE Focus. I get 36 to 40 MPG.

Do you guys think it would be a good idea to go electric?

I would be buying not leasing. Obviously my mileage is too high for a lease.

What am I forgetting?

Thanks

 

[WattsUp]

Your 47-mile commute will be no problem, assuming you can always charge at work. The FFE can make 47 miles easily, with or without A/C or heat, and you won't need to skimp on speed either (within reason). You could probably drive 70-ish on the freeway and still make it comfortably.

But... this level of comfort assumes that you will be able to charge every day. If you can do that, driving your FFE to work will be a great experience. But, if there's ever a day when you can't charge, it is still "possible" that you could make a 94 mile round-trip, assuming ideal driving conditions, no climate usage, and very conservative driving (no freeway speeds, more like 40 mph or under). Though, even then, you'll probably experience "range anxiety" until you prove to yourself it can be done. I wouldn't attempt it until you have quite a bit of experience driving your FFE... 94 miles is a real stretch.

You might be able to alleviate the anxiety of not being able to use the company charger every day by "topping off" a bit using the Level 1 charger included with the car. (Plugs into a normal 120V outlet, which you might also have at work where you park?) Would it be possible to use your Level 1 charger at work, at least as a backup? You'd probably still have to be careful to make the 94 miles, but charging up for about 10 hours at work at Level 1 could take the edge off. (10 hours at Level 1 should give back about 50% charge in the FFE.)

 

[A Big 9V]

I seem to get a sense fro reading this board that Level 1 charging on an FFE can present future battery problems. I have a company volt and that's all I ever use at home with no issues. Been looking to get an FFE for my personal use and would be curious to know real life experience on Level 1 charging as it relates to functionality of the electronics.

 

[Fluke]

Just a point of clarification if it matters for your situation. The FFE will not do 70 miles comfortably (or likely at all) in cold winter temperatures at highway speeds.

 

[WattsUp]

Just a point of clarification if it matters for your situation. The FFE will not do 70 miles comfortably (or likely at all) in cold winter temperatures at highway speeds.

Calvin's trip (one-way) is 47 miles. I think that can be done comfortably, even in winter.

 

[WattsUp]

I seem to get a sense fro reading this board that Level 1 charging on an FFE can present future battery problems. I have a company volt and that's all I ever use at home with no issues. Been looking to get an FFE for my personal use and would be curious to know real life experience on Level 1 charging as it relates to functionality of the electronics.

There had been some concern that charging at Level 1 might not engage the battery cooling system, but this seems to not be the case. People have reported that yes, in fact, the cooling system does still engage if needed when charging at Level 1. I know of no other reason why Level 1 charging might be considered harmful. Indeed, some folks consider the slower charging rate "better" for the battery.

In any case, I use the Level 1 charger quite frequently (two or three times a week, usually for partial top-off charging, when I need 50% or so) and have had no issues. My FFE currently has 10K miles. I also charge at Level 2 (at work, or out and about) more frequently.

 

[Fluke]

Just a point of clarification if it matters for your situation. The FFE will not do 70 miles comfortably (or likely at all) in cold winter temperatures at highway speeds.

Calvin's trip (one-way) is 47 miles. I think that can be done comfortably, even in winter.

Maybe my car is sub-par, but I would not take even a 47 mile all-highway trip in the middle of a cold spell in Kansas City. I can make such a trip using back roads and no heat, but in really cold weather (below 10F) range goes in the toilet. The often quoted 19.5 kW-hr of available battery capacity is not fully available during cold weather for me based on the car's reported usage during such trips.

 

[WattsUp]

Just a point of clarification if it matters for your situation. The FFE will not do 70 miles comfortably (or likely at all) in cold winter temperatures at highway speeds.

Calvin's trip (one-way) is 47 miles. I think that can be done comfortably, even in winter.

Maybe my car is sub-par, but I would not take even a 47 mile all-highway trip in the middle of a cold spell in Kansas City.

Good point then. I'm in sunny California and don't get to test extremes.

So, in cold temps, even with pre-conditioning (I assume you tried) the range is still way under par?

 

[Fluke]

Good point then. I'm in sunny California and don't get to test extremes.

So, in cold temps, even with pre-conditioning (I assume you tried) the range is still way under par?

Preheating definitely helps on the initial cabin comfort level. I have not noticed that it really helps much on range. During my worst trip last winter in very cold weather (at around 10 below zero) I was concerned with a 45 mile trip on back roads. I did wind up having a couple of miles left, but felt like I was cutting it close. I have a Chevy Volt also and see similar low electric range during very cold weather.

One thing I also noticed is that the range seems to get recalculated in cold weather when the battery is in the last 10 percent of charge if the car is cycled off and on again. I was trying to see how far I could go and did this a couple of times, each time coming up with a few more miles.

 

[Calvin@KTP]

Thanks for the replies.

Using the level 1 charger for a backup certainly seems like a good idea. However I do think I would have access to the level 2 charger everyday.

I believe the type of drive I have is well suited for the FFE. Mostly flat and only about 40% highway and that is only about 60 MPH. I am a little concerned about the comments regarding cold weather driving. If I cannot make it 47 miles without "range anxiety", this may not work for me. Here in KY, it really doesn't drop below 20 very often but it can. I guess I could drive my ICE those days.

Based on my 400 miles a week, how long should I expect the battery to last?

I kind of have it in my head that when it comes time to get a new battery, the replacement battery would have more range due to advancements in technology.

 

[dmen]

I think this car will work for you. Your local temps aren't so low that you'll need climate heating on constantly, so with your driving you'll probably see true winter range around 60 miles. I feel the range is ideal around 60-80 degrees F, then mildly decreased between 20/30 and 60, then significantly decreased below 20... before adding climate use into the mix.

No one really knows how long the battery will last but I recall 80% original capacity at 100,000 miles as Ford's stated expectations. Anyone have better numbers? Anyway that would get you about 5 years. And your commute should still be doable at that level, except maybe on a crazy cold day.

I am with you hoping replacement battery will be cheaper and have higher capacity, but who knows if Ford will even keep the FFE around in a few years. Would they make a replacement pack for a model with 2000 units in use? Will third parties develop replacement packs for this and other EVs? I wouldn't count on that as a factor in your decision.

Regarding using level 1 charging, there's also the observation that many SSN recipients had been charging mostly or only on level 1. No definitive link, but one of several potential factors in triggering this event.

 

[michael]

I have 38 mile each way commute and arrive with battery still at 45% charge remaining. I usually go 50 to 55 miles home due to classes. Never a problem. Like you I have level 2 charging at work. Two hours and I'm charged up

Have had car three weeks and already 1700 miles. Saved $300 in gasoline already

 

[Calvin@KTP]

That's encouraging. Are you concerned about cold weather driving?

 

[Josephus]

Here in Portland Oregon, I am just approaching the "cool" season. I drive 32 miles each way (25 highway) to work and charge level 1 to full while I'm there. I usually have 50-54 miles left when I get to work in ideal temp. Now that I'm turning on defrost and heat (and playing it heavy with the "accelerator" pedal) I usaully have 30-40 miles left after I get to work.

I think you would be fine, especially if you have a cold day ICE backup car until you prove to yourself the car can handle it.

10 years from now, when the battery is closer to 80% capacity (64 miles), and it happens to be an unusually cold day (-15 miles = 49), you "might" start to cut it close. But by then how much fuel cost have you saved?

The math just makes sense.

The monthly budget savings is what pushed me over the edge to do what my emotions already wanted me to do. It's such a fun car. Long trips become adventures with planned pit stops rather than rushed gas stops. We even purposely ran it down to empty just to see what happens, to remove the fear. We went about 2 miles past zero before the accelator stopped responding and we coasted around the block next to our garage. (Guess it wasn't super adventurous

Take the plunge.

 

[michael]

Im not worrying about cold weather. I'll deal with that if I discover problems arising

Don't rule out a lease. I got a 19,500 miles a year lease. If the car works out I can always buy it at the end of the lease. If its a dud(don't expect that) then its Ford's problem not mine. Or possibly there will be vastly better cars then. A lease puts the risks on someone else.

Also who's to say what your or my commute will be in the years ahead? May have different job, who knows?

And finally if you lease the $7500 fed rebate gets wrapped into the lease up front. No issue of waiting til your next taxes and possibly not qualifying.