Potential new owner questions

[user 3729]

I've been reading about EV's for years and following the LEAF closely. I recently drove both the LEAF and the FFE and found the FFE was much more rewarding to drive. I'm hoping the community here can answer some questions I have.

1) Is there a SOC meter? I believe that's what the AA battery gauge shows; Is there an actual number, like % SOC, or is there only the Guess-O-Meter showing remaining range? This seems like one of the biggest complaints in the 2011/2012 LEAF, which was addressed for 2013.

2) Is there a display that shows the current health of the traction battery, such as the 12 right-most bars on the LEAF cluster? Does Ford perform scheduled testing to determine this?

3) Related: Anyone observe any capacity loss due to aging/mileage? I realize it's a little early for this.

4) Is there a more active community of FFE owners than this one?

5) Can the nav be used by a passenger while the car is in motion? (The car I drove didn't have the nav maps installed.)

6) Anything else a prospective buyer should be aware of?

That's all I can think of for now. Thanks for any and all feedback!

 

[user 3729]

I'm surprised by the silence. Anyone?

 

[Yoyogee]

Hey Parzival,
I agree with you that the FFE is a superior driving experience compared to the LEAF. Which is why I leased one even though it's more costly... (I'm also not a huge fan of the industrial design of the LEAF).

The FFE's State Of Charge meter is pretty brilliant once you understand how it works. (That actually took me sitting down with a few senior Ford engineers before my "Ah ha!" moment). You really need to use the nav system so the car has a sense of the speeds that you're likely to be traveling and then it's up to the driver to stick within the power budget the car assigns to the trip. Here's a good video which explains how it works:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjJoHvby9jw&fwid=1251734985866
Without using the Nav, the SOC picks an average rate of around 2.5kwh and it's up to you to work the white line of the power gauge (So it's a big old guess o' meter!!!)

No real time reporting of the regen braking system, just an after the fact report of how you did on the last braking (i.e. 98% efficient regeneration etc.)

It's WAY to early to notice battery degradation and it's likely to be minimal as it's liquid cooled/heated and the charge ratio is pretty controlled (I begged the engineers I spoke with to let us have a "range charge" like the Rav4EV but alas, they're a conservative lot. (And they don't want us complaining on the forums about battery loss in a couple of years).

The MyFord Mobile site/app that we all use for remote car management and value charge programming has an integrated forum that many of us use and that Ford engineers monitor. (I still prefer this one though).

Certain features of the Nav system's TOUCHSCREEN are disabled while in motion but I've found that once I got the hang of using voice control (which is NOT limited while in motion) that it wasn't a problem.

Invest time in really understanding the Budget View screen and the use of the Budget Gauge (and Nav system) and you'll feel much more in control of your range anxiety.

The brand new LEAF is really cool (6.6 kWh charger, lots of Nissan dealer quick chargers coming on-line, a new, more efficient heating system to limit range reduction but it's still kinda ugly and during warmer months the FFE will look better, drive better and has superior range management once you get the hang of it. (Though I would REALLY like a L3 charge capability!!!)

Good luck!!!

-Rob G.

 

[user 3729]

Thanks, Rob.

I don't expect range anxiety will be much of an issue. I'm just trying to get a feel for how the car reports data. It sounds like Ford has put at least as much thought into the driver displays as Nissan has, and that's a great thing. The power budget was a big mystery to me. Thanks for explaning how that works.

In my opinion, the only kind of public charging that makes much sense is L3 charging. There are no usefully placed L3 chargers in this area, and during the duration of a lease I doubt it would improve a whole lot. Also, which L3 charging standard will prevail? I'm not going to get hung up on that. Home charging is fine for me, and this car should have plenty of range for the driving my family does around town, even with the climate control cranked up in "winter."

I'm curious, how do FFE drivers make use of the L "gear"? During my test drive, I thought it would be a great setting for stop and go traffic. The manual says it cuts range. I suppose that's just because it makes coasting more difficult? Also, do the brake lights come on when slowing in L? I assume they must.

 

[Yoyogee]

to my disappointment, I don't think the L setting really works as a heavy re-gen mode, I think it just adds resistance for steep descents so you can use the regen braking without having to engage the "real" brakes as much (lowering your regeneration percentage).

I agree that we need a better L3 infrastructure. (Though I'm not betting on CHAdeMO for the long hall). What we need more of is better current on the existing L2 chargers out in the world. (It's pretty hit and miss out there...)