tkrupka Posted April 9, 2013 Share Posted April 9, 2013 Has anyone noticed if there are any major temperature effects to the efficiency of the 2013 Fusion Hybrid? I have a 2010 now and when it gets really cold or really hot the mpg just plumets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted April 9, 2013 Share Posted April 9, 2013 Of course - just like all hybrids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkrupka Posted April 9, 2013 Author Share Posted April 9, 2013 I was hoping that there were some improvements over the past three years. Being that I was over 41mpg average before the winter and at 37mpg average at the end of winter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apm Posted April 9, 2013 Share Posted April 9, 2013 I noticed that when it rained the mpg's would go down quite a bit on my 2010 FFH, as much as 4 or 5 mpg's on the highway. I live in South Florida, so I can't really comment on cold weahter, but when the engine was cold even if the weahter was hot, it would take some time to get the engine hot enough to go into hybrid mode. Since most of my trips are short this was what would kill my mpg's most often. In hot weather running the AC is probably what affects the mpg's the most. I now drive the Fusion Energi, so my short distance trips are very efficient! Regards,APM 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkrupka Posted April 9, 2013 Author Share Posted April 9, 2013 I've driven my FFH in Florida a few times. I know I lose MPG when it gets over 90 degrees out there. I know it is important to keep the battery cool. I work with a lot of batteries and I know that the temperature can have an effect on the total voltage and charging currents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted April 9, 2013 Share Posted April 9, 2013 I was hoping that there were some improvements over the past three years. Being that I was over 41mpg average before the winter and at 37mpg average at the end of winter. As Scotty would say - "You can't change the laws of physics!". Heat requires energy and energy only comes from the ICE for non plug-ins. Add winter blend fuel and winter mpg will always be lower. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hybridbear Posted April 9, 2013 Share Posted April 9, 2013 Below freezing the car seems to really take a hit. Below 32 the ICE will never warm up in city driving enough to have heat on in the car unless you run the ICE more than is needed to propel the car. In MN we saw about 38-40 MPG on most tanks of gas all throughout the winter. The last two tanks have been around 42-43 MPG because the temps have been between 25-40. Once the temp gets above 50 consistently I know we'll see 47+ MPG. We had one tank that was at 50+ MPG for the first 200 miles but then the weather turned cold again and lowered it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GaryG Posted April 10, 2013 Share Posted April 10, 2013 In 2010, Ford discontinued the HV battery aux A/C from the pack in the FEH and never had it in the FFH. Ideal battery temperature is 78F, so anything colder or hotter will bring down the efficiency of the battery or hybrid system. This causes slower charging rates in cold weather, until the battery reaches higher temperatures. In hot weather, the battery will continue to get hotter to a point it will no longer take a charge and even stop any EV mode until it cools off again. In cold weather, I use regen as much as possible to heat the battery up faster. Charging the battery creates heat, so I force charging with the regenerating braking system. I continue this until I can go EV. In hot weather, the '09 FEH and older had the aux A/C that would maintain EV functions by keeping the battery cooler. Newer FEH and FFH don't have the battery aux A/C and can only use the cabin vent to get cabin A/C air to cool the battery down. In 2010, Ford also changed the belt driven compressor to an electrical A/C compressor. In hot weather, that compressor will use up the battery real fast in city driving. This limits EV in city driving where EV creates its best MPG. I haven't studied or driven Ford's Lithium HV battery enough to comment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hybridbear Posted April 10, 2013 Share Posted April 10, 2013 We haven't experienced any heat yet in MN so it remains to be seen how much the A/C will lower fuel economy. Like your 2010 the 2013 has a display to show how much electricity is being drawn by the A/C so that you can adjust your settings accordingly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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