Ford Fusion Energi

[Todd Burch]

http://money.cnn.com/2012/01/09/autos/ford_fusion_plug-in/index.htm?iid=HP_River

The Fusion Energi will be the most fuel-efficient mid-sized car in the world, Ford said. The car is expected to deliver more than 100 MPGe (miles per gallon equivalent) when driving on plug-in battery power. That would be better than either GM's (GM, Fortune 500) Chevrolet Volt and Toyota's (TM) Prius Plug-in.

Oh really Ford? Ever heard of the Model S? Geez it even looks like the Model S.

 

[gg_got_a_tesla]

I'm actually rejoicing that Ford, more so than GM and Toyota, is getting ahead of the curve - Tesla apart - in terms of their commitment to better battery technologies. PHEVs do make more sense for a lot of folks and Ford should be able to make them relatively more affordable than Tesla would be able to for their pure EVs (in the next 3-4 years atleast). It'd not be bad at all if the world goes from gas guzzlers -> non-plugin hybrids -> PHEVs -> BEVs over the next few years.

 

[Todd Burch]

I have no problem with the car. But to make a claim like that is shady.

EDIT: There seems to be a bit of gray area in what's classified as a mid-size car and a full-size car--so Ford may consider the Model S as a full-size car (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car_classification#Large_family_car.2Fmid-size_car)

It looks a LOT like the Model S, even from the back:
http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-autos-ford-fusion-detroit-20120109,0,5877686.story

Coincidence? Or is Tesla influencing the design of major automakers?

 

[dsm363]

Should this be moved to
Electric Vehicles? Guess it is a PHEV though.

Anyway, I think it looks pretty good and borrows heavily from Aston Martin (the front at least). PHEVs are an excellent choice for people with a short commute and only one car in the family.

 

[dpeilow]

Comments

Apparently Ford kept a couple of design books of companies they dumped during the crash. The new Fusion's not bad, but it looks like Aston Martin meets Mazda6.

I think it looks like a Mondeo. No bad thing.

 

[Todd Burch]

I think it looks like a Mondeo. No bad thing.

It *is*:

The Fusion Energy will go on sale in Europe next year as the Ford Mondeo.

 

[dpeilow]

When the Ford Mondeo goes PHEV, people can no longer dismiss it as flash-in-the-pan.

 

[Robert.Boston]

Is the Energi going to have only an electric motor (with gasoline range extender), or is it a parallel drivetrain?

 

[gg_got_a_tesla]

Is the Energi going to have only an electric motor (with gasoline range extender), or is it a parallel drivetrain?

Parallel drivetrain, it appears: The 2013 Ford Fusion | View Fusion Features | Ford.com

 

[Robert.Boston]

Parallel drivetrain, it appears: The 2013 Ford Fusion | View Fusion Features | Ford.com

Hmm, clearly you're right. I just can't figure out why car companies are choosing that route. I'd think it massively simpler to use the range-extender approach.

 

[vfx]

Copying the Tesla grill outline seems like trademark infringement.

 

[Lyon]

It's not as good looking as the Model S but it is a handsome car. I also like the specs! Good job Ford! Lets show the nay-sayers that the era of electric propulsion is here!

 

[Dan5]

It looks like a nice car, but looks can be deceiving, specifically with Ford (I know my ford vehicle look great, but was costly to repair, the Tesla 21's are as much as the 17's on my ford).
I think they did make some "bold" claims and quite frankly it is a pathetic attempt by the "big" car manufacturers to capitalize on electric cars.
Take a step back and look at it logically.
1. It is still a hybrid, a plug in hybrid, but a hybrid none the less. Yes, they can make the claim, of most fuel efficient hybrid- I would expect that due to battery costs decreasing. it will get overtaken in 2014 by another manufacturer
2. It can only go 62 mph on electric mode alone! I don't know about you, but that's not even the speed limit on highways in NJ (AND if you do go the speed limit you will get run off the road)
3. Ford got a DOE loan a 5.9 Billion dollar loan for the purpose of building fuel efficient vehicles (more or less Tesla did it for 1/10th the money AND built a factory AND made a fully electric vehicle)
4. Then there's the perceived fire issue of PEV's and PHEV, the Volt's "catching fire" during accidents, and GM is NOT notorious for their cars turning into fireballs. Ford on the other hand has a bad record when it comes to vehicle fires (70's Pinto, late 80's F150's/350's, early 90's Tempo's, late 90's Police Interceptor)

 

[Doug_G]

4. Then there's the perceived fire issue of PEV's and PHEV, the Volt's "catching fire" during accidents, and GM is NOT notorious for their cars turning into fireballs. Ford on the other hand has a bad record when it comes to vehicle fires (70's Pinto, late 80's F150's/350's, early 90's Tempo's, late 90's Police Interceptor)

I used to have a 74 Pinto. Obviously it never exploded. But there was a recall to add a fuel tank liner and new filler cap.

 

[EVNow]

Hmm, clearly you're right. I just can't figure out why car companies are choosing that route. I'd think it massively simpler to use the range-extender approach.

For a serial PHEV you would need bigger batteries. Ford wants to increase mpg with the smallest cost differential - and they think it is achieved with small batteries in their power-split transmission (like the one in Prius).

C-Max Energi: Why Ford chose PowerSplit instead of Volt's Serial Plug-In

 

[dpeilow]

Don't forget that GM is developing a PHEV Cruze, so conceivably this Fusion/Mondeo competes with it. There is still room above this for Ford to do a full series hybrid PHEV.

 

[EVNow]

Don't forget that GM is developing a PHEV Cruze, so conceivably this Fusion/Mondeo competes with it. There is still room above this for Ford to do a full series hybrid PHEV.

Cruze is C segment (like the Focus). Fusion is D segment (like Camry).

Honda is developing an Accord PHEV & Nissan probably has an Altima PHEV. Those would be the primary competitors next year.

 

[Dan5]

I used to have a 74 Pinto. Obviously it never exploded. But there was a recall to add a fuel tank liner and new filler cap.

Yes, your vehicle may not have caught fire, but the fact that Ford had numerous recalls and deaths related fires for over a 40 year period is indicative of a systemic problem (spanning many management changes). Ford's entries on the top 10 recalls of all time are fire related (either design, electrical, or mechanical).

Yes the Pinto did need a fuel tank liner and they should have learned to design their vehicles more safe/ less prone to impact fire. (Myself, I would make sure that never happened again), but unfortunately that was not the case (late 90's police interceptors which had a similar flaw when hit could potentially catch fire). The fact that they had a similar incident with another car 20 some odd years later means they did not learn from their mistakes (you don't drop that big of a ball).

The point is that in general, a wide array of Ford cars had to be recalled over a 30 year period due to fire concerns and it is very likely, given Ford's historical record with regards to fires and fire related recalls, that their PHEV will be more prone to fires than other PHEV's or PEV's.

 

[dpeilow]

4. Then there's the perceived fire issue of PEV's and PHEV, the Volt's "catching fire" during accidents, and GM is NOT notorious for their cars turning into fireballs. Ford on the other hand has a bad record when it comes to vehicle fires (70's Pinto, late 80's F150's/350's, early 90's Tempo's, late 90's Police Interceptor)

Actually it caught fire 3 weeks after the "accident" when not properly de-energised and when apparently was doused with water.

 

[Doug_G]

The point is that in general, a wide array of Ford cars had to be recalled over a 30 year period due to fire concerns and it is very likely, given Ford's historical record with regards to fires and fire related recalls, that their PHEV will be more prone to fires than other PHEV's or PEV's.

What Ford really got bad press for was the cost-benefit analysis they sent to NHTSA, showing that it was cheaper to settle the occasional wrongful death lawsuit instead of fixing their cars.

I made the mistake of buying another Ford in the mid 80's. That one was a total Found-On-Road-Dead style lemon. As a result they're the only automotive entry (so far) on my personal "lifetime blacklist". Even if this Ford Energi were the best EV ever made, I wouldn't touch it with a light-year long pole.