Driving this car is like driving no other. In order to achieve the best performance and efficiency the driver must learn new habits. Otherwise, the FEH will be a good car, not a great car. Here are a few tips from owners.

Garaging: Try to garage your car from extreme temperatures. The time required to get up to maximum efficiency may decrease because of the amount of heat needed to get the batteries and exhaust elements up to best operating temperature. Ford’s firmware-based onboard computers, the Powertrain Control Module (PCM) and the Traction Battery Control Module (TBCM) make their respective ‘best engine efficiency’ decisions based on a variety of inputs that the driver has little control over.

Vehicle Weight: This is not a critical issue. At a FEH Curb Weight (excluding gasoline) of about 3150 lbs. the weight of a full tank (94-98 lbs.) of gas is only 3% so carrying 1/2 tank will save only 1% of weight. Passenger and Cargo weight is more important (125 - 500 lbs. or 4 - 15%) so leave at home anything or anyone you do not need to haul around. Any after market accessories added to the vehicle’s weight will decrease mileage over time.

Fuel Type: Buy the cheapest gasoline that meets minimum octane standards. Higher octane will not increase efficiency measurably. Ethenol blends (corn-based or alcohol additives) required in some areas will decrease efficiency and you may have to buy the next highest grade to get better mileage.

Use of Accessories: Limit the use of accessories, especially those that are indicated by red settings. Anything drawing power requires that power be generated by the Internal Combustion Engine (ICE). This is an especially important consideration when using the Defrost Mode or the Maximum Air Conditioning (A/C) because the ICE will stay on limiting driving only in EV. The use of lights, radio, and other electric devices does not seem to adversely affect the charge rate to the batteries. Drive with as clean a profile as possible, including windows up and no flags or other appendages flapping in the wind.

Start-Up: After start-up get the car moving as soon as possible and let the warm up be on the road. The amount of time required for warm up will not be lessens by sitting still but try to drive gently. The amount of time required for the PDM to set the ICE fuel intake to maximum efficiency will depend on the outside temperature but normally will be from 3-7 minutes. The time will be less if the car is already warm and more if it has sat for an extended period. Adding to this is the fact that the Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) high voltage battery pack will lose more of a portion of its full charge in cold temperatures and over extended periods of inactivity, therefore a longer warm up will be required.

First Few Minutes: The EV will not kick in for at least 3-7 minutes after a cold start so do not even think about it. Accelerate the ICE up to your target speed gently keeping the RPMs in a range from 1500-2500. If the engine is warm from a previous drive use the electric as aggressively as possible to accelerate to where the ICE kicks in. Drivers who make primarily short trips of less than 5-10 minutes are destined to get worse MPGs than those who can drive 15-30 minutes at moderate speeds.

Low Speeds: The EV is best for gas mileage to boost quicker acceleration, coasting downhill if not charging, and while stopped. Try to use just the ICE at low RPMs as much as possible. Do not try to set a record for staying in EV because every minute in EV without ICE means at least a minute later of the ICE working harder to recharge the batteries. If increased fuel economy is a high priority drivers must be willing to change their driving style. Drive in the slow lane on freeways and don’t get stressed by getting passed by most of the other cars. Don’t be concerned with being the last one away from a stop light. Good drivers constantly scan the instruments to maximize economy. Lapses, even for a minute or two, in the scan cycle will result in lower mileage. The nav computer instant mileage gauge is very useful in maximizing mileage, without it, the tachometer, speedometer and engine sound become the tools to use, although they are much less precise in determining fuel consumption. The instant mileage gauge will show consumption directly (although it displays the inverse of consumption as MPG). It seems that every FEH and every driver is different and we each have to find the right time to transition from low speed to high speed by experimenting. Some owners are able to maintain EV up to about 40 MPH and for as much as 5 minutes or more. Some do not approach these figures. Some maintain that a pattern is not apparent until about 3,000 miles on the odometer.

Stop and Go: Start aggressively on EV and then keep ICE RPMs low and coast as much as possible. Use the brakes as much as possible, but not heavily, because this gives a higher and faster charge than coasting. Time the red lights and other obstructions to try to maintain forward movement. Energy to restart movement from a dead stop kills mileage whether in ICE or EV.

High Speeds: You should get your best mileage with the RPMs as low as possible. Tach of 1000 - 1500 is great but for cruising on level road try to stay 1500 -2500. Hybrid Drive (drawing on both Engine and Motor for drive) is most efficient if the battery level is receiving a dump of excess energy off and on during the process. Try not to get into a position where heavy acceleration is needed, like getting on the freeway, climbing without momentum, or passing. Try to gauge conditions ahead and accelerate smoothly at lower RPMs. Your speed is less important than your tachometer and the draw on the batteries. Maintaining constant speed is important to fuel economy. Once up to cruising speed, it is almost always possible to let off of the accelerator pedal just slightly and maintain engine rpm's, and the fuel flow will go down (shown by the instant mileage gauge going up). This is a very important technique for maximizing economy, and it is somewhat difficult to do this without the instant mileage gauge.

Uneven Terrain: On extreme upgrades you may have to boost RPMs to the 4000 - 5000 range to maintain desired speed but do it as little as possible. Anticipate the crests of hills and coast up near the top bleeding off some speed before the coast down. Use braking going down while maintaining desired speed. Most of all, do not use automatic speed controls or try to stay in a narrow range. Set a speed range in your head of 10-15 MPH with the bottom range the minimum speed legally allowable for this road. Most of the time people will pass but at other times you may have to sacrifice your efficiency for their impatience. Remember. You are buying your gas, not them. On longer downhills use your excess momentum to reach the highest possible speed to coast up the next grade. If there is a choice of routes (short, steep upgrade vs. longer, less steep upgrade) take the road less travelled for best mileage. This also applies to freeway vs. surface street routes if time is not a critical factor. Accelerating up hills consumes a large amount of fuel without increasing momentum much, so try to accelerate only on the flats or downhill if traffic conditions allow. If accelerating downhill is not needed, then it is also important to recognize the downhill situation and to let off the accelerator pedal as much as possible while maintaining speed to take full advantage of gravity and coasting.