I just spoke with John (GPS Man) (frequent poster on the Yahoo site) and Wayne (frequent poster on this site) who left Chicago together this afternoon in John's '05 FEH. Wayne took a spin around town and pegged at 60 MPG. I was sure he could do it knowing his historic hypermiling techniques. They are now in route to Dearborn for tomorrow's event and Wayne is getting over 45 MPG on the Interstate.

I am trying to get the team in contact with anyone who was there today or going to be there tomorrow to share notes. I have already passed on several cellphone numbers.

I also spoke with Julie Malkin of the Carlson Group (Ford's Consultant for the event) this evening and she said the event was a huge success today with over 15 major news media outlets reporting. Of the members I have spoken with they were all impressed it was not a sales event but an information-exchanging event both for owners and Ford.

Some of the directions to the facility were not very good so Ford is arranging to put out freeway signs tonight for tomorrow, the concluding day. For those of you going tomorrow, Sunday, please be aware there is a blackout in the 'hardened' event building and no signals get out or get in.

Wayne has plans to report more fully when he returns home late Sunday or Monday.

If you have any information please post it. I wish I could have attended.

 

Well, we went today, and had a blast!

Getting there was a pain, I'm a local boy, and in fact was at Greenfield Village in the morning, so I figured it wouldn't be a problem, just take Village down, but Ford closed it off, so I ended up having to circle around, and all that, and in fact, missed the entrance and ended up following another hybrid in on my second loop around.

Anyway, they vallet your FEH into a parking lot to do the inspection (Which freaked me out at first, someone else drives the Liberator?!?) while you go in and you have an engineer assigned to you, who spends the day with you. There's a quick survey, and an interview, and you can list off all the stuff that you like and hate for them, and they visit here and the other boards.

They have on display a battery cut away, and the engine, so you can get up close and personal to the real deal, and there's engineers there to go over it with you. (The HV battery is 275 D batteries!!) The batteries, it seems, will outlast the vehicle, they have yet to have one of their extreme test batteries fail on them yet.

After that, we go into a mini-lecture hall as a group, and they do a presentation: Intro to the FEH, how the FEH actually works, tips to good economy and information on when and how badly it will perform under certain circumstances, then a Q&A with the entire development staff.

The intro was good, and they cleared up some stuff like that they use Toyota Technology (NOT true), how the Atkinson engine works, the regen braking and the other systems work. It was detailed without going overboard.

The Fuel tips were the weakest part of the presentation, as they were woefully uninformative compared to just the one that I've written here. However, it was interesting to see that the FE is better at 60 MPH with the windows down at 80 degree weather than with the AC on. Winter can take a 20% performance bite out, AC at low speeds are a 25% decrease, while at 60, are only a 10% decrease, and what the headlights, A/N and other stuff take out of the MPG on average. There were some other tidbits to that were pretty cool.

The Q&A was good. All the questions were answered by the person who developed that system. Got some good answers. (Nav system can't be used even with a passenger because of laws, "blinks" in the Instant Economy are due to Satalite disruptions, breaks biting hard in wet weather are because the friction brakes are wet, so they bite hard, etc.)

Then we go for a drive, with the engineer assigned to you. We just talked, and I tried to beat the engineering teams record for FE in a 4WD for the course, but found out they had a warm engine, so I didn't beat it. (They like the "You know you're a hybrid owner..." thread here, and have printed it out and shared it!)

Then we got to test the Mercury Mariner Hybrid (MMH). Cool.

After that, we got a very detailed look at the prototype hybrid, and got to ride in it with the data laptop in our laps to see how all the systems are performing.

Next we took another survey. Turns out they're redesigining the intrument panel, and want feedback. They're getting rid of the Charge/Assist, and the Tachometer, and replacing it with an engine temp meter and our choice, out of 7 or so options. (I went with a modified tachometer that showed how much assist was being rendered, then the tach, so you could know just before the engine went on that it would) And left them feedback that I didn't think the changes were a very good idea.

Lastly, we got a gift back, 2 shirts (1 FEH, 1 MMH), a FEH hat, water bottle, a MMH CD, Ford Hybrid pencils, and some other doodads. We also got a "report card" from our vehicle inspection (done while we went inside), and a laminated card on tips for good FE. (Summary of the presentation.)

The big thing that I learned, is that D and L are the same. The only difference is the software. It's all personal preference, and where/how you drive.

They also had a Ford Fusion on display, the next vehicle to become a Hybrid from Ford. (After the Mazda Tribute)

Overall, we were made VERY welcome, and they wanted us to talk to them about it, good and bad, and everything in between. Everyone wanted to talk to us, and share info, and hear about any question we may have.

We got there a little after 2:15, and left around 7. I talked to a lot of people, both owners and engineers about the site, and wore my gh shirt. (So to you guys out there, HI!)

EDIT: Changed C to D batteries. Oops.

 

I wonder if and when they will have one of these seminars in the DFW area? I'd love to attend one of these.

 

Sounds like a great info share type meeting.

Thanks for the details, Pravus Prime.

I only wish Honda would do something similar.

Regards,

 

All -

My husband and I were there for the 11:30 session on Saturday and it was great to see all the other FEHs - we don't see many in Kentucky - in fact we've never seen any others here. The sessions yesterday and today included 288 people from 24 states & 2 Canadian provinces. The sessions were broken down as such: valet parking so the engineers can inspect your cars while you're in talking with other engineers. The inside engineers will be with you for the interview session and the ride-along. They have a questionnaire to fill in and were very appreciative of any information you can give - in fact, they wanted copies of the suggestions and information that I had brought along. Then there was a session in a small auditorium that included an introduction by Mary Ann Wright, powerpoint presentation of technical aspects of the car, another powerpoint presentation of driving tips and techniques, and then a way-too-short Q&A session that I thought could have gone on for hours. After that is the ride-along where the enginneers - we had 2 go with us - take you on a road trip outside the plant in what looked like a FEH parade. BTW the engineers are not allowed to give out their last names. Then everyone comes back to look at some proposed dash board layouts and the voting there-on and then the goody bag. We received 2 shirts a bag, a ball cap, 2 pencils, a water bottle, and a Mariner CD. Warning: the shirts come in all sizes and you are not given the chance to get the size you want. If anyone received a "Hybrid Driving Experience" shirt that was an extra-large and would like to trade it for a medium, my husband would be eternally grateful. Outside there was a new fusion hybrid that you could look at and some cut-aways of the hybrid engines and the battery. Some of the interesting facts I got out of the presentations, which they could not distribute, were the degradation of mileage by using the following electrical accessories are as follows:
Radio .1 MPG
Rear Defrost .8 MPG
Headlights .9 MPG
Fan on High 1.3 MPG
Also they have tested and at 80 degrees driving 60 MPH it is more fuel efficient to have the windows rolled down for cooling than running the A/C in any mode. Also when climbing long hills it is better to use the cruise control. Tire pressure is very important and that you lose 1.5 MPG if your tires are 10 points below the recommended 35 psi. Also I found out that driving in low does help you mileage. They didn't say how much but that, after you get used to it, it will improve your mileage. They said that there are 2 milage bumps as you break-in your car. The first at 1000 miles and then again at 3500 miles. After that there are no known mileage bumps. If I remember anything else I will let you-all know. We thought it was a great event.

Sadie

 

Great info! I hope they put one on in the northeast. I will definitely go.

Thanks for sharing the highlights.

 

I was in Saturday's 11:30 event also.

Some other interesting notes:

- typical cars have a peak fuel-efficiency somewhere around 45mph, but this is based on the assumption that cars averaging slower speeds are probably in city stop & go traffic. All the "gains" from driving slow are surrendered to the energy wasted and not reclaimed from braking and sitting at traffic lights. Since the Hybrid DOES reclaim energy in slow traffic it actually has a nearly linear fuel economy curve. The FEH engine cuts on at around 30 which is where their curve started. I think the plot showed a fuel economy of about 60mpg and dropped almost linearly to where their plot ended at 70mpg with an average fuel economy of maybe 28mpg.

- lots of questions about the battery array and safety. The battery will disengage in an accident. The battery's cover is pretty strong... I think they said they dropped bowling ***** on it to verify that it wont break under loads that are probably more than any of us are likely to put on it. It's also water-tight. If you spill something in the back, you don't have to worry about the liquid going into the battery tray and shorting things out.

- there were lots of specific stats on economy and what hurts it in the presentation. I was hoping they'd let us get copies and they told me they'd see if they can. Maybe they'll give us a copy and permission to post it (e.g. the fuel-economy curves, the data on all the various things that will hurt economy, etc.). There was mention of a decline in fuel economy for each 300lbs of weight you put in the car but I don't recall how much it was. Their point was to not leave heavy stuff in the car that you aren't actually using or needing to take on a trip.

- the aircondition vs. window point was interesting. In a typical car the AC would be more fuel efficient than windows, but not so for the FEH. The windows-down drag is also better than the AC at every speed (they don't bother to test for speeds in excess of the max speed limits -- yes there would be a point where it cross over, but it's much higher than 70mph).

- after a cold start, the engine has to run to heat the catalyst -- this is to meet gov't emission standards. It's not really to warm the engine. BUT... they car does much better when warmed (we all knew that) and takes 2-4 hours to cool down again (depending on outdoor temps). So... they suggest you combine errands rather than doing lots of short errands on a cold engine. They also suggest you drive to the FARTHEST destination first to really heat things up. Going in for a n hour-long lunch wont really give the car enough time to cool down.

- brakes and the "grabbing" problem. They know about this and it's not a safety concern. They explain that when you brake a "light" amount of brake pressure will be 100% handled by the regenerative system. As you use more and more pressure *or* when the car slows down, the computer will transfer braking from regenerative system to disk/friction brakes. This is WHY they tell you that very long braking distances as you approach a stop is MUCH better than waiting until you are closer to the stop and then using more brake (because disk/friction is just energy converted to heat and thus wasted). The computer knows how to adjust from regenerative brake to friction so that the amount you slow down is smooth. It makes the transition for you and you normally never notice. HOWEVER, the computer does not know when the brakes are wet. Moist brakes actually have a higher coefficient of friction than dry brakes. So when the brakes clamp they stop you faster than the computer expected. There are several solutions.
1) Adjust your braking in wet weather to anticipate it
2) Dry your brakes by doing a very hard stop to ensure disk/friction brakes are used.
3) Switch transmission to Neutral as you stop. This will _force_ the computer to stop you using 100% friction and dry the brakes.
You dont *need* to do any of these things... you can safely ignore the brake grabbing if you want. But they point out that if you bring your car to a gradual stop (which is what they want you to do), you'll be on 100% regenerative until just before the car stops (which is when the grab occurs). The final 1 second of friction braking probably wont really be enough to dry the brakes -- so you'll get the grab at a number of stops.

- there is NO linkage from the trans selector to the transmission. It's all electronic. Changing the position of the shifter simply tells the computer what you'd like to do and the rest is handled in software.

- Their best engineers were able to "equal" fuel economy performance of the cruise-control but they were not able to "beat" it when on flat road. On flat road, use cruise for best mpg. HOWEVER... on "hilly" road they were regularly able to beat it by anticipating. They suggest that if you learn to optimize fuel economy then you should not use cruise on hilly roads because the computer can't anticpate things like cresting the top of the hill like you can.

 

Very good job Tim. I got the most out of what you said so far. Everyone is picking up things that can be put in a facts list later. I think it is important to post as soon as you can after you get back. It seems many did not get the same info based on the way Ford had so many engineers giving their point of view to the FEH owners.

Everyone that went, please post what you heard. This is great!

Gary

 

Hey, this thread should be a sticky!! Great info throughout, great job everyone who attended and "reported!" Look forward to any more thoughts...

Fred

 

Hi All:

___GPSman and I just got back a few minutes ago and both of us enjoyed the event thoroughly …

___For the benefit of all Ford Escape HEV owners, Saturday afternoon was my first time behind the wheel of the Escape Hybrid and all of you have one hell of an automobile! Not only does it have the ability for 40 + highway and 60 + city when pushed, it is comfortably large and Ford Truck Tough w/ a capital T! John punched out a 53.x mpg segment on Ford’s city drive cycle with 2 Ford hybrid engineers, 1 USA Today reporter, and myself in the car. That alone speaks volumes as to what your Escape HEV’s are really worth

___I also want to personally thank each and every one of the Ford Escape Hybrid Team members who were on their own time giving of themselves throughout the weekend. The presentation and practical test drive provided benefits to many who may not have known even the basics about increasing FE in their Ford Escape HEV’s. I heard a lot of positive comments from participants after their test drive(s) and I am sure most used this new FE knowledge (however basic) and began to apply it immediately afterwards. Besides the excellent detail by Pravus Prime, Sadie, and Tcampb01, I cannot wait to add something of substance with my own thoughts from the perspective of a hybrid enthusiast who had the opportunity to speak with some of the best Hybrid engineers in the world! Great job guys!

___Finally, GPSman has a 1,000 + mile drive home in the morning so wish him a safe and uneventful trip home.

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net