Have PiP, just bought a Ford Fusion Energi...

The traction battery is really huge compared to the PiP battery. It adds a lot of weight directly over the rear axle. Good effect on the handling of the car - should do well in snow

The trunk space is A). wide, B). tall, and C). not deep at all because of the battery. It'll easily fit one large suitcase standing on its hinge, maybe two large suitcases standing on their ends side-by-side. There IS a pass-through space from the trunk to the rear seat area when the rear seat backs are folded down - but it's more for visual contact and for light fluffy items than for serious cargo. The battery creates a high shelf that reaches more than halfway to the underside of the rear window speakers.

The cargo space compromise in the trunk is real - but of course the rear seats can be folded flat, or split-folded flat for more (separate) cargo space. Long-distance travel for two or even three people is very doable. Four+ people in the car will not allow a large suitcase per person.

EV and gas consumption: this car has repeatedly given us over 20 miles per EV charge in the two weeks we've owned it, and it gets driven every day, often several times/day. I really wish the PiP could attain this EV range. Driving the Ford, I'm not even watching the EV range or playing EV/HV tricks like I learned to do with the PiP since almost always we're back at the hacienda and charging again before the traction battery is empty. Maybe in several years when the next generation of EV traction batteries shows up and the aftermarket figures out how to mount them in the current PiP traction battery space... Hmmm...

Son is likely going to Massachusetts and back next week - 1000+ mile round trip. I'll report more usage info when he gets back.

One unintended consequence: the MyFord app that we both loaded up on our phones lets my son track where I go for work when I take the Ford... Sample texts: "Dad, you're busted. I can see your car and where it's parked - now I know where you work" "Dad now you're on I-395 approaching the bridge - the traffic looks like it sucks"... etc.

 

We are in line to get the newest Virginia HOV plates, and we also had the dealer register for the three-year (max) registration, before the new VA EV tax kicks in on 01 July. That'll save us about $192.00 over three years.

The Maryland purchase fees (as opposed to registration fee) are about $500 less.

 

Yes the weight over driven wheels helps most in snow, but any weight over any axle should help a bit, I guess. We'll see...
The EV range is over the exact work route I use the PiP on. The PiP works out to about 12 - 14 miles per charge on this route, depending on the traffic. Work is 23.5 miles round-trip for me. The route is mostly flat, with some city expressway and some surface street miles, depending how I go. The other day, I came home with exactly zero miles on the Ford EV battery and no gas engine use. Of course, since the Ford is a much heavier and larger car, it is hard to know the gas engine kicked on unless I watch the displays like a hawk.

 

Update: EV mileage @ nearly 1000 miles. Today the Ford showed 964 miles since its birth. EV miles: 539. MPG: 55.6.

No long trips yet other than one to Ocean City MD, about 170 miles each way.

I think this shows the strength of a 20+mile EV range in everyday suburban life. This is the EV range the PiP should have had to be a practically perfect car (sigh). Let's hope the Gen IV PiP attains something similar.

 

USBSeawolf, good question(s).

I relayed the info from the Ford's EV display. Didn't dig into the manual yet to see what their definitions are. I can see here that variances in definitions can really alter the results.

In any case, the Progeny took the Ford up to NYC this Friday, so all the still-early #s on the Ford EV display will significantly change the next time I'll see them. TBC...

 

Well, my Progeny during his jaunt to NYC and back reset the counters (of course - all those buttons need playin' with). However, today with 1500+ miles on the Ford, the partial mileage counters on the Eco display show 46.7 MPH average over the last 560+ miles and the daily pure EV range has crept up to 25 miles available after a charge.

So, three weeks later, we are very happy with the Ford although it is a much heavier car than the Prius. It is very quiet inside, has plenty of power, handles well and is comfortable with room to spare with three passengers in the car.
...and I still love the PiP!

 

Update: with nearly 3000 miles on the Ford Fusion Energi, the car calculator (reset several times - it happens) shows an average of 52.7 MPG and we consistently rarely or never run out of EV power in our daily runs. The EV power lasts for 22 - 24 miles/charge. On the open road (two short out-of-state trips so far), the car returns MPG in the 43 - 44 range. We both like the car very much - although the PiP beats it hands down for loading bulky cargo, like the oriental rug that got wet and had to go to a cleaner's.

Conclusion: for everyday commuting, the doubled EV range is perfect for inner suburb living. Wish the PiP had that EV range.

2d conclusion: the way forward seems to be ever-increasing manufacturer competition to cover market segments with better & better PHEVs. Look how far we've come in just the last two years. This is all good. Can't wait for what'll be available when the PiP runs through its planned life and we'll be choosing from a plethora of competing PHEV models

3d conclusion: In our house setup, the hard-mounted Leviton L2 charger, the Virginia-option EV-dedicated TOU meter and the EVSE-Upgraded Toyota L2 EVSE really make life much much easier when more than one EV car is present (or put another way, with multiple significant EV batteries to keep charged). It's all due to the adoption of the standardized J1772 plug design.

 

I think the 52.7 is the overall miles/overall gas MPG (since the last reset - on this car, the way the play buttons are laid out, it's easy to reset this stuff. We've reset at least four times). The Son has the Ford today, so I don't want to misquote its EV/ICE ratio - but because of the longer daily EV range, its EV/ICE ratio is much better than our PiP ratio, which hovers around 20%. The Ford's ratio so far is at least 45+ % as I recall, under our driving regime.

Yes, of course the total MPG is lower than a PiP's. The Ford Fusion is much heavier car. Its attractiveness centers on the 22 - 25 mile EV range, which really covers everyday driving for me and for my son, as we flip the keys to each other. It's other attractiveness lies in being a well-designed, well-made midsize car, which the PiP is not. The Ford's level of good design detail and of fit & finish is really impressive.

As much as I aim to lessen our national security dependencies on certain foreign oil exporters by my personal choices, overall MPG is one of several criteria that make a car good. And in everyday commuting, which for us is a 340+ days/year reality, reliable 20+ EV miles in a well-designed, powerful, comfortable car are a great combo.
Now, if I were back in my early '20s phase of life as a footloose independent GI with 30 paid leave days/year, I'd have absolutely preferred the regular GenIII Prius to the Ford Fusion as long car trips with buddies were frequent and for a really long car trip with poor young people as cost contributors, gas $$$ ruled as a criterion. However, that's when I had a long-legged motorcycle as my primary vehicle, and damn the rain!.

Cargo: the PiP does beat the Fusion. Of course, a station wagon or a van would have beaten both, by far. So far, the cargo area in the Ford is usable - just usable differently than in the PiP. Remember, the Ford's split rear seats fold flat and that's a lot of cargo area.

For a one-car family, I think the PiP is a slightly better all-around choice. For a singleton, or as a 2d car in a family, the Ford works well. Should the PiP grow reliable EV capacity through technology advancements, the variables would rebalance.

 

SeaWolf, I wish had the (what I assume are) your fairly short car trip segments in between charge-ups like you seem to have. I grew up in Nassau County on Long Island, and as I remember, driving within the Queens/Brooklyn/Manhattan area is generally measured more meaningfully in units of "Time & Parking Aggravation" than in miles.

I exclude the other two boroughs because no one ever goes there, right?