EPA pegs Ford C-MAX Energi PHEV range at 620 miles
16 October 2012
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has rated the overall range for Ford’s plug-in hybrid C-MAX Energi at 620 miles (998 km). The Toyota Prius plug-in trails the C-MAX Energi by 80 miles at 540 miles of overall range, and the Chevrolet Volt comes in third at 380 miles.
C-MAX Energi achieves up to 21 miles in all-electric mode, meaning at least one leg of the average work commute of 20 miles each way could be completed each day on electric battery charge only, allowing customers to save gas as they face traffic congestion in their commute. The Toyota Prius plug-in hybrid offers up to six miles in all-electric range.
Debuting this fall with a 108 MPGe city EPA rating and for $29,995 after a federal tax credit, the C-MAX Energi is Ford’s first production plug-in hybrid vehicle and part of the company’s first dedicated line of hybrids.
I think this is the most hopeful PHEV we have coming.
A good compromise on the electric range, a good price, better cooling than the Volt together with a smaller battery pack which should hopefully make replacements cheaper if they are needed, and more exciting performance than the Prius.
A shame the boot in the Energi is quite heavily compromised, but still much more practical than that of the Focus EV.
Posted by: Davemart | 16 October 2012 at 03:34 AM
S/be 'better cooling than the Leaf'.
Posted by: Davemart | 16 October 2012 at 03:38 AM
The range of a PHEV doesn't really matter, because you can refuel it in about 5 minutes.
Posted by: mahonj | 16 October 2012 at 06:10 AM
@mahonj:
How many miles you are going to get petrol free will vary according to the range though, as most will only charge once a day.
The Energi is good for up to 7,000 miles, a good chunk of the total mileage even in the US, and a more efficient way to use battery resources than the Volt, as most will not use the full 40 miles petrol free on the Volt every day.
Posted by: Davemart | 16 October 2012 at 06:30 AM
Prius PHV has 6 miles all-electric but 11 miles blended/EV-boosted (until juice run out and operates like a regular Prius).
EPA rated its electricity consumption as 117 MPGe (29kWh/100mi) and gas consumption as 50 MPG (0.2gal/100mi). Combination of both is rated 95 MPGe.
It looks like C-MAX Energi completed both the city and highway EPA cycle in all-electric mode and got 21 miles range @ 100 MPGe. It's gas consumption is 43 MPG (vs. 47 for the hybrid version).
Posted by: usbseawolf2000 | 16 October 2012 at 06:44 AM
I'm not sure why the Energi looses 4pmg compared to the hybrid.
Surely the weight of the batteries would not account for all of that?
Posted by: Davemart | 16 October 2012 at 07:22 AM
Let me be more clear.
The total range of a PHEV doesn't matter very much because you can refuel rapidly - long runs will be mostly done on ICE.
The EV range of a PHEV matters a lot (in terms of mpg) if you are doing short/medium runs (commuting), because you may be able to do a good percentage of your commute on electric, which is what PHEVs are all about.
Posted by: mahonj | 16 October 2012 at 07:25 AM
@Davemart - Energi top speed is 102 mph vs 115 mph for hybrid. I think Ford changed the PSD ratio to enable 85 mph without ICE spinning. That probably hurt the HV mode MPG.
Posted by: usbseawolf2000 | 16 October 2012 at 08:20 AM
usb:
That makes sense. Thanks.
mahonj:
Thanks for the clarification.
Posted by: Davemart | 16 October 2012 at 08:33 AM
This seems to be an improved PHEV. Others will have to redo their home works to stay competitive.
Posted by: HarveyD | 16 October 2012 at 08:35 AM
Prius PiP gets 6 miles all EV? Where do they get this number? It gets 11-12 miles all EV.
Posted by: TM | 16 October 2012 at 09:59 AM
Introducing PHEVs with different electricity-only ranges makes sense. Some people can get by quite nicely with only a few electric miles for their daily driving. They can buy a smaller battery pack and save money. Others may need the longer e-range of another offering.
I suspect it would be smart for someone to offer PHEVs with an assortment of battery sizes like Tesla is doing with their S.
Posted by: Bob Wallace | 16 October 2012 at 10:02 AM
@TM - I know Prius PHV owners are getting 11-16 electric miles but the official EPA label said "all electric range" is 6 miles. That's because the gas engine was used (as designed per Synergy drive) on the highway test cycle.
The driving range for gasoline + electricity is shown as 11 miles on the label.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/64/Toyota_Prius_Plug-in_EPA_label.png
Posted by: usbseawolf2000 | 16 October 2012 at 10:15 AM
I was initially very optimistic for the Energi, but the combination of lower fuel economy and significantly reduced trunk space has lowered my optimism for the vehicle as at least for me, I was considering one for a combination of short range and long-range duty where having at least a medium size trunk area is a must...
Posted by: Dave R | 16 October 2012 at 03:45 PM
@seawolf. Thanks. Crazy spec. My other car is a PiP and we usually get ~13 miles on a charge in phoenix. Warm weather helps.
Posted by: TM | 16 October 2012 at 07:57 PM
DaveR:
Even the lower range than the hybrid for the Energi still leaves a pretty healthy long range petrol consumption.
I go along with the comments on the boot, it really depends on just how much you need.
AFAIK there is not a better option out there for your mix if you want any all electric range at all.
Posted by: Davemart | 17 October 2012 at 02:13 AM
The good news here is the fuel tank of the C-Max Energi can be reduced to about half, thus leaving more room for the rear luggage area. I hope that the spare tire will no longer be provided, since tire pressure warning can alert the driver to fix the tire before it will become flat. There is no need for 600-mile range on petrol, unless you're trying to cross the Sahara desett or Siberia! (you can always tow a tank trailer if wanting to go for thousands of miles without a fill-up)
Posted by: Roger Pham | 17 October 2012 at 10:48 AM
Nissan claims 1300 Km (about 780 miles) for the new 2013 Altima.
Posted by: HarveyD | 20 October 2012 at 07:24 AM