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http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/2/AmericanFlag.jpg 1,000 miles is the goal but just how far it will go is a guess best left up to you ;) (cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?p=201414)

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/620/FFH_-_Concept_A_Stone_Gray_front_NEWS.jpgWayne Gerdes – CleanMPG (cleanmpg.com) – April 16, 2009

2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid – Rated at 39 mpgUS combined and wrapped in concept graphics ready for the drive of its life!

Beginning on April 25th, a drive near Washington DC is set to take place. This drive is not to visit our Nations Capital for its historic nature or to view the beautiful Cherry Blossoms lining the boulevards. Both are noteworthy of course but this drive is to find out just how far the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid can be driven on a single tank of fuel while at the same time raising money for a great cause.

The Details

The 2010 Fusion Hybrid is equipped with a 17.5 gallon tank, is rated at 41/36 City/Highway and will be driven from top off to fuel starve over an approximately 2-day non-stop period. The vehicle is stock other than (2) ScanGauges (scangauge.com) attached.

The “1,000 Mile Challenge” goal is to obviously break 1,000 miles on a single tank of fuel. I do not believe 1,000 miles on a single tank of fuel has ever before been achieved from a US manufacturer’s mass-produced and domestically available, non-modded automobile. As any CleanMPG member can surmise, the Ford Fusion Hybrid is capable of a distance far beyond that of its estimated max range of 717.5 miles. 1,000 miles is the “Challenge” goal but the real question is, how far can it really go? 900 miles? 1,000 miles? 1,100 miles? Possibly more? I cannot wait to find out :angel:

Drivers scheduled to appear include:
Carl Edwards (carledwards.com) – His day job consists of sitting behind the windscreen of the #99 Ford Fusion on the NASCAR Racing circuit. Something most do not know however is he actually has a 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid on order which was bought and paid for out of his own pocket!



Gil Portalatin - Hybrid Propulsion System Applications Manager. Gil is responsible for all things Hybrid with special responsibility for the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid including numerous media appearances in its promotion.



Sherif Marakby - Chief Engineer, Hybrid Programs. Sherif is not only a crucial part of the Hybrid program but one of Ford’s key spokesmen regarding the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid.



Steve Burke - Propulsion Systems Product Development Engineer. Steve is another of Ford’s top engineer with a specialty in hybrid systems going all the way back to the Ford Escape Hybrid’s initial development.



Tom Rolewicz - Hybrid Propulsion Systems Integration and Development Engineer. The individual responsible for Pack, Inverter and MGSet integration and interactions is a welcome addition.



Wayne Gerdes - Nobody needs to know anything about that guy :D
The public road route(s)

With the help of CleanMPG members, a number of routes were discussed, constructed and driven as shown in the Anyone familiar with the beltway and boulevards around Washington DC??? (cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20374) thread. With this help, the final Challenge routes were mapped as shown below.

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/620/GWP_Southern_Route.jpg
Ford Fusion 1,000 mile Challenge "George Washington Parkway Southern Route"

This route will be driven for approximately 85% of the tank with a transition to a Northern Route during a 7-hour period when the Southern portion of the GWP will be closed for a 10K run on early Sunday morning.

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/620/GWP_Northern_Route.jpg
Ford Fusion 1,000 mile Challenge "George Washington Parkway Northern Route"

On early Monday morning, the Challenge Vehicle and drivers will drive into downtown Washington DC for a few Photo Ops and then head back to finish off the tank if there is any fuel left.

CleanMPG members can participate

Not only can you participate but you can also help a charity in dire need of your generous donation.

I will be sending a brand new ScanGauge-II w/ X-Gauge including the latest 3.16 Firmware to the person or group that comes closest to guessing the actual amount of miles the Fusion Hybrid will go before running out of fuel.

To be included in the ScanGauge-II Charity giveaway, the only item I ask is that you make at least a $1.00 donation to the JDRF. Every Dollar raised will go to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (http://www.jdrf.org/) (JDRF) at the conclusion of the “1,000 mile Challenge”. Sean placed a Fusion Hybrid/JDRF Donate Button on the upper right of the Home Page earlier this evening to make it easy for everyone. I will keep an up to date list of those that donate (first name and last initial so as to keep the member somewhat anonymous), their donation amounts and the miles that they guessed the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid would achieve. You can enter as many guesses as you would like as long as you donate at least $1.00 for each entry. I hope CleanMPG can raise as much as Ford and BP employees as they are holding a similar challenge within their respective companies.

Although I am donating the ScanGauge-II and $5.00 of my own funds to the JDRF, I have disqualified myself from actually winning the ScanGauge-II so a CleanMPG member will walk away with the prize!

Another special addition for our members that live in the DC area is I have 5-slots available for those interested in a clinic in a 2010 Fusion Hybrid or 2009 Escape Hybrid on either Saturday or Sunday at various times throughout the day. I have both Kurz and Fanamingo penciled already in so leave me a PM at your earliest convenience if you want to join the team in DC on the 24th or 25th to directly participate in this “historic” event.

The only question left is just how far can the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid go?

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/620/FFH_-_Concept_A_Ice_blue_front_800x444.jpg
The Challenge Mule that will be there.

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/620/FFH_-_Concept_A_Stone_Gray_front_800x444.jpg
The Actual Challenge Vehicle.

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/620/ScanGauge-II_Logo.jpg
ScanGauge-II for you of course :)

JDRF Donations to date for a chance to win a ScanGauge-II

Member|Distance to Fuel Starve (miles)|Total JDRF Donations to Date
Gary L.|889.0|$1.00
Tom A.|999.0| -
Jim E.|1,005.0| -
Jeff H.|1,001.1| -
Dan B.|1,011.0| -
Dean P.|1,011.7| -
Carl D.|1,015.0| -
Jeff H.|1,024.0| -
Carl D.|1,020.0| -
Carl D.|1,035.0| -
Tom A.|1,040.0| -
Bob W.|1,041.2| -
Carl D.|1,045.0| -
Dale|1,046.0|-
Wayne G.|1,050.1| -
Wayne G.|1,050.2| -
Wayne G.|1,050.3| -
Wayne G.|1,050.4| -
Wayne G.|1,050.5| -
Dale|1,051.0|-
Tom A.|1,055.0|-
Marc P.|1,060.0|-
Dale|1,064.0|-
Jeff H.|1,065.6| -
Marc P.|1,070.0|-
Bob W.|1,076.0| -
Dean P.|1,076.3| -
Carl D.|1,085.0| -
Dale|1,086.0|-
Jim E.|1,090.0|-
Chris W.|1,092.0|-
Chris W.|1,095.0|-
Dale|1,098.0|-
Jeff H.|1,099.0| -
Jose E.|1,099.1| -
Jose E.|1,100.0| -
Jose E.|1,101.0| -
Dan B.|1,101.1| -
Jose E.|1,102.0| -
Jeff H.|1,102.2| -
Jose E.|1,103.0| -
Dean P.|1,112.1| -
Robert M.|1,114.0| -
Dale|1,115.0|-
Tom A.|1,116.0|-
Marc P.|1,120.0|-
Tom A.|1,130.0|-
Marc P.|1,140.0|-
Dale|1,150.0|-
Marc P.|1,160.0|-
Tom A.|1,170.0|-
Tom A.|1,180.0|-
Jim E.|1,182.0|-
Dale|1,184.0|-
Dean P.|1,185.1| -
Robert M.|1,199.0| -
Dale|1,200.0|-
Jim E.|1,202.0|-
Tom A.|1,205.0|-
Robert M.|1,211.0|-
Tom A.|1,220.0|-
Mike S.|1,225.0|-
Mike S.|1,230.0|-
Dan B.|1,235.7| -
Dale|1,236.0|-
Mike S.|1,240.0|-
Dale|1,245.0|-
Mike S.|1,250.0|-
Dean P.|1,255.6| -
Mike S.|1,260.0|-
Dale|1,264.0|-
Mike S.|1,270.0|-
Bob W.|1,274.7| -
Mike S.|1,280.0|-
Mike S.|1,285.0|-
Jim E.|1,286.0|-
Mike S.|1,290.0|-
Jim E.|1,295.0|-
Tom A.|1,300.0|-
Jim E.|1,305.0|-
Tom A.|1,310.0|-
Gary G.|1,312.0| -
Gary G.|1,313.0| -
Gary G.|1,314.0| -
Gary G.|1,315.0| -
Gary G.|1,316.0| -
Gary G.|1,317.0| -
Gary G.|1,318.0| -
Gary G.|1,319.0| -
Gary G.|1,320.0| -
Gary G.|1,321.0| -
Gary G.|1,322.0| -
Gary G.|1,323.0| -
Gary G.|1,324.0| -
Gary G.|1,325.0| -
Gary G.|1,326.0| -
Gary G.|1,327.0| -
Gary G.|1,328.0| -
Gary G.|1,329.0| -
Gary G.|1,330.0| -
Gary G.|1,331.0| -
Tom A.|1,350.0|-
Jim E.|1,375.0|-
Jim E.|1,400.0|-
Jim E.|1,425.0|-
Eric G.|1,440.0|$146.00

Outstanding Wayne! Ford is really living up to expectations of what a manufacturer should be doing. I continue to see evidence that they are pointed in the right direction. A worthy cause for a worthy cause!
I have one question. Are you riding shotgun with all the others? :D

Hi Mike:

___I will not be riding shotgun but I was fortunate to have trained 3 of the other 5-drivers so far. All of them improved by a large percentage from their previous best segment in their technologically advanced baby ;)

___Good Luck

___Wayne

I'm hoping that Wayne gets a chance to drive this baby as I know that if anyone can break the 1,000 mile/tank goal it is him.

Ok I posted this before Wayne replied, but at least since 3 of the 5 drivers were trained by him so I still have full confidence that the goal can be met.

You better put a tennis ball under the throttle when Carl is behind the wheel!

Hi Jenriquez:

___Ford is allowing me to drive maybe 200-miles of the Challenge with about half of those miles in the colder temps in the middle of the night. Fortunately everyone will have to do some evening, night or very early morning driving to spread the pain around a little :)

___Mike, Carl will be an interesting case study. The NASCAR driver vs. a Hypermiler... I will try and remember to get a recording of that particular clinic so everyone can hear how it went.

___I will probably be thrown from the car and run over multiple times once he has had his fill of the Hypermiling "Drill Instructor" routine :D

___Good Luck

___Wayne

___I will not be riding shotgun but I was fortunate to have trained 3 of the other 5-drivers so far. All of them improved by a large percentage from their previous best segment in their technologically advanced baby
That is a good clue as to the total mileage from topped off to starvation. I was wondering how many (if not all) drivers will get The Clinic before going for the kilo-tank. Armed with this information, we can optimize our guesses. :) Hopefully it's not using The Price Is Right rules where you have to guess closest to the actual distance 'without going over'...

___I will probably be thrown from the car and run over multiple times once he has had his fill of the Hypermiling "Drill Instructor" routine :D

Ha! You will never know how nervous I was driving with you in the Drill Instructor seat. Your reputation precedes you. Either you were going easy on me or I did fairly well, as it wasn't as bad as I had feared. But if Mr. Edwards is a particularly stubborn student or he has a bad temper that we don't know about, I think you may end up with that LRR radial back massage. :D

Hi Chris:

___Carl will be at Talladega on Saturday and will not make it to DC until Sunday afternoon. After he arrives, we will have some clinic time in the “Fusion Hybrid Challenge Mule” before he gets behind the wheel of the actual “Challenge Fusion Hybrid” if that helps. Steve is the other driver that I have not been out with and he will get some clinic time on Friday the 24th before the “Challenge” begins. They will all be ready and if Gil, Sherif and Tom’s clinics are any indication, this is going to be a lot of fun :D

___All, if you are going to make multiple donations, can you do it in one transaction and list your guesses the proper number of times in that single one. PayPal is taking $0.33 for every $1.00 and I hate giving them anything when the JDRF deserves it all :ccry:

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Wayne, it is probably too late, but you could open a non-merchant account in your name for the contributions, and then just pass on a lump sum to the foundation. I'm guessing most people here will trust you.

I don't paypal much, but if things have not changed, personal paypal to paypal transfers do not incur fees.

I am a bit dense: I clicked on the logo and was sent to paypal, but did not see a place to enter in my guess. It is 80 mpg, times 18 gallons. 1440

This sounds like fun!

We're all very interested to see how it turns out, especially Wayne's results.

Good luck to all!


Harry

Hi SageBrush:

___I will be calling the JDRF this morning and see if we cannot work out something directly through them and a reply back with a members guesstimate. I do not believe they are setup for that however :(

___I added your estimate so no need to reply to my reply to your donation receipt. 1,440 miles? That is quite a bit of confidence in the abilities of the FFH :)

___Jud, it is the closest from above or below (do not worry about going over) with any tie going to the first in and the second place will get a laser cut decal.

___There is a place on the PayPal donation page that will accept a message and that is where you can place your guess.

___Harry, indeed!

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Hi Wayne

I just donated for 20 guesses. I wanted 1312 - 1331 miles for my guesses. I missed the Paypal message space.

GaryG

Hi Gary:

___Got it and added your 20 estimates to the growing list!

___You guys are scaring me :D

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Hi Gary:

___Got it and added your 20 estimates to the growing list!

___You guys are scaring me :D

___Good Luck

___Wayne

I've never had a long trip in my '09 FEH but after it's warm I can see 60-65mpg averages. I'm hoping you guys will have decent weather to see 73-78mpg on average. That would put you guys with an average of 75mpg. We'll see and good luck.

GaryG

SageBrush, I did the same - but I think I saw it after clicking. There's a TINY (+) sign I think if you click will expand it and let you type something. Anyway, put in my 5, here's my guesses:
1001.1
1024.0
1065.6
1099.0
1102.2

Hi Gary:

___I can only hope but that is a big number for the DC area ;)

___Jeff, I received your PayPal donation but there were no guesstimates. Just reply to my reply with them and I will upload them as soon as I receive them.

___Whoops, I see you replied above. I will fix the table in just a minute.

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Wait, what's in the new firmware? And can we get an upgrade? ;)

Remember Wayne, you have to pick up the back of the car to get the full amount of fuel in.

:) j/k. Good luck to all, and enjoy the ride.

Hi Gary:

___I can only hope but that is a big number for the DC area ;)

___Jeff, I received your PayPal donation but there were no guesstimates. Just reply to my reply with them and I will upload them as soon as I receive them.

___Whoops, I see you replied above. I will fix the table in just a minute.

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Wayne, if anyone of your Ford partners need a '09 FEH hypermiler to ride shotgun with them during the DC FFH challenge, I will volunteer at no cost to Ford.

GaryG

Hi Gary:

___When I was first approached, I had 6 of us in mind including yourself but that was not in Ford's plan. They wanted their own Engineers involved for future design ideas which threw out my team choices... They also wanted someone that has been in the media eye with some records and media training so here we sit. I have placed a few "ideas" in their in-boxes (some really way up their Ford exec's) for a future event "for us" but we shall see if that goes anywhere.

___The FFH/MMH are similar to the 09 FEH in weight and at the speeds we drive, drag is not that important. The 47 mph Glides are nice but there is no WN like the HSD equipped Hybrids. There is one 300' climb on the Northern Route with multiple 50 to 150 foot elevation delta's on top of the bluff and than the long fall coming down. That downhill is problematic as I will force the guys into a glide and either transition to heavy regen to keep under 47 mph or allow a NICE-On from 47 on up until terminal again drops below 47 mph and move back to a std. Glide. Until I get a Ford Fusion Hybrid on that section, I am still not sure how I am going to tackle that technical section but we will probably only traverse that section 3 times at most. Terminal is probably 55 + mph as the non-hybrid 09 Escape reached 51 on that downhill with a 30 mph starting roll in a NICE-On.

___I have some input into the driver schedules and there is one of the 3 drivers I know can keep his cool through that technical section so far. Since the Northern Route will begin at ~ 06:30 AM on Sunday, I suspect he will do one solid loop and I will take over for two more loops with a minimal amount of sleep from the drive between maybe 02:00 and 04:00 AM a few hours earlier. After that, we can transition back to the “easier” Southern route and let the guys just drive for FE.

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Hi Jose:

___I added your Guesstimate!

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Bought 3 squares at $5 a piece.

1101.1 (see my sig)
1011.0 (see my sig)
1235.7 (prime numbers).

Wayne, Great job securing this from Ford when penny pinching is in high effect. I did the math, and MAN... that is one heck of a goal your setting for yourself there! Not that you need any coaching, but I would suggest you put the rear/driverside wheel up on a few 2x4s when you do the fillup. I certainly helps on the Pius.

Good luck and keep us posted.

11011011

Hi Dan:

___I posted your three guesstimates in the list so you may as well and another 12!

___Regarding the range, I will post the story after dinner this evening ;)

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Hi Carl and Robert:

___Your guesstimates are in :)

___Dan, you probably remember the CBS Early Show drive story.

Producer: "Can you drive from Chicago to NY City on one tank of gas in a Prius?"

ME: (with no hesitation) No problem... And than I started doing the calc's and Oh *&#% what am I getting into :D

___This one was similar...

Ford: "We would like to drive 1,000 miles on a single tank of fuel in a Ford Fusion Hybrid and wonder if you could do it."

Me: (without hesitation) No problem... Would you like to do it on the highway or all city/suburban? A few seconds later I was thinking I sure hope this has a 17.5 gallon tank with two plus gallons additional space like the Accord and its capable of 55 + on the Highway :rolleyes:

___I was than told it will be in Washington, DC and I was saying to myself, "Oh *&#% what am I getting into" all over again :D

___A few minutes later, I asked for a Fusion Hybrid for a few days to verify it can be done (Mercury Milan Hybrid Review Blog -- March 9 - 11 (www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19886)) and here we are today...

___Good Luck

___Wayne

After test driving one the other day, I have to say I want one - BADLY. Also, everyone who says pictures don't do the LCD's justice is more than correct - those screens are FABULOUS to look at.

I now have stronger feelings about my guesses, but I'm not telling in which direction!

You better put a tennis ball under the throttle when Carl is behind the wheel!
Or an egg on the pedal!

Hi All:

___I asked Sean to allow the Guesstimates for the JDRF charity open until Friday at Midnight. Although I will be in Washington, DC, just PM Right Lane Cruiser and mention that you made a donation and pass long your guess or guesses to him so he can insert them into the table with your name attached.

___Also, the wrapped pics of the Challenge and Mule Fusion Hybrid’s are just concepts right now. I will try and get some pics of the actual up tomorrow once I have seen the vehicles in person. They were wrapped just two days ago and shipped out to DC yesterday IIRC?

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Good luck to all this weekend! I've grown so weary of all the bad Detroit news that I hope Ford gets a lot of mileage out of this.

Ford: 1000 / 1 / 0.................1000 miles, 1 tank, $0 of federal bailout money.

Sounds good to me!

Just contributed and sent my total mileage picks to Sean via PM.

Marc

I test drove an FFH yesterday, and I have one word of advice - make sure the A/C never comes on! My test drive was @ 4:30 in the afternoon when it was about 94 degrees with 3% humidity. Since the salesperson was with me, I was forced to use the A/C for the entire test drive. I won't post what my MPG was for the test drive (45 MPH roads) since it was so bad. The A/C works great in EV but the SoC drops like a rock! Surprisingly, I found it fairly difficult to avoid ICE use getting up to speed but EV just required a lift of the foot and gentle re-apply to maintain.

I would still like to get one but it will be a really tough sell to the decision maker given the size and price.

Looks like I am way off on my guesses. I can only hope that Carl Edwards' lead foot gets the better of him.

WOW! Congratulations to Eric G. who has great foresight, and you guys for an amazing result!!! May as well offer some props to Ford as well--there may be one in my future!!!

Is it too late to change my guess?

Is it too late to change my guess?

If you offer a $150 bribe, I suspect Wayne will allow you to change your guess.

How odd that that's about the price of a SG.:eyebrow:

Hi All:

___Eric, when you posted 1,440 miles, I thought you were nuts :D

___I have a voice mail from Tom R. during his last drive as the Trip odometer clicked to 1,440 miles that you will be interested in.


Hi Wayne, this is Tom. Just to let you know here, you know that guy had that way out whacky 1,440 mile range on the car? Why not call and wake him up and tell him he won!
___Check your PM’s and send me your address as you were the winner of a brand new ScanGauge-II for closest to actual range guess!!!

___Good Luck

___Wayne

So Wayne, When are you going to be doing a 1500 mile challenge?

Hi Damionk:

:rolleyes: :D :D :D

___Eric contacted me with his name and address last night :) Congrats to Eric and the JDRF will receive a donation in the amount of $123.00 (damn PayPal fees :() so the drive was for a very good cause! The Ford Motor Company and BP raised over $8,000 and although our $123 is not much, it is something.

___Good Luck

___Wayne