One of the many advantages to owning a Ford plug-in hybrid electric or pure electric vehicle is the MyFord Mobile app that allows drivers to improve their driving habits and thereby get the most out of their vehicle. A multi-year subscription to the app is automatically included with every Ford EV, with the app collecting generalized empirical data from the vehicle itself. The data collected, which does not include personal information about drivers, enables The Blue Oval to examine aspects of where it may need to make future adjustments in order to further enhance the efficiency of the EV it offers.
According to aggregate data collected thus far through MyFord Mobile from Fusion Energi, C-MAX Energi, and Focus Electric, EV owners drive more than 8,400 electric-only miles every hour and about 203,000 electric-only miles daily. That, according to Ford, is enough to travel around the earth’s equator nearly eight times. It was also found that after only six months of ownership, the amount of electric-only trips increases by almost 50 percent as a result of improved driving habits.
Mike Tinsley, Ford global director of vehicle electrification and infrastructure, states that EV owners drive on electric-only mode during the week, and generally only resort to the car’s hybrid engine for longer trips on the weekend. The data indicates that EV drivers make an average of four trips before they have to re-charge, and that 83 percent of one-way trips are for distances of 20 miles or less. Indeed, with less than half the carbon emissions of a conventional vehicle, EVs would seem to be ideal for the millions of people who commute to work every day.
The MyFord Mobile app also comes equipped with a charging station finder powered by PlugShare.com that provides the most comprehensive information available about access to over 20,000 charging stations throughout the United States and Canada. The app’s Trip & Charge Log provides instant information about trips, including energy use and average fuel economy, along with an instant score based on driving habits, such as effective use of brakes while the app’s Trip Planner automatically routes drivers to one of the more than 20,000 charging stations throughout the U.S and Canada. Other features of the app include My GO Times, in which drivers can schedule their EV to charge itself at regular intervals, and Value Charge Profiles, which allows drivers to choose from a list of available electricity providers.
Here’s a demo of the MyFord Mobile app:
Continuing to be a strong advocate of electric vehicles, Ford is making charging stations more accessible for its employees by planning to install roughly 200 charging stations at more than 50 of its company offices, research and manufacturing facilities, and to eventually have nearly every Ford facility in the U.S. and Canada equipped with at least one charging station.
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