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I've done a bunch of research and have finally decided to buy a Ford Fusion Energi, the plug in hybrid version of the Fusion. I wanted to buy a Model S really badly but just couldn't justify it. Man they are gorgeous but they are pricey. Plus my wife's current car is a Saturn and I am sure that me buying a Tesla would cause the company to go under so you are all welcome for not getting one.
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Feb 10, 2013 19:51
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Kenshin posted:I work one block from the Seattle Tesla dealership/mechanic shop and goddamn are you making the wrong choice. The Model S is so drat pretty. Such a beautiful sedan. I'll PM you my PayPal and you can send the $30k difference to me.
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Feb 10, 2013 23:14
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InterceptorV8 posted:Don't laugh at the question, but anyone know when they are making at EV that plugs into a 120v outlet? Sorry but now matter how hard you try and regardless of how important your fuel economy numbers are to you, your MAXXforce won't plug into the wall.
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Feb 13, 2013 23:52
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grover posted:Is anyone marketing tow-behind generators as range extenders & extra storage space for EVs? I mean, I can see that being a really big market for people who want an EV for local use, but have the occasional need to drive long distances. I know they exist, but I've never once heard them mentioned with respect to the Model S or Leaf. Do any EV cars sold right now have charging jacks that could be used with a tow-behind generator? That's essentially what a hybrid does, only you carry it around all the time obviously. Sadi posted:Seriously. Ive been curious why no one does this yet. I remember years ago seeing a guy making his own electric BMW and had built a generator trailer. Just seems like a good idea for extending range. You could put a small high efficiency turbo diesel or turbo gas motor back there, have it operate at most efficient RPM if it was sized right and still get pretty drat good MPG I feel like. That is what the Volt does. I imagine once battery technology matures to a certain point more vehicles will be going all electric obviously.
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Feb 15, 2013 20:23
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Sadi posted:I thought the volt was like the new plug in prius in that there is a direct mechanical link between the engine and the wheels. The engine acts as a generator. Under emergency situations the ICE can power the wheels but in practicality it never will.
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Feb 16, 2013 04:26
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I did it. I ordered a Fusion Energi. 
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Feb 16, 2013 23:33
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Squibbles posted:How's the Volt stack up against the Fusion Energi? The EV range goes Volt > Plugin Energi > Plugin Prius right? That's right. Volt is 40 miles, Energi 21, Prius 11. I wanted the Volt but it only seats 4 and my wife hated it and it will be her car. After looking though, the Fusion is the nicest car of all of them imo.
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Feb 19, 2013 22:16
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grover posted:Yes, but it's not really a problem yet. I just think it's a bit ironic that the federal government and most states have rebates and subsidies for hybrids and alternate fuel vehicles, yet VA has chosen to go in the opposite direction. It is a problem now. It's not only a problem with EV vehicles. Strides in fuel economy for all vehicles coupled with fuel tax freezes for most states and the federal government since the mid 90s has created a crisis in highway funding across the nation. Providing tax incentives to push consumers to adopt alternative fuel vehicles and then turning around and setting up fee structures to capture revenue needed for highway funds is neither hypocritical nor ironic; they are two separate issues.
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Feb 22, 2013 15:01
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Madurai posted:After seven days and a little over five hundred miles, I can say it really is everything advertised. My perspective is obviously skewed, I'll be the first to admit--I've never owned a really high-end car in my life, until now. It's nicer than my house. But drat, does it go when you press the pedal. That's beautiful. Congratulations my man.
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Mar 6, 2013 02:31
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TheWevel posted:So, what does everyone think of the Volt? Are there any Volt owners in this thread? I dismissed the Volt because it only seats 4 and there are 5 of us. Have you looked at the Ford Fusion Energi? We have one on order.
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Apr 1, 2013 21:57
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Cockmaster posted:The Fusion Energi also offers adaptive cruise control, which can be great for long trips. Eco cruise (it slowly accelerates you up to desired speed) along with adaptive cruise are just as good for in city driving. It makes sure you go light on the accelerator, keeps an appropriate following distance, and is much more fuel efficient. Combine that with the lane assist and the car will drive itself. And park itself too if you really don't wanna do any driving.
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Apr 2, 2013 16:17
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grover posted:Even invoice is $47800 on those so something was definitely up; someone took an $18k loss on that, and I'm guessing most of it was the california taxpayer. Depends on your electricity rates and the size of the battery. But 25 miles worth of charge is probably around $1 so more like 1/4 th of that. For instance the Fusion takes 7.4 kwh to go around 20 miles. Here electricity is $.066 per kwh. So for 20 miles in South Texas electricity costs are about $.50. But our electricity rates are really cheap. Average is probably closer to a buck. That would get your break even closer to 7 years. But obviously you're being kinder to the environment. Especially if you buying electricity from a company that utilizes wind or solar.
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Apr 13, 2013 18:44
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Ford has an app already that you can use to have your car charge during off peak hours. And with PHEV you still have gas as a backup. It's not as difficult as y'all are making it out to be.
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Apr 13, 2013 22:55
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InterceptorV8 posted:Did you get your car yet? Or have you prewired your home yet? How did that go? I still don't have a build date or a VIN.  Haven't wired the house up yet. Our utility has a 50% rebate on wiring and a charger but the funds are depleted right now. I'm gonna try to hold out for when that program is back up.
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Apr 13, 2013 23:17
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A lot of people with PHEV already charge during off peak hours. I don't know why y'all keep ignoring this. Besides, we aren't going to have mass adoption of them overnight. It will happen gradually, and the supply will rise to meet the demand. I'm sure there will be some bumps but its not going to be the end of the world either.
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Apr 14, 2013 17:56
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Finally got notice that our Fusion Energi was built on May 8th and is on its way to us. We should have it by the end of the month at the latest. Got a VIN and a window sticker too. I'm officially getting excited. Also was happy to see that Bosch has come out with a Level 2 charger for only $450, a good $400 bucks cheaper than most.
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May 13, 2013 17:58
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The Locator posted:I'd own a Tesla S tonight, except for that price tag thing. I have a 110 mile round trip commute each day, so there is no other EV on the map (especially here in the heat of Phoenix), but the Tesla is simply out of reach for me. Oh well. Glad to see some of them on the road occasionally, they are gorgeous. You could always get a plug in hybrid.
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May 14, 2013 03:16
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We just took delivery of our Fusion Energi. It has some really neat features; things like adaptive cruise and lane keep as well as park assist (self parallel parking) along with all the other Ford touch and sync features. I need to get a level 2 charger installed but was hoping for my utility to open up their 50% rebate program. Now that we have had the car a few days I want the charger so I guess we'll get that done. I love it so far. It's fun trying to see how far we can go without using any fuel, but also nice to be able to use it if necessary. I should probably take and post some pictures.
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Jun 3, 2013 21:34
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Rod Munch posted:Am interested in hearing more. Would like a RAV4 EV, but it seems like getting a charging station is going to be a hassle since we live in a condo where the garage is community property. What would you like to hear more about specifically? The battery range is advertised as up to 21 miles, but Fusion Energi owners are reporting getting as much as 40 miles off of a charge. You have the option to use the high voltage battery (the one charged by the wall) in three modes; EV Now which will use only the EV battery, EV Auto which learns your driving habits and will attempt to use up all of your battery by the time you get home, or EV later which saves all of your battery for when you want to use it. If you have a commute that begins on the highway and ends in stop and go driving, you would use EV later for that. The battery takes 6-8 hours to fully charge off of a standard 110 volt charger where a 240 volt charger will take 2 to 2.5 hours. Once the battery is depleted, or when using EV Later, the car will operate as a normal hybrid driven vehicle. It uses an Atkinson 2.0 liter four cylinder motor for the ICE. It is advertised as getting 100 MPGe and 45 mpg as a hybrid. Of course the numbers you get will depend wholly on your commute and driving habits. My wife mainly shuffles the kids around, does grocery shopping and errands and then to do stuff locally with her friends, so we should be able to use only battery a good 90% of the time. But if we want to take a long trip in the car for any reason, we can do that as the ICE has a range of around 600 miles. And of course you can refuel it with gas 
Suqit fucked around with this message at 21:19 on Jun 4, 2013 |
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Jun 4, 2013 21:14
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Rod Munch posted:A few things. 1. The trunk space is just fine for what my wife needs; groceries and poo poo for kids. My golf clubs would probably fit back there. It isn't monstrous, but honestly it doesn't matter to us since I drive a Suburban. I have seen pictures of people fitting 3 carry on size luggage bags. The space is certainly compromised by battery, but it's definitely a usable space. 2. The acceleration is just fine. It's not going to win any drag races, but I don't find it laggy at all. If you stomp on the accelerator, the ICE will kick in to help. Even if you don't have any big battery left, the acceleration is fine. 3. I have no idea about passing since the only longer highway drive we have had it on was on the way back from Austin to San Antonio and we just used the adaptive cruise. It speeds you up and slows you down depending on traffic all on it's own, and when we needed to pass we just let cruise take over and do its thing. Once again, if you need extra power it just engages the ICE. But I haven't read any complaints about it anywhere and from my limited driving of it haven't experienced any problems. 4. We have the Titanium trim and it's one of the nicer cars I've owned or been in. Certainly better finished than my fully loaded Burb. Nicer than my Lexus IS 350 I had prior to this. It's chock full of bells and whistles, but that all depends on what trim package you go with. The Energi only comes in SE and Titanium though. Personally I didn't care for the SE, as I thought the interior looked relatively drab and bland, but the Titanium is pretty snazzy. Honestly the difference in price is only around $400-$500 between the two so I didn't really see any reason to get the SE. Plus the only way to get remote start (other than with using the MyFordMobile app) is by upgrading to the Titanium. You also get the upgraded Sony stereo (12 speaker including sub and center channel) with the Titanium and it sounds pretty drat good. As for carpool lanes it's probably best to make sure the Energi qualifies where you live. But that commute you could do 100% on electricity.
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Jun 4, 2013 21:42
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IOwnCalculus posted:Yeah in that case it's either reporting strictly your miles per gallon of gasoline consumed (so not counting any electricity consumed) or it's mixing your MPGe and your MPG together for an average number. It's calculating MPG only when showing MPG. There are different screens that show different values. You can have it show MPGe as well.
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Jun 5, 2013 01:58
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Squibbles posted:Gas eventually breaks down doesn't it? I wonder if that will be a problem for the plugin hybrids with a long range for some people. Go half a year without touching your gas reserves and will the fuel be reduced in quality? I know it's a problem for lawnmowers and such that sit idle during the winter and people recommend adding stabilizers to keep it from breaking down into 'varnish'. The Volt recommends premium fuel for this reason. The Fusion Energi will cycle the engine at predetermined intervals to avoid this problem as well as to insure the engine is getting lubricated.
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Jun 18, 2013 21:47
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Mortanis posted:Pulled up to the local DC Quick Charge. Nissan Leaf count waiting in line: 4. Buy a PHEV.
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Aug 9, 2013 04:39
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Squibbles posted:Ugh that plug-in Prius and the new plug-in Accord's EV range is so stupidly low. Why do they even bother. Some people have commutes short enough to justify it. If work has a charger then you can double it also.
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Sep 16, 2013 19:20
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West SAAB Story posted:I'd love to see what these numbers look like when rebates, bonuses, and other gimmicks are no longer available. Hell, the latest gov't rebate on the Volt is more than I've paid for my last 2 cars combined. It is NOT a better alternative (at this time) in my mind, since this power still has to come from somewhere - and it is not just magically appearing. This seems to be the silent 'not my problem, I bought green That all depends on where you live and how you get your electricity. Here are some numbers. Of course the technology will get better over time, and early adopters help that curve get started. I don't know why you give a poo poo if someone wants to buy an electric car unless they yell at you for using gas, which nobody in here really does. 
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Dec 18, 2013 23:08
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' bit of the debate in EVs where I just stop listening and just tune out.
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West SAAB Story posted:Rural North-west America. I'm less than an hour from a largish city, but I am still over 30 miles out, and bordering two states - neither of which gives a crap. Most folks out here have their phone service from yet ANOTHER state which borders on the other side. v So it won't work for you nobody gives a gently caress. It works for plenty of people. Don't buy one.
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Dec 19, 2013 00:37
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Goober Peas posted:Grover makes a good point, and it begs an interesting question (this may or may not be the best place to discuss) -- is gasoline overpriced or is electricity underpriced? At 10 cents a kwh, the 40 miles avg (12 kwh) of electric range my Volt provides costs me 1/3 as much as the 40 mpg avg gas generator that is onboard. Electric companies aren't taking in the largest profits in the history of the world.
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Dec 19, 2013 04:21
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Hillridge posted:Ford has a couple offerings that look nice, but it seems the general consensus is that they underwhelm for the price. I have a friend with the Volt that loves it, and I'll see if he'll let me drive it a bit. Even though it's way more efficient than anything I've ever owned, I'm still hoping I can find something that's pure electric so I never have to do any ICE related maintenance on it ever (gently caress exhaust work on New England cars). I may keep my current car for long trips/power outages and get a reasonable pure EV like the leaf for commuting/short trips. Also, I don't get how a car called the leaf isn't available in green. It has like 4 shades of silver, 2 of white, red, black, and grandma blue. We've had our Ford Fusion Energi right at a year now and are very happy with it. My wife makes mainly short trips and has burned about 35 gallons of gas in that time. That includes a weekend road trip with no access to charging, and the 80 mile trip home from the dealer we bought it from.
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Jun 6, 2014 16:58
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PerniciousKnid posted:I started looking at cars more earnestly, recently, and noticed that there are more plug-in hybrids than I realized. Does anybody have experience with midsize cars like the Food Focus Energi? I don't think it's worth the cost, but I do have a free charger at work that might sort if make it worthwhile. My wife drives the fusion energi. What would you like to know?
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Apr 21, 2015 17:40
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PerniciousKnid posted:Basically I'm just wondering if the extra cost, weight and mechanical complexity is worth having the extra 10mi or whatever of electric range. The classic hybrid seems like it would be worthwhile cost-wise (haven't driven one yet), but the plug-in is a big premium. Its definitely not worth it from a cost stand point. Although she has only filled her tank like 4 times in 11,000 miles. We just like the idea of charging from home and not burning gasoline. The sync is good, she has no problems using it. I have a new GMC and I like it better but I also drive it everyday so know it better. The only time she ever burns gas is on the few road trips she's taken it on. The fusion is a great car though. We love it.
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Apr 21, 2015 18:29
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Godholio posted:Edit: Neeever mind. People with 3 kids or more.
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Sep 3, 2015 02:27
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I did a pro forma a year or so back for my boss showing how much cheaper a tesla would be than my fully loaded 4x4 suburban over 5 years. He laughed and told me he'd never buy anything that gets better than 20 mpg. He bought me a 4x4 Yukon XL.
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Dec 27, 2015 02:06
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Throatwarbler posted:The Toyota Hybrid Synergy Drive is a technological tour de force that pretty much no other carmaker has been able to catch up with even today. They way the Prius drivetrain uses the gas engine and electric motors together so seamlessly is an extremely impressive piece of engineering and anyone who has an actual interest in the tech behind cars would find it fascinating and awesome. It should be very much "AI", but for some reason "enthusiast" to people on internet car forums must equal rotaries or diesel VW/Audis or some other inefficient, pollution spewing dead end technology. My dad works for Toyota too.
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Apr 30, 2016 07:05
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Bape Culture posted:I'm an automotive design consultant who specialises in autodesk alias. You're a loving bad rear end honestly.
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Nov 24, 2016 14:52
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ilkhan posted:gas taxes, which form the majority of the cost for a gallon of gas at this point. What makes you say this?
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Dec 21, 2016 17:56
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Sagebrush posted:It's not just nonlinear. According to some of the traffic engineers here, damage scales with the fourth power of the vehicle's weight. So a vehicle that's twice as heavy does 16 times as much damage to the road. A vehicle that's ten times as heavy, like say a 40000 pound truck compared to a 4000 pound car, does 10^4 = 10,000 times as much damage. It has a lot more to do with axle weight and weight distribution over those axles than it does gross weight.
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Jun 29, 2017 18:46
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McPhearson posted:Honda Urban EV Concept! I've been waiting for the AMC Gremlin to come back for years now. My prayers have been answered.
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Sep 12, 2017 17:34
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KakerMix posted:Guys if you don't talk about something you are talking negatively about it and I must inform you that ~I don't care~ The September Heavy Duty Trucking does a nice summary of Alt Fuel heavy duty trucks including electrics. Its pretty comprehensive and does a good job of pointing out the significant hurdles that need to be cleared. Looks like the Nikola is gonna be real. Article here
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Oct 6, 2017 15:32
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Powershift posted:The Nikola company is showing all the warning signs of a bullshit scam, the same way carbon motors did. I still think they have a better chance of going bankrupt and eating everybody's deposits than they do producing a real truck. It feels as if they came up with, and publicized their performance goals as the specs and have yet to figure out if it's even physically possible. They have some serious carriers behind them with preorders. Including US Xpress and Ryder.
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Oct 6, 2017 16:21
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Three Olives posted:No, it's really bad and if you buy an electric car you will realize how much worse it was than you already thought. lol I own an electric car and buying gas is not really bad you massive whining baby.
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Jun 25, 2018 01:31
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