u/OkAlternative7741

So I've had a 2019 Ford Fusion Energi for a couple of years now and it is well over 200k miles now. I love the car and aside from a minor issue with the A/C, it has been a great car for me.

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But, there is one problem that I feel needs addressed, and that is the piss-poor battery. I only get about 20 miles per full charge, and I'm trying to find ways to extend it.

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I have 2 ideas, but want to know if they are feasible or plausible solutions to my issue:

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1. I call this the "jailbreak" solution. As you know, they make solar panels that are pretty small. In fact, I think they make some tasty are small enough that they could be mounted on the roof, trunk, or hood of the car. But, the problem is when you have the car plugged in, you get a message that it nerds to be unplugged before you start the car. So, I feel if you were to setup a solar panel on your car and run the charger from it to the charging port, you'd get a similar message. In theory, doing this wouldn't keep the car fully charged while driving, but it would maintain enough of a charge to not have the mileage significantly drop off, especially during exceptionally sunny days. Again, this idea is kind of far-fetched, but I can't help but think there is a level of feasibility to this option.

2. I call this the "upgrade" solution. Obviously, the existing batteries sit between the back seat and the trunk. And, obviously, battery technology has improved greatly in the nearly 10 years since this car rolled off the assembly line. Has anyone gone out and bought newer, better batteries (that, IMHO, *MUST* have also gotten smaller) and replaced the existing batteries with the new ones? If so, what was the cost and labor commitment involved in that upgrade? And, after doing that upgrade, what kind of performance improvement did you see in terms of mileage when you were on EV? Did the console report more miles, or did it just sit at 20 for a really long time before it finally started to go down on the display?

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I know I'm probably talking out of my ass about these things, but this has been rolling around in my head for MONTHS and I finally had the chance to sit and get everything down so I could talk to some fellow Fusion Energi owners about these potential improvements that could be made to the car to help improve its MPG performance. Don't get me wrong: I've been able to get 60MPG on a couple of occasions, but it takes significant effort and very diligent monitoring of my battery status. I'd like to see if it's possible to bend or break the rules and get closer to 70, 80, or even 100MPG!

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Please don't flame me for my imagination, but imagination and happy accidents are how many scientific discoveries are made and I'm hoping someone shares in my imaginative thinking and has actually explored one or both of these possibilities and can offer some feedback.

So I was listening to Pentatonix on the way to work and their arrangement of "The Sound of Silence" is SO GOOD! It does me to make an arrangement of their version for Brass quintet.

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That being said, I have 2 questions:

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1. Is there somewhere I can get a accurate scoring of their vocal parts

2. How would YOU arrange it?

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IMHO, I feel Kristin's part should be played by French Horn or Mellophone, while the boys would be Trumpet 1 and 2. Baritone or Trombone and Tuba would obviously handle the tenor/baritone and bass parts, respectively. As for the percussion (if I were to include it), I'd ask that someone use one of the "beat boxes" (the wooden boxes that can serve as multiple different percussion instruments at once. Sorry, can't think of the name I of it right at this moment).

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And, no, this is not something I'm doing without knowledge; I was a music major in college and I've always wanted to get into writing and arranging. Sadly, to quote John Lennon, "Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans."

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I left music after being in school for it for 5 years (burnout) and eventually transitioned into IT, but my love for music never faded. In December of last year, just a few months before turning 50 and after 25 years of not playing, I picked up the tuba again and remembered why I loved doing it so much. Now, inspiration has been pushing me to explore things further starting with arranging and, perhaps, I will eventually start writing original music.

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Thoughts/input greatly appreciated!

Today I turn 50! Will be spending the day rehearsing with the SoundSport group I joined. Tomorrow, the wife and I are going to go see The Mandalorian and Grogu.

It's raining here today, so we'll have the official celebration next month when our son turns 19.

Thanks in advance for all the props you give in the comments!

So just did a vinegar bath in the Contour I'm using for the Drum Corps I'm in to clean out the inside, and now I would like to eventually (preferably before July or August) get the outside of the horn polished up to some degree without effecting/stripping the lacquer.

The metal is I think a silver coated brass, so I'm not entirely certain as to what I can use to get the metal polished up without potentially damaging or stripping off the lacquer or the silver coating that is currently on the horn.

What recommendations can you give?