Is there a way to coax the Maverick into EV mode?

[DanaL]

There are times I am in EV mode, but press the gas too hard so it goes into hybrid mode (mostly because there are people behind me and I don't want to be "that guy" creeping away from a light). Once in a better position I try pulse and glide. It doesn't help. Sometimes the mpg will go way up to about 60, but stay in hybrid. Other times it stays below 30 (sometimes was below).
The power screen says I am in hybrid for normal operation.
I realize it goes through all kinds of calculations to decide whether EV mode will work.
I figure it could be because the battery needs to charge. It seems like if I hadn't pushed the gas hard, it would have stayed in EV mode, but I could be wrong.
I am sure the truck is working as it should, I'm just wondering if there are any "tricks" that will coax the system to go back to EV mode.
There are times it does, but more times that it doesn't.

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[Bob zimmerman]

There are a few ways to reply to this. I will reply based on me driving a Prius for 18 years before my hybrid maverick. I was very tuned to the Prius and understood why it did what it did. And I’ve applied my knowledge to the hybrid Maverick.

With that, the hybrid Maverick does not show you the state of charge of the hybrid battery which is the missing piece of information you need to know why it runs the ice engine when it does. My Prius did show that so I could manipulate my driving to maximize EV mode.

In short, your ice comes one when you expect it to not come on because the battery has reached a SOC that it requires charging.

If you are driving on flat ground at say, 35 mph, you can keep the EV going an awful long time but eventually the ice has to come on otherwise you would deplete the battery to zero.

Therefore, over time, all you can really do is just drive your vehicle lightly and do your best, you can’t cheat the Mav to do what you want it to do all the time. It won’t matter so much because you will have trained yourself to know you are doing your best without having to over-think it.
Bob

 

[DanaL]

There are a few ways to reply to this. I will reply based on me driving a Prius for 18 years before my hybrid maverick. I was very tuned to the Prius and understood why it did what it did. And I’ve applied my knowledge to the hybrid Maverick.

With that, the hybrid Maverick does not show you the state of charge of the hybrid battery which is the missing piece of information you need to know why it runs the ice engine when it does. My Prius did show that so I could manipulate my driving to maximize EV mode.

In short, your ice comes one when you expect it to not come on because the battery has reached a SOC that it requires charging.

If you are driving on flat ground at say, 35 mph, you can keep the EV going an awful long time but eventually the ice has to come on otherwise you would deplete the battery to zero.

Therefore, over time, all you can really do is just drive your vehicle lightly and do your best, you can’t cheat the Mav to do what you want it to do all the time. It won’t matter so much because you will have trained yourself to know you are doing your best without having to over-think it.
Bob

Bob,

Thanks. That's basically what I figured. The timing is odd because it mostly happens accelerating away from lights. (Why does the battery deplete right at that moment?)
Having the battery level would be wonderful and really help to understand.
If there's nothing that can be done, that's fine. I was just hoping.
Thanks again.

Dana

 

[Sykotyk]

Couple tips:

Once you go above the first hash mark on the power meter, hybrid will engage. You can only run electric staying under 10% power.

The battery can only run a couple miles at most from a 'full' charge until it needs to charge again. It's not a giant battery. It basically is there for starting the vehicle and start/stop driving to make it more efficient.

Regenerative braking is important. Anytime your green part of the dial is maxed out braking, you move onto actual mechanical brakes as well. Don't brake hard. Anticipate when you have to stop and keep your braking in the GREEN and you won't activate the mechanical brakes until the last few MPH to come to a stop.

Climate Control is a huge issue. If it's cold, the heat is supplied by the engine running. If the engine is too cold the engine will run to keep warm enough to blow heat. You cannot escape this. If you have a Lariat, you must have AT LEAST 3 bars on the thermostat gauge for the heat to blow and not run the engine. But beware using the heat without the engine running will cool the coolant, which will forced the engine to run.

Air conditioning is powered by electric. So only when the battery gets low enough does it come on to charge back up.

Secondly, hand-in-hand with Climate Control is the batter temp. If the HV battery is too hot or cold, the engine will run to cool or warm the coolant to get the battery to temp. If it's really cold when you first start, it will most likely immediately bring on the engine.


After those factors, driver-affected things are just being aware of your driving habits and when you do and don't need power.

I know you don't want to be 'the slow guy' from a light, but I've learned many intersections I'm still pacing everyone else in an ICE car even while keeping in electric until 15-20mph. Remember, at some point you need to switch to electric, so just force it when you need to. If you know a downhill or a stop light/sign is coming up, don't floor it to the stop, don't hit the brakes hard, and let it coast/regen.

I drive the same general route from and to my house. I know when and where it will need power and when electric will/can stay running. Most of the roads are 25-35-40mph. I'm on a freeway briefly for about 3 miles and max out at 60mph there. Round trip for the day I can get over 50mpg with ease. And I'm the fastest on the line for the hill from a red light because that hill I know by the time I get there I've been on electric from the last hill and will be near drained. So I just floor it up the hill, get on the freeway, and get up to 60+. And then mostly electric the rest of the drive after getting off my exit. Bunch of lights are sure to have one red at least.

If you have the EV Coach screen on your vehicle (Forget if you're a Lariat or not), add that screen or switch to it and it shows you when you're going to leave the Electric to the Hybrid gauge.

 

[Prickly Pear]

Someone on the forum described EV mode as something like "electric coasting" If you are on level ground, going down hill, or very slightly uphill and are at speed you can get into EV mode and stay till the battery needs to be recharged. You can't coast up a hill and you can't accelerate while coasting.
I think this was the thread that made it all make sense for me

https://www.mavericktruckclub.com/forum/threads/25k-miles-in-my-hybrid-best-mpg-tips.30096/

PS, I use CarScanner and a bluetooth adapter and can monitor the state of charge of the HV battery. I use that information to help time when I goose it to charge the battery up.

 

[HeyBales]

If you stay below the 10% power mark, you'll stay in EV until you reach 30% SOC (not including needs like heat or warmup, ect).
If you happened to go below 40% and ICE was needed, ICE will remain on even when you go back to low power need until HVB is back up to 40%.

So in theory, you could be almost at 30% and ICE was going to kick on anyway to recharge back to 40%, but you punched the power right before so ICE turned on for that - then your gearing could be such the recharge from the ICE isn't that great so it takes awhile to get up to 40%.

At that point that EV coach should show the Blue box outline slightly bigger so if really below 10% power it'll go solid blue and expand.

Great advice above from sykotyk to know your route, or common ones.

Just remember, trying to baby your acceleration to stay in EV is still using up the battery greatly for barely any speed or miles - so battery per mile is terrible.
But just get up that hill or get up to speed on the ice - and use the EV for as long as you can.

There have been several times where the traffic was slow enough going up an incline I actually managed to drain the battery in EV mode - crested the hill and engine needed to come on for what could have been accomplished in EV mode - but now wasted gas on flat and down.

 

[Bob zimmerman]

Yes and to affirm the use of the EV coach. When ou are in EV mode, so long as you keep the line inside the blue box, you are in EV, the bigger the box, the more battery you have to play with. That is your only indicator of when you are in EV and how much ‘gas’ you can give it before you leave the box and ICE kicks in.
Bob

 

[tom_tucker]

No, there are NO TRICKS. It's a computer program. You will not defy physics. Hypermiling is the same in a fully gas car, GAS Hybrid (Maverick) or fully electric.

Your job is to minimize the production of brake dust, that's it. Let the car do the rest.

 

[ZABSMAV]

No, there are NO TRICKS. It's a computer program. You will not defy physics. Hypermiling is the same in a fully gas car, GAS Hybrid (Maverick) or fully electric.

Your job is to minimize the production of brake dust, that's it. Let the car do the rest.

The Maverick hybrid does good job of figuring when it can be all electric versus hybrid (gas + electric). This was a recent short shopping trip.

 

[DanaL]

The Maverick hybrid does good job of figuring when it can be all electric versus hybrid (gas + electric). This was a recent short shopping trip.

I totally get that. I'm still trying to fully understand they system. Short of being easy on the gas and brake, I was hoping there were other little things I can do. Apparently not, and that's fine. The truck is amazing. I don't expect to ever duplicate my trip, but it was VERY cool to see.

 

[Mark1]

Put in ECO mode the ICE tends to start stop more / stop quicker. Try Sport mode to compare at the other end of the spectrum. Gas engine will want to run more and is more sensitive to touching the gas pedal, but mileage will drop.
Coasting and braking is really the most you can do to really effect the vehicle. Also keeping a light foot on the gas pedal.

 

[identifyasatruck]

Ford really needs to include a helpful screen that shows the battery bars.

its always funny when i am in electric mode and i try to keep the lines within the blue box....but the box outline just keeps getting smaller.

i like to drive with the L button pushed on the dial, that seems to want to maximize battery recharge when i release the gas pedal.

 

[dldjtad]

There are times I am in EV mode, but press the gas too hard so it goes into hybrid mode (mostly because there are people behind me and I don't want to be "that guy" creeping away from a light). Once in a better position I try pulse and glide. It doesn't help. Sometimes the mpg will go way up to about 60, but stay in hybrid. Other times it stays below 30 (sometimes was below).
The power screen says I am in hybrid for normal operation.
I realize it goes through all kinds of calculations to decide whether EV mode will work.
I figure it could be because the battery needs to charge. It seems like if I hadn't pushed the gas hard, it would have stayed in EV mode, but I could be wrong.
I am sure the truck is working as it should, I'm just wondering if there are any "tricks" that will coax the system to go back to EV mode.
There are times it does, but more times that it doesn't.

I like to go three or 4 mph over the speed that I want to go. Then I back off on the accelerator, and it usually kicks into EV mode.

 

[Mark1]

Don't drive faster than 27 mph.

 

[BAScott62]

Don't try to stay on battery when leaving the light. Accelerating uses way more juice than maintaining. Go on as you normally would until you're a little faster than you plan to cruise. Then let off the accelerator and unless the battery is close to 30% you'll drop into EV.

When trying to gamify MPG, I get better numbers in slippery mode emphasizing coasting over regen when slowing down. Great when you're on an empty road, not so much in traffic.

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