Adding external charger to hybrid battery.

[rjniles]

Watched a YouTube video where they added an external charger to an older Ford Escape hybrid high voltage battery. The job was kind of sketchy but it made me wonder if it could be done to add plug in capability to a Maverick hybrid.

Plug in in over night a start each day with a full battery charge.

Any opinions?

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[gzebrick]

A full charge won’t leave room for regen so the brakes will feel weird at fist. The battery is pretty small in the hybrid mav so even if you did you might only get 3-5 miles and regardless of charge, the engine will start once you pull more than about 80 amps. You would need a very very light foot to stay in EV mode.
We have a plug in escape. It gets between 30 and 40 miles ev range, but the mav battery and the controls are much different. It would take more than a plug in charger to make it worth the effort. I really wish ford would have offered a plug in option.

 

[ianjay]

My 2008 Escape Hybrid had a liquid cooled HV battery. I think the current Maverick is the same. Keeping the battery safe means properly cooling and balancing across the cells. This probably requires some monitoring and programming. Just putting a charger on the HV battery is not going to be part of the planning that went into the design.
Maybe someday, Ford will give us a plug in Maverick (the plug in Escape is a close cousin).

 

[HeyBales]

Not useful.

Battery too small. The system cutoff for only EV mode is too low.

Besides - better to begin the drive needing a full charge - you are going to start the ICE no matter what, and it'll need to run until warmed up then - might as well let it charge the HVB while it's at it.

 

[urwatuis]

My 2008 Escape Hybrid had a liquid cooled HV battery. I think the current Maverick is the same. Keeping the battery safe means properly cooling and balancing across the cells. This probably requires some monitoring and programming. Just putting a charger on the HV battery is not going to be part of the planning that went into the design.
Maybe someday, Ford will give us a plug in Maverick (the plug in Escape is a close cousin).

I wonder if it's possible to remove the parts from a wrecked Escape Hybrid and convert a Maverick. I'm sure it's not an easy thing to do but I see videos of people doing some crazy stuff to cars and it doesn't seem like this would be any worse.

 

[icegradner]

I wonder if it's possible to remove the parts from a wrecked Escape Hybrid and convert a Maverick. I'm sure it's not an easy thing to do but I see videos of people doing some crazy stuff to cars and it doesn't seem like this would be any worse.

Those older escapes use a different battery type (Ni-MH), and would not be compatible with the Mavericks AC/DC converter system. Not to mention you would need all kinds of custom software to make additional batteries work. It would cost upwards of $5k just to get it to work, just for an extra 1-2 miles of range. You have to account for added weight after all.

 

[Quest]

My 2008 Escape Hybrid had a liquid cooled HV battery. I think the current Maverick is the same. Keeping the battery safe means properly cooling and balancing across the cells. This probably requires some monitoring and programming. Just putting a charger on the HV battery is not going to be part of the planning that went into the design.
Maybe someday, Ford will give us a plug in Maverick (the plug in Escape is a close cousin).

All the 2008 escape batteries were air cooled.
There's an air intake at the left c pillar

 

[Quest]

Watched a YouTube video where they added an external charger to an older Ford Escape hybrid high voltage battery. The job was kind of sketchy but it made me wonder if it could be done to add plug in capability to a Maverick hybrid.

Plug in in over night a start each day with a full battery charge.

Any opinions?

you would need to have a monitor system to keep from overcharging or serious damage

 

[MaxMav]

I wonder if it's possible to remove the parts from a wrecked Escape Hybrid and convert a Maverick. I'm sure it's not an easy thing to do but I see videos of people doing some crazy stuff to cars and it doesn't seem like this would be any worse.

Or just take a bed/tailgate from a mav totaled in a head-on and add it to the back of a PHEV Escape that was rearended. ;-)

 

[Ranko Kohime]

I have done this with a regulated bench supply on my Prius, after the engine gave up the ghost. Gave me a bit of maneuverability, but not worth much otherwise.

What I would like explained, is why I will sometimes shut the truck off with the state of charge as reported by my ScanGauge at 65%, and in the morning it’s reading 70%

 

[urwatuis]

Or just take a bed/tailgate from a mav totaled in a head-on and add it to the back of a PHEV Escape that was rearended. ;-)

what a clever idea!

 

[HeyBales]

I have done this with a regulated bench supply on my Prius, after the engine gave up the ghost. Gave me a bit of maneuverability, but not worth much otherwise.

What I would like explained, is why I will sometimes shut the truck off with the state of charge as reported by my ScanGauge at 65%, and in the morning it’s reading 70%

For the HVB?
Or the 12VB?

Doesn't matter either way really.
SOC% is based on Voltage.
Voltage is an inaccurate reading while it's being drained or charged.
Therefore after an initial reading before the new start of the day - it's all calculated.

HVB they know all the figures to get good math on - so SOC% pretty good estimate - could still have correction next morning after final stop night before.
12VB they have figures they hope are decent after a BMS Relearn at some point in the past - and could be pretty bad estimate at some point.

 

[Ranko Kohime]

For the HVB?
Or the 12VB?

HVB. SoC for the 12 V is mostly at 100% unless the truck has done some of the clickety clacking overnight.

 

[Headbanger]

Why not just use a tender every night?

 

[HeyBales]

HVB. SoC for the 12 V is mostly at 100% unless the truck has done some of the clickety clacking overnight.

Interesting - so the 25MY changes that up - the Ford SOC% scale does go to 100%.

Well - another comparison that changes with 25, that will make some discussions interesting.
Thank you!

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