Running out of gasoline in a hybrid! What happens?

[Gus]

My order is a 2.5 Hybrid. I have zero experience with any hybrids, only straight gas motors.

My question is, if you run the Maverick out of gasoline, but still have enough electric charge in the hybrid battery, can you just run the electric motor to get to a gas station? I am assuming if this is possible, you would need to keep the speed and load under where the gas motor would need to kick in.

Obviously Maverick hybrids are not being delivered yet. I was hoping someone with a different Ford hybrid could give me their experience on this subject.

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[Fred]

My order is a 2.5 Hybrid. I have zero experience with any hybrids, only straight gas motors.

My question is, if you run the Maverick out of gasoline, but still have enough electric charge in the hybrid battery, can you just run the electric motor to get to a gas station? I am assuming if this is possible, you would need to keep the speed and load under where the gas motor would need to kick in.

Obviously Maverick hybrids are not being delivered yet. I was hoping someone with a different Ford hybrid could give me their experience on this subject.

 

[bombast]

So, quick googling says it depends on manufacturer and model. Chevrolet, GM, and some Nissan models shut themselves off when gas runs out, battery charge be damned. Toyotas go into limp mode for a mile or two and then shut themselves off, again battery charge be damned.

I don't know about the Ford Maverick specifically, but it seems the Ford Fusion goes into limp mode for a mile or so too.

The reason they do this is because draining the battery down can cause damage, and driving a hybrid without gas power can be dangerous.

 

[Fred]

Yep...


Chevrolet's Tahoe and Silverado hybrids, for example, will not operate without gas in the tank. That's right, they completely shut down if they run out of gas – no limping to a gas station on the battery, even if it's fully charged. We know this because we tried it; thankfully, we were equipped with a three-gallon tank of spare fuel.

GM's official word is that driving these big hybrid trucks without gas leaves the large propulsion battery in vulnerable state, so rather than risk damage, the vehicles shut down. GM is not alone in this strategy, as Nissan's Altima Hybrid will also shut itself down the moment the gasoline engine runs out of fuel, lighting up a triangular warning lamp on the instrument panel.

Prius Survival Guide
Toyota's Prius, as well as the similar Lexus HS 250h sedan, will run on battery power even if it runs out of gas, but not for long. How far it can go is directly related to how much of a charge the battery has. With a strong charge prior to the gas tank hitting empty, some owners have reportedly been able to drive several miles without gasoline. When the battery becomes discharged enough that the gasoline engine would normally engage, the Prius' speed will be limited to 18 mph, says Toyota. So on your limp to the gas station you'll be going pretty slowly.

 

[Gus]

Between the Ford roadside assistance for the Maverick, and the AAA membership I currently have because of my older vehicles, I don't think I will have a problem. This was just one of those "what if" thoughts.

Anyone with hybrid escape want to chime in? I figure an escape would be the closest thing to a Maverick for comparison on this.

 

[WesM]

My order is a 2.5 Hybrid. I have zero experience with any hybrids, only straight gas motors.

My question is, if you run the Maverick out of gasoline, but still have enough electric charge in the hybrid battery, can you just run the electric motor to get to a gas station? I am assuming if this is possible, you would need to keep the speed and load under where the gas motor would need to kick in.

Obviously Maverick hybrids are not being delivered yet. I was hoping someone with a different Ford hybrid could give me their experience on this subject.

Short answer is don't, it can screw up your fuel pump, and they aint cheap.

Just a quick google turned this up though.

The "check engine light" comes on....
The car beeps at you....
The message center says "Stop Safely Now"...
You can continute to coast if you wish...
The car enters "Limited Operation Condition" informally known as "limp home mode".

Limp Home Mode, when you run out of gas, allows you to drive on battery only for as long as it lasts ( 1.5 to 2 miles ) but at a computer restricted speed of 22 MPH.
Why they picked 22 MPH is beyond me, but that's how it works.

 

[XLTLUXA51]

Yeah I drove a gen 1 Prius in limp mode once and unless your on a sub 35 mph road with no hills or stops you can actually more or less cruise along. But getting up to speed or going up a hill may happen at a snail’s pace. I think it should be thought of as a way to get out of the traveled lane of traffic and that’s about it. Mind you all hybrids are slightly different in every way.

 

[BILLNOROVILLE]

I did not play the video but the picture shown on the video is of a Chevy Volt which is not a hybrid car. It is a full electric plug in car with gas engine driving a generator for back up power when batteries are used up after about 50 miles. The drive system is electric motors to the wheels in a Volt. If fully charged I could easily go 45-50 miles but most of my driving was electric so gas engine hardly ever started. The Maverick hybrid is not like a Volt but like a Prius

That said I also have a Prius and while driving the battery pack's charge goes up and down depending of stop and go traffic. It will operated till battery is down to 2 bars on the scale of 8 or 10 bars (I don't remember how many). Even if NOT out of gas I can work the throttle easy and make it run just on the available battery power that is shown in one of the available settings.

For old farts out there that had a motor minder vacuum gage it works about the same. Easy on the gas more vacuum (less gas used).

I imagine the Maverick will work much like the Prius. I gas it up a hill and coast down the hill on electric by not giving it much gas and the dash shows me if the gas engine is on or off. I have done this at speeds over 55mph.

 

[JASmith]

I did not play the video but the picture shown on the video is of a Chevy Volt which is not a hybrid car. It is a full electric plug in car with gas engine driving a generator for back up power when batteries are used up after about 50 miles.

Technically the gas engine can run as a parallel hybrid too, but yeah battery and motor on the Volt are huge compared to a traditional hybrid.

You usually need a PHEV that has larger electric motors and more battery capacity to drive the vehicle on its own with a little bit of range.

 

[pnorwood54]

if its downhill

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