Does Anyone Drive an EB Infrequently and for Short Trips With No Battery Charge Issues?

[Chicolini]

Yes I have an EcoBoost that is driven infrequently and often just for a few hundred yards - my wife uses it to move her portable chicken house one or two times a week. It has been used this way for about a year. No battery issues.

We also have two Hybrid Mavericks, one is used daily, the other once or twice a week. No battery (or any other) issues.

I am a cyber security geek. I refuse to put almost any App on my phone, so I don't use Ford Pass on any vehicle.

I think Ford Pass is contributing to these battery issues. That makes me feel like a smug geek.

Or maybe I'm just lucky.

There is a lot of variability in battery life, which is probably a more likely factor, but then I'm just a geek with nothing to feel smug about.

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[Gschaef]

Yes I have an EcoBoost that is driven infrequently and often just for a few hundred yards - my wife uses it to move her portable chicken house one or two times a week. It has been used this way for about a year. No battery issues.

We also have two Hybrid Mavericks, one is used daily, the other once or twice a week. No battery (or any other) issues.

I am a cyber security geek. I refuse to put almost any App on my phone, so I don't use Ford Pass on any vehicle.

I think Ford Pass is contributing to these battery issues. That makes me feel like a smug geek.

Or maybe I'm just lucky.

There is a lot of variability in battery life, which is probably a more likely factor, but then I'm just a geek with nothing to feel smug about.

That is good to know as yours might be the definitive example of infrequent use with short trips. And I agree with you that the Ford Pass app is part of the problem.

One of the reasons for this thread is to try and narrow down issues of the battery drain and short and infrequent use seems to be one of the triggers. And from other posts I have read on other threads, removing the Ford Pass app always seems to make a positive difference no matter the circumstances. You lose some features but gain overall battery performance. One benefit is losing the auto start/stop feature which everyone seems to hate anyway.

 

[NoVaJimmy]

Yes I have an EcoBoost that is driven infrequently and often just for a few hundred yards - my wife uses it to move her portable chicken house one or two times a week. It has been used this way for about a year. No battery issues. I suspect the people with the worst battery draw are those who have significant signal degradation due to their Maverick being parked in a garage etc where the telemetry unit has a weak signal and takes far longer to send or receive data from Ford.

We also have two Hybrid Mavericks, one is used daily, the other once or twice a week. No battery (or any other) issues.

I am a cyber security geek. I refuse to put almost any App on my phone, so I don't use Ford Pass on any vehicle.

I think Ford Pass is contributing to these battery issues. That makes me feel like a smug geek.

Or maybe I'm just lucky.

There is a lot of variability in battery life, which is probably a more likely factor, but then I'm just a geek with nothing to feel smug about.

Whether you have the app on your phone or not your Maverick is still sending data to Ford via the telemetry unit. Unless you've disabled it your truck would have the same draw as anyone who actively uses the Fordpass app.

 

[Last Truck Ever]

Got mine in early August, hybrid XLT, my commute to work 3 days a week is all of 1.5 miles each way. I usually manage a 30-45 minute trip somewhere once a week, other than that just routine kinds of errands. Knock on wood and at the risk of cursing it, no deep sleep, no battery issues. Mine often sits 2-3 days without moving. I have Ford Pass app but after the first gee-wow week of looking at it, I haven't even opened it again, no real need to.

 

[Skyline]

Whether you have the app on your phone or not your Maverick is still sending data to Ford via the telemetry unit. Unless you've disabled it your truck would have the same draw as anyone who actively uses the Fordpass app.

That is true, I have mine disabled it, but still not convinced that Ford does not have a different way sending the data.

If Fordpass installed/not installed does not seem to matter much, if you connect your smartphone to the infotainment system via USB and/or Bluetooth....

 

[Timothyd]

The more I read about the battery monitoring system (BMS) the more I learn and the more confused I get. One trend becoming more apparent is that a BMS equipped vehicle being driven infrequently (2-5 days a week for short distances) should be prepared to make regular use of a battery tender or charger just to ensure the vehicle will start as it should. It seems like it starts to show up after a few months of ownership. Which seems ridiculous for a new vehicle.

I understand how BMS works and why it can cause this. So I would like to know if there are any EcoBoost owners who drive infrequently and make mostly short trips (20 miles or less) who have not had any battery or charging issues? And if so would you please include your current odometer reading and whether or not you have an AGM battery if you know? Hybrids and those who drive frequently and for longer distances are a different set of issues.

Lot's of short trips here with zero issues. Once a month or so I try and take it on a long drive to get the engine good and hot for the oil but that's about it.

Seems like bad news sells around here. It had me going for a while too, but I've calmed down.

 

[dusty1787]

I am pretty certain that you meant "Battery Monitoring System (BMS)"....

My EB 2.0 Lariat has 2,800 miles since February of this year, with 98% of short round trips, about 3 - 6 miles with number of stops. The truck had been started, practically every day, except on couple of holidays and when on vacation where it did not start for ten days. The battery is AGM.

There's no issue with starting, knock on wood, including remote start with the FOB, no FordPAss app. The battery is weak, based on the battery testers output. The system disables the auto start/stop feature more times than none, due to the weak battery. I have a battery charger at home and jump starter in the truck, in case the battery dies. No battery tender, truck parked outside.

I have recharged the battery twice at home, the dealer did it once recently, that allowed enabling the auto start/stop feature for a couple of days, disabled afterward. Pulling the fuse for the Telemetry Control Module (TCM) probably helped preventing deep sleep, albeit the Ford Perimeter Plus VSS probably makes up for it.

There's a lot to like in the Maverick, but needing to be prepared for if it does not start is not one of them. That is borderline ridiculous for the Maverick, even it is "cheap" to buy. Especially, when the truck already has the BMS, that prevents charging the battery beyond 80% of charge, the main culprit for the system disabling auto start/stop. Changing the settings to 90% charge, like people do in other Ford forums with ForeScan, resolves this issue. Ford could do this with an update, even if it impacts its COFE numbers. Arguably, system disabling auto start/stop results in bigger impact to the COFE number....

I have seen a couple other of your posts where you show your battery data from your handheld tester. Did you happen to do any research on it before you got the tester? I am seeing kinda iffy data/reviews on how accurate those things are and I honestly can say I only put a minimal amount of effort the last day or 2 to look into them more after I noticed my A.S.S not happening to be working. So I want to get a tester to keep some data points to show the dealership that this isnt a 1 off issue that battery is constantly below charge etc. What one do you have and what are your thoughts on it?

Also, I live in Midwest with colder temps lately as well as what you have been experiencing, but I have a Sept/23 build with apx 2k miles on it today. I picked it up at the start of October and most of the month I feel the A.S.S. worked and the last couple weeks is when I noticed it hasnt been working. I have about a 20min (11 mile - 1 way) trip to work 4 days a week, and then during the 3 day weekend maybe get out around town 1 of the days.

I am not exactly worried about the battery dying per say, but if the truck only keeps battery "just barely working" and never being able to use all the features then, I am going to be somewhat annoyed. Is there any info about "needs to be driven at least X amount" for it to charge fully...etc?

What are your current plans for this situation? I have to run out before I leave work to see if I have the AGM battery or regular one, but just trying to see what everyone doing in response to this growing issue.

 

[Decayed]

I have a 15 minute local stop and go commute. Never an issue. It helps in a lot of ways if you let it stretch it's legs once a week or so. It helps keep the battery charged and also to burn off any fuel that gets into the oil if you let it heat up. I try to take it out for about an hour's drive once a week, get it up to highway speed for a bit.

 

[Skyline]

I have seen a couple other of your posts where you show your battery data from your handheld tester. Did you happen to do any research on it before you got the tester? I am seeing kinda iffy data/reviews on how accurate those things are and I honestly can say I only put a minimal amount of effort the last day or 2 to look into them more after I noticed my A.S.S not happening to be working. So I want to get a tester to keep some data points to show the dealership that this isnt a 1 off issue that battery is constantly below charge etc. What one do you have and what are your thoughts on it?

Also, I live in Midwest with colder temps lately as well as what you have been experiencing, but I have a Sept/23 build with apx 2k miles on it today. I picked it up at the start of October and most of the month I feel the A.S.S. worked and the last couple weeks is when I noticed it hasnt been working. I have about a 20min (11 mile - 1 way) trip to work 4 days a week, and then during the 3 day weekend maybe get out around town 1 of the days.

I am not exactly worried about the battery dying per say, but if the truck only keeps battery "just barely working" and never being able to use all the features then, I am going to be somewhat annoyed. Is there any info about "needs to be driven at least X amount" for it to charge fully...etc?

What are your current plans for this situation? I have to run out before I leave work to see if I have the AGM battery or regular one, but just trying to see what everyone doing in response to this growing issue.

I did check reviews prior to purchasing the battery tester and selected the one that had good reviews. My voltmeter, that pretty accurate, is also used to check the SoC. They were pretty much in sync as far as the voltage concerned, within 0.1V difference between the two. The repair shop I like also tested the battery and the result was the same as my own showed. You could also take it to most of the parts store to check the battery SoC. The dealer was useless addressing this.

Based on a number of feedback to my posts, it seems that the EB2.0 needs much more miles, than I drive, probably around 20 miles one way, preferably on the highway. The battery issue still can be an issue even in that case. As you eluded to, not charging the battery fully could be one of the reasons while the other is the weak battery that does not hold the charge. In my view, some of the battery control and other modules, there are lot of them, not working as they should that cause havoc with the battery charging. These modules may have some fault, either in the hardware or software. While it works and the system does not throw a DTC, it may have a bugs in the software that may prevent charging the battery correctly sometimes or most of the times. Some people got a truck that don't have this issue with the modules, while others got the pandemic leftover modules. Who knows at this point....

I plan not to even check the battery anymore, just got a battery jumper in case there's a dead battery. Probably in March next year, just sell the Maverick and get something different. I admit, there's a lot to like in this truck, but I am not willing to put up with the battery/charging issue and now the low mileage. I knew I should've bought the Ridgeline instead....

 

[Packer Bill]

I have been putting a battery tender on my Mav once a week. To me this is a minor nuisance. No other pickup comes close to meeting my needs. The Honda Ridgeline is too big, eats too much gas and is $15,000 more money. I love Honda reliability (I owned a Honda Civic several years ago) but too expensive for me. I did buy an extended warranty since the Maverick is a Ford...

 

[MakinDoForNow]

New 2023 XLT, 400 miles so far, brought Oct 14. Sits in driveway Mostly. If driven, not very far. So far no issues with battery. Some mention battery maintainer. I have a fancy smart charger and a 10 watts small solar panel. I suppose if battery fails, I could hook it up with one of these charger.

Now I beginning to wonder why I brought this truck. I could have got an old truck with plain old carburetor, distributor with points for ignition.

I have a neighbor rebuilding an S10 probably be 20k when finished.

 

[MAGPLM]

ive had mine one week shorter than you, 2 years as of 11/05/23. I have 24k miles on non-agm battery. Never had deep sleep issue but I have noticed recently that stop/start rarely engages. It used to activate very often. I don’t mind that so much since I view as an annoying feature, but I am concerned that means battery is starting to weaken.

I deactivated mine. I could care less about saving that cup if gas. I don't want to kill my starter faster that I have too.

 

[colinl]

This is a good discussion.

Another aspect of OEM battery health and longevity is how long it sat on the lot. My truck sat in KC (specifically, the caverns underground parking) for almost a month after it came off the train from Hermasilo. I am sure it did not have a battery tender. I am not sure if anyone disconnects the battery if they think it's going to sit a while, but I suspect not.

My point in all this is that some trucks could have come with factory batteries that were allowed to discharge enough to permanently lose capacity. Once the dealership has it, if it's not immediately sold I suspect Mavericks get some decent test drive miles due to all the interest and tight supply, but if not I do think dealerships are smart about not letting batteries get low.

 

[MakinDoForNow]

ive had mine one week shorter than you, 2 years as of 11/05/23. I have 24k miles on non-agm battery. Never had deep sleep issue but I have noticed recently that stop/start rarely engages. It used to activate very often. I don’t mind that so much since I view as an annoying feature, but I am concerned that means battery is starting to weaken.

Any lead battery of any type that is drawn down any amount and not 100% recharged will gradually sulfate even if only 98% recharged (just take longer to sulfate to critical point). The deeper the draw the faster the sulfation will reduce the AH of the battery. A 99.9% pure lead AGM designed for 10-12 year service may only last 3-4 years (or even less) if never recharged to 100%. Consider putting a maintainer on your battery an insurance premium to maximize the life of the battery if you "pay the premium" weekly, monthly, or quarterly deciding how long you increase the actual service life if not paid.

 

[MakinDoForNow]

This is a good discussion.

Another aspect of OEM battery health and longevity is how long it sat on the lot. My truck sat in KC (specifically, the caverns underground parking) for almost a month after it came off the train from Hermasilo. I am sure it did not have a battery tender. I am not sure if anyone disconnects the battery if they think it's going to sit a while, but I suspect not.

My point in all this is that some trucks could have come with factory batteries that were allowed to discharge enough to permanently lose capacity. Once the dealership has it, if it's not immediately sold I suspect Mavericks get some decent test drive miles due to all the interest and tight supply, but if not I do think dealerships are smart about not letting batteries get low.

I put my Tremor with the AGM with 65 miles on OD onto a noco genius 5 and it took 2+ days to stop blinking!!!

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