Myths Busted

[GPSMan]

Starting a myths busted page. Hopefully it becomes a sticky.

Myth: "You get lots of recharging going down the mountains."

FALSE

These batteries are TINY capacity.

The battery is FULL in 20 or 30 seconds. The battery is drained in most cases in 20 or 30 seconds of putting power to the wheels. You can "coast" or drift for much longer.

The battery pack is for stop n go or slow n go conditions. Not really for mountains.

If you had repeated gentle "camel hump" hills of about half a mile each, that would be ideal. But few people will have that.

FACT

The green "regen" needle lies.
The green "regen" needle is also an engine brake needle. Once your battery is "full" the needle in the green shows engine braking, not battery recharging. Not a bad thing, just deceptive.
The HV battery is "Full" at 72%.
The HV battery is "Empty" at 30%.
Deep discharge and full recharge shortens battery life.
Before you get upset Ford has software limited your battery to 42% usage think of this:

Fun Fact:
The Generation One Escape HV Battery was software limited to 40% min and 54% maximum. Just 14% usage. Which is why if they didn't fail in the first year due to a bad wire, they never died.

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[GPSMan]

Myth: HV battery helps with highway MPG

It does, but not very much.
The Atkinson engine and eCVT are the main players in great highway MPG.

FACT

The HV battery is mostly for boosting peak power in highway conditions. Unless you need that peak power, the battery is "mostly" along for the ride.

When highway driving the battery tends to stay on the full side. You won't be able to capture regen when you crest a hill and start going down the other side. Unless you used EV mode to "drain" the battery before cresting the hill. You may not have enough "empty capacity" to capture even one slow down worth of regen on a highway off ramp. If you are not draining the battery which occurs mostly in EV mode, you are not creating much empty space for regen.

Again, the battery is mainly for stop n go and slow n go conditions. This is verified by the much higher EPA "city" rating vs. "highway" rating. It's not all because of wind resistance.

 

[Maverickman74]

On Maui we have up and down hills over the gulches. I ordered a Tremor but it would make sense why almost all of the Mavericks I have seen on island are hybrids. Max avg highway speeds here are 45 to 60mph. So I expect my Ecoboost to do pretty well.

 

[StillWaiting]

I’ve had electric kick on and off during the highway drive. I don’t think its just asking for the ride.

 

[Blue1005]

myth, when you get a hybrid you have to eat soy and smell your own farts.

Fact, you can be manly and drive a hybrid.

 

[gte105u]

myth, when you get a hybrid you have to eat soy and smell your own farts.

Fact, you can be manly and drive a hybrid.

Can you eat soy and smell your own farts still?

 

[Spook]

Suggestion from an experienced hybrid driver: Put the truck in drive and let the computer worry about whether the battery is charging or being used to power the truck. It will save you from getting headaches and you can pay attention to your driving.

 

[Chicolini]

Myth: If you have a VIN you will get a vehicle.

Fact: Your vehicle may not be a Ford.

 

[skadizzle]

False: If you ordered in June, you should get your order before someone who ordered in July.

Ford throws a stack of papers in the air with names on it and then schedules based in reverse order of how they were caught.

 

[Snax]

Unfortunately, many of your "facts" are actually wrong.

For example, the EV system is actually frequently activated at highway speeds, for longer than 20-30 seconds. The computer knows when the ICE is under low load, such as occurs when cruising along at an even speed on level terrain, so the truck switches to electric mode for longer periods. This actually increases highway MPG pretty significantly--especially when there are regen opportunities. To see what I'm talking about, just watch the coaching screen the next time you drive somewhere.

 

[Tailender]

Again, the battery is mainly for stop n go and slow n go conditions. This is verified by the much higher EPA "city" rating vs. "highway" rating. It's not all because of wind resistance.
[/QUOTE]
Then my hybrid must be defective. Because it works during highway speeds and a lot longer than 20 to 30 seconds. Verified by me averaging over 40 mpg on the highway.

 

[Deleted member 14823]

All this "FACT" and "FALSE" is making me hear Dwight Schrute's voice.

 

[GPSMan]

Unfortunately, many of your "facts" are actually wrong.

For example, the EV system is actually frequently activated at highway speeds, for longer than 20-30 seconds. The computer knows when the ICE is under low load, such as occurs when cruising along at an even speed on level terrain, so the truck switches to electric mode for longer periods. This actually increases highway MPG pretty significantly--especially when there are regen opportunities. To see what I'm talking about, just watch the coaching screen the next time you drive somewhere.

My facts are not wrong. They are myths because what you think is not reality. The battery is not useless on the highway. Going downhill, and at lower speeds (say 55 mph) you can get EV. Sure. But the battery is TINY. MUCH smaller than people realize. And you get to use 42% of it maximum. And most situations utilize a fraction of the 42%. ( like one-fourth, or 10% of actual battery charge )
The battery and generator acts as a load leveler, sure. Just pointing out the size is very small.

Thousands of tiny savings on a long trip will add up. But you simply can't get a big regen going down a long hill.

 

[GPSMan]

The Atkinson engine coupled with eCVT nets the biggest gas savings on the highway. The battery pack does some load leveling, which is why I said in the original post it is mostly along for the ride.

I have an OBDII reader to read battery temperature. The HV battery heats up quickly in Stop n Go because it is being used heavily. On the highway, the HV battery does not heat up. It is very gently used in steady speed driving is what I am pointing out.

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