Why is winter *highway* mpg so low?

[wb5oxq]

I mean…not sure how your ecoboost is getting better mpg than a hybrid. I see the photo. I don’t get it.

If I don't drive over 60 in good weather I frequently get over 40mpg.

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[MavMeister25]

If I don't drive over 60 in good weather I frequently get over 40mpg.

For the ecoboost, you should be getting your best mpg while driving OVER 60, not under. Still I’m confused.

 

[TheQuixotic1]

So your sample size is ~30 miles over ~30 minutes in 85 degree weather; that's not exactly a compelling sample size, onboard efficiency monitoring is always overstated, and is pretty anecdotal. I'd be more interested to see what your lifetime readout is for your 19,964.1 miles.

That being said, while I don't know your elevation changes, I could absolutely believe a mostly empty ecoboost Maverick averaging 60mph on flat terrain would be close to 40mpg. That 2.0l loves 55-60mph for efficiency.

 

[TheQuixotic1]

For the ecoboost, you should be getting your best mpg while driving OVER 60, not under. Still I’m confused.

Maximum practical fuel efficiency is typically the highest gear at the lowest sustainable power/rpm level.

My maverick usually hits 8th just after 50mph and seems "comfortable" in 8th at 55mph (no real chance of downshifting unless a substantial incline calls for it). If someone could do an endurance test at 55mph in ideal weather conditions on flat terrain I'd imagine we'd see a result in the mid 40's.

 

[The Real Maverick]

I mean…not sure how your ecoboost is getting better mpg than a hybrid. I see the photo. I don’t get it.

The ecoboost does not do that often. Only once in a while. Just like my hybrid gets 80 MPG some of the time.

 

[SP1966]

The engine has to run longer to heat up and provide heat for the interior. Batteries also provide less range in very cold weather.

Here in Vegas I was averaging 37 through the hot summer, 49 in the fall, and now 43 in the winter. I wasn't surprised by the summer number given how much we use AC, but the winter number was a bit of a surprise given how mild it is here

 

[The Real Maverick]

I do not know for sure but expect the auxillary electric booster heater to come on and reheat the air the AC compressor has cooled down while removing the moisture. In my hybrid and they way I drive my electric miles almost stop at about 62 mph.

No. It does not. Ever.
Quit spreading rumors.
I am pretty sure you have read the rules for it to come on. Which is almost never.

 

[MavMeister25]

The ecoboost does not do that often. Only once in a while. Just like my hybrid gets 80 MPG some of the time.

 

[The Real Maverick]

That being said, while I don't know your elevation changes, I could absolutely believe a mostly empty ecoboost Maverick averaging 60mph on flat terrain would be close to 40mpg. That 2.0l loves 55-60mph for efficiency.

The Hybrid gets 50 MPG at 50 MPH. Any weather pretty much. Any season pretty much. (First few minutes of a cold start excepted.).

An easy to remember metric everyone can memorize.

I've recently done a bunch of long trips over the holiday season and I always get 48 MPG at 55 MPH. Starts to drop pretty hard above this. Maybe 42 MPG at 60 MPH. Maybe 37 MPG at 65. Maybe 33 MPG at 70 MPH.

Above 75 MPH it is rare to beat 30 MPG.

 

[Ozarkbeard]

On highway the engine runs 100% of the time, which is why I wrote *highway* in my title. Should be zero factor...

For winter Hybrid highway driving, biggest factors are probably winter fuel blends and pushing something with about the same aerodynamics as a refrigerator down the highway at 70+ MPG through cold denser air.

Re A/C: if you have the A/C turned off, the computer may still turn it on to help defog windows, if it thinks they need defogging (even if they don't). However, running the electric A/C compressor in the Hybrid has very little reduction in winter MPG, when factoring in other items that reduce winter mileage.

 

[The Real Maverick]

For winter Hybrid highway driving, biggest factors are probably winter fuel blends and pushing something with about the same aerodynamics as a refrigerator down the highway at 70+ MPG through cold denser air.

Re A/C: if you have the A/C turned off, the computer may still turn it on to help defog windows, if it thinks they need defogging (even if they don't). However, running the electric A/C compressor in the Hybrid has very little reduction in winter MPG, when factoring in other items that reduce winter mileage.

It also has to be above 35°F for the A/C to come on.

Scientifically speaking, cold air is dry air, so nothing really to "defog" below this, so it is heat only to "defrost".

In reality the A/C evaporator will ice up inside your ducts and you'll clog up the airflow and eventually get nothing if the A/C ran below 35°F.

 

[TheQuixotic1]

The Hybrid gets 50 MPG at 50 MPH. Any weather pretty much. Any season pretty much. (First few minutes of a cold start excepted.).

An easy to remember metric everyone can memorize.

I've recently done a bunch of long trips over the holiday season and I always get 48 MPG at 55 MPH. Starts to drop pretty hard above this. Maybe 42 MPG at 60 MPH. Maybe 37 MPG at 65. Maybe 33 MPG at 70 MPH.

Above 75 MPH it is rare to beat 30 MPG.

That absolutely tracks and makes sense for the 2.5l. Much like how the Ecoboost hits it's maximum practical efficiency around 55/60mph. Considering the lower HP in the 2.5l, it would make sense that the eCVT and atkinson engine would find its peak efficiency in the ballpark of 15% lower speeds than the Ecoboost.

When I drove my 2013 Ford C-Max hybrid, which had the 2.0l atkinson engine, it definitely seemed like peak efficiency was in the 45-50mph range. Which was great when I was living in Las Vegas and was typically on 45mph roads. Not nearly as great when I moved back to Michigan and was on 60mph rural state routes in winter.

We've seen the 2.0l and the 2.5l atkinsons in Fords; here's to hoping we could see a ~3.0l atkinson in a Ranger or an Explorer in the near future (so long as it could keep the towing capacity number consistent). Seems odd to me they are utilizing the 2.3l Ecoboost in the Ranger PHEV in Australia; maybe they are using it as a stopgap until they can design a decently larger atkinson cycle engine. The non-turbo 3.3l V6 they use in the Explorer hybrid is pretty bullet-proof (transmission in that hybrid is another story), but it doesn't really hit the efficiency mark.

 

[The Real Maverick]

Engine size is only going down for mass produced vehicles. You'll need to DIY for something larger.

 

[MavMeister25]

The Hybrid gets 50 MPG at 50 MPH. Any weather pretty much. Any season pretty much. (First few minutes of a cold start excepted.).

An easy to remember metric everyone can memorize.

I've recently done a bunch of long trips over the holiday season and I always get 48 MPG at 55 MPH. Starts to drop pretty hard above this. Maybe 42 MPG at 60 MPH. Maybe 37 MPG at 65. Maybe 33 MPG at 70 MPH.

Above 75 MPH it is rare to beat 30 MPG.

Damn. I’m not getting anywhere close to that. At continuous 50mph without regenerative breaking mixed in, I’m getting around 30-35 mpg.

 

[The Real Maverick]

Damn. I’m not getting anywhere close to that. At continuous 50mph without regenerative breaking mixed in, I’m getting around 30-35 mpg.

I'm using heated seats and maybe heater at the lowest setting when 40's and 50's. Then no heat or A/C above the 50's. Never below freezing in my town.

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