Will hybrid Maverick sitting most days (70%) result in issues ?

[Wylie61]

Have an 22 eco w/awd + moonroof picked up off lot. 23 hybrid w/360 ordered. Do not drive alot, 50 miles weekly. Happy with the eco, but want 360 safety.

Will 70% of days sitting affect hybrid ? Worried about Battery drain and sleep issues if not daily driver.

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[Jatrax]

Sitting doesn't bother the hybrid battery. Self discharge is very low. The 12 volt battery might be a concern though. It's tiny and needed to run the computers that get the truck started. I doubt it will be a problem but if it is you can wire in a trickle charger plug and use that if it is going to sit awhile. I have a NOCO trickle charger wired into my E450 motorhome and it works great.

My Prius often sat all winter, several months, without running and I never had an issue.


Something like this:
Amazon.com: NOCO GENIUS2D, 2-Amp Direct-Mount Onboard Charger, 12V Automotive Car Battery Charger, Battery Maintainer, Trickle Charger and Battery Desulfator with Temperature Compensation : Automotive

 

[Texchappy]

Had our Hybrid a month plus a little. It usually sits mire days a week than driven and (knock wood) no issues yet.

 

[GPSMan]

Sitting a big percent of the time is no big deal.

Sitting long intervals, consecutive days without use can become a big deal.

The older the vehicle (batteries) the shorter the interval tolerable.

When new, sitting for a month may be ok.
When 5 years old sitting 2 weeks may be ok.
When 10 years old sitting 1 week may be ok.

If you drive 10 minutes once a week (or more) you shouldn't have any problems.

 

[commadorebob]

Worst thing I did to my Saturn was start working from home. It hit 210,000 miles in 2020 working like a dream but I hope my Maverick comes soon because I don't think it makes it to 220,000 miles.

We drive our 2020 Escape for everything and we treat the Saturn as an overflow vehicle. Once the Maverick comes in, my wife and I will treat our respective vehicles as our respective vehicles. While I still work from home, the Maverick will be driven once or twice a week and will be the primary travel vehicle while the Escape remains the "school" vehicle.

 

[Dad]

Have an 22 eco w/awd + moonroof picked up off lot. 23 hybrid w/360 ordered. Do not drive alot, 50 miles weekly. Happy with the eco, but want 360 safety.

Will 70% of days sitting affect hybrid ? Worried about Battery drain and sleep issues if not daily driver.

Mine goes into deep sleep after a day or so. I have potentially battery draining mods on mine, so with less, you might be fine. I think the recommendation of using a trickle battery charger is smart for the 12v. Rumors have it that Ford is aware of the Deep Sleep problem and is coming up with solutions. Until then, the trickle battery charger is probably a good preventative.

 

[Dad]

Sitting doesn't bother the hybrid battery. Self discharge is very low. The 12 volt battery might be a concern though. It's tiny and needed to run the computers that get the truck started. I doubt it will be a problem but if it is you can wire in a trickle charger plug and use that if it is going to sit awhile. I have a NOCO trickle charger wired into my E450 motorhome and it works great.

My Prius often sat all winter, several months, without running and I never had an issue.


Something like this:
Amazon.com: NOCO GENIUS2D, 2-Amp Direct-Mount Onboard Charger, 12V Automotive Car Battery Charger, Battery Maintainer, Trickle Charger and Battery Desulfator with Temperature Compensation : Automotive

I like the concept of the NOCO direct mount onboard charger. The hybrid's 12v battery is located under the rear seat not in the engine compartment, but this might be an advantage when it comes to plugging it in to a house outlet. No need to find and fish out the 120v plug from the engine compartment. I'd like your thoughts about this.

 

[Jatrax]

No need to find and fish out the 120v plug from the engine compartment. I'd like your thoughts about this.

Honestly not sure yet. I have a slightly different (older) NOCO model on the E-450. The cables are wired in but the unit unplugs leaving only the 12volt cables in place. I only use it during winter and the MH is in the barn so no big deal, I prop the hood open anyway to hopefully discourage rodents.

If I were doing this on a Maverick I think ease of use would be the priority because you are not going to want to open the hood and fish out wires every time you drive.

If I had to decide today, I think I would attach it to the underseat battery. But without actually seeing what that looks like I am leery of making any definitive statement. My concern about attaching there would be getting into the truck and driving off without unplugging the darn thing. At least if it is plugged into the engine compartment the hood is up and it would be obvious you needed to unplug.

What I do not know is if the high voltage battery is wired to trickle charge the 12volt battery. If it is, and everything is working properly (no harness issues) then I think this is all worrying about nothing.

Maybe someone can chime in who knows if the HV battery is supposed to charge the 12 volt one.

 

[stoptothink]

We decided not to buy snow tires for the Maverick this winter, so it has been parked in our garage almost the entirety of the last 6 weeks or so. We only really need one car and our jetta has blizzaks. I just try to take it out once a week for a few minutes, like taking my kids 3 miles down the road to BJJ practice on a day without bad snow. No issues so far.

 

[garnermike]

My hybrid will have 12-volt battery issues if always driven in ECO mode on short (mostly city) trips and then letting it sit for a couple of days. Issue symptoms include the interior dome lights not lighting (when door is open) and the intelligent access door locks not working.

To fix, I charge the 12-volt battery, reset the battery management system, and reset the locks via "Settings" on the dash.

 

[CZaugg]

I like the idea of the onboard battery tender. How and where would you mount that for the rear underseat battery? Is there space for a tender? How would you run the extension cord to the tender? Is there a place to mount an onboard tender under the hood? Can a battery tender even be hooked up under the hood, since the battery in located under the rear seat for the hybrid?

 

[dadd75]

My hybrid Maverick is 6 weeks old and only has 350 miles on it. It has sat for 4-5 days outside in the weather without being driven and have not had any issues.

 

[Raymundo76]

Have an 22 eco w/awd + moonroof picked up off lot. 23 hybrid w/360 ordered. Do not drive alot, 50 miles weekly. Happy with the eco, but want 360 safety.

Will 70% of days sitting affect hybrid ? Worried about Battery drain and sleep issues if not daily driver.

If there is an "always hot 12v " like in my CX-5; you can plug in the trickle charger; that is easy and Amazon has a Black & Decker that is cheap. I have used one for years. More than 10 days is a problem.

 

[GPSMan]

If there is an "always hot 12v " like in my CX-5; you can plug in the trickle charger; that is easy and Amazon has a Black & Decker that is cheap. I have used one for years. More than 10 days is a problem.

Sounds like a perpetual motion machine. . I get it. But ya gotta admit the exact wording was a little funny. No ill will here. Just it sounded akin to "use your cigarette lighter socket to recharge your under seat battery". (Without direct mention of using grid power.)

 

[Dad]

Honestly not sure yet. I have a slightly different (older) NOCO model on the E-450. The cables are wired in but the unit unplugs leaving only the 12volt cables in place. I only use it during winter and the MH is in the barn so no big deal, I prop the hood open anyway to hopefully discourage rodents.

If I were doing this on a Maverick I think ease of use would be the priority because you are not going to want to open the hood and fish out wires every time you drive.

If I had to decide today, I think I would attach it to the underseat battery. But without actually seeing what that looks like I am leery of making any definitive statement. My concern about attaching there would be getting into the truck and driving off without unplugging the darn thing. At least if it is plugged into the engine compartment the hood is up and it would be obvious you needed to unplug.

What I do not know is if the high voltage battery is wired to trickle charge the 12volt battery. If it is, and everything is working properly (no harness issues) then I think this is all worrying about nothing.

Maybe someone can chime in who knows if the HV battery is supposed to charge the 12 volt one.

Thank you for your input. You raise some very valid and interesting issues. I didn’t consider the possibility of driving off without unplugging the unit, but that is certainly something one might do since the hybrid’s 12v is on the passenger side. I’m anxious to hear more information from other members.

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