Will MPG go down over time?

[bigcat1185]

Since batteries slowly lose their abilities to fully charge over time, will the overall fuel mileage go down as the battery slowly looses its max charge capacity?

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[mamboman777]

I think that mpg declines on all cars as they age. I believe battery wear is one reason the hybrid will lose efficiency. I think increased friction in moving parts is another. I'm not too concerned about that, though. I believe they know how to handle the battery and the battery in the hybrid is used in such a way that it'll last a long time. In watching my hybrid via OBD2 the battery typically stays between %40-70. (Research shows that keeping a battery between %60-80 dramatically increases it's lifespan) The battery also has its own heating and cooling. (This helps life spam, too.).

https://batteryuniversity.com/article/bu-706-summary-of-dos-and-donts

In my experience, the biggest thing to affect the efficiency is the ambient temperature. The past 2 months, my area has seen weather that's been very moderate, °50-70. I've been getting 45+ mpg. When it actually gets cold, I'll get 35. In the summer, I get 37 because of the AC drain on my HVB.

we'll see when batteries start showing wear, but I think/hope it's not going to be for a long time.

 

[Old Ford Guy]

Since batteries slowly lose their abilities to fully charge over time, will the overall fuel mileage go down as the battery slowly looses its max charge capacity?

i dont think that this is worth worry. the hybrid battery system is designed to keep the hybrid battery state of charge at appox 70% of full charge capacity as another post states.

 

[hdave]

Shouldn’t be dropping by much.

My old Lexus CT was getting 4.4 L/100km (all city) when I first got it and learned to drive a hybrid.

After around 10 years I still get 4.8 L/100km if I’m doing all city driving.

I bet I could do better if I had 215 wide LRR tires vs the cheap 225 loud Chinese tires I have on.

 

[bigcat1185]

Good info, thanks. The charging to 75% makes sense. A few times the battery meter has looked much larger than normal, must have been the rare occurrence it actually charged near 100%

 

[TheSEARCH]

Have a few friends with prius hybrids. They stayed about the same even the one 10 years old now,

 

[Ozarkbeard]

...A few times the battery meter has looked much larger than normal, must have been the rare occurrence it actually charged near 100%

Not 100%, but yeah, it's at a higher charge when the "battery/electric" bar is longer.

The Maverick Hybrid system is guaranteed for 8 years/100k miles. And if the Toyota Prius is any indication, your fears of HV battery failure are unfounded.

 

[bigcat1185]

Not 100%, but yeah, it's at a higher charge when the "battery/electric" bar is longer.

The Maverick Hybrid system is guaranteed for 8 years/100k miles. And if the Toyota Prius is any indication, your fears of HV battery failure are unfounded.

No fear, just curious how it would compare to my iPhone battery over time

 

[GPSMan]

No fear, just curious how it would compare to my iPhone battery over time

A lot better.

Cell phones can go from very low (not dead but too low to operate the phone) to basically 100%. They do have a BMS as well but battery failure is part of the planned obsolescence.

The hybrid battery 100% to you is really 70% for the battery.

The hybrid battery "empty" to you is really 30% for the battery.

30% to 70% is normal daily usage.
Per the battery management only 40% is used on any given day. It can lose 60% storage capacity before anyone would notice.

If you drive it regularly it will stay healthy for the lifetime of the vehicle.
Parking it for many weeks or months is bad for the batteries. Hybrids are not good vehicles for "seasonal" use.

Never let them sit all winter or all summer whichever the case may be. Have a family member, friend, or neighbor run them 5 minutes weekly would be nice. 5 minutes monthly is almost a requirement.

When new they can probably sit a couple of months. At 5 years and older, don't let them sit longer than 1 month.

At 10 years and older, don't let them sit longer than a week.

 

[BuddyS]

With so many variables -- battery health, fuel quality, driving style, ambient temperature, traffic, tires, weight in the truck, etc, etc, any variation in mpgs between new and 10 years from now is probably impossible to calculate and meaningless to worry about.

 

[Old Ford Guy]

No fear, just curious how it would compare to my iPhone battery over time

i am not a engineer(not even close) but phone batts are routinely charged to 100% or close to "full".
this is known to shorten battery life while at the same time degrading the battery's ability to hold a charge. the same is true of hybrid & electric vehicle batteries as well i believe.
when designing the hybrid battery recharge system the Ford engineers made the smart choice to maintain a 70-80% charge level. this is good for the battery and for us hybrid driving folks as well.

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