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There are so many talented people that take their time to perform different driving test...wondering if anyone has ever done this....

 

Driven the C-Max Hybryd at a Steady Speed to where it remained in EV Mode where at the start the Battery symbol displayed almost a full charge....how many miles without stopping until the charge ran down that the ICE  kicked in because the Battery charge could no longer power the EV (if it is even possible to find a stretch of road where it could be done)  

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  • 2 weeks later...

I think I have gone 3 - 4 miles when I first start out in the morning when I've seen 70-80% SOC and I keep my speed below 35 mph. :)  The faster you go the less range you will have. If you are going 45 mph and can get your SOC up to 60%, you might be able to go a couple of miles. Obviously if you are going down hill you can go much farther. :)

 

Paul

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I have a non-Energi model and I tend to let ICE kicks in before driving off.    My theory is that it's better to let the transmission fluid circulates before the car starts moving.  Not sure if this helps with transmission longevity.  I'm at 83K and the only issue is minor transmission fluid weep.

Edited by cmax-nynj
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Paul;

 

Are you saying you think the Cmax if kept below 45mph, level road and remains in EV....that the Cmax might travel 3 to 4 miles before the charge would get down to a level to switch into ICE?  My Cmax is 26 mos old...6K...and it just seems like the Battery symbol is slow to display a high charge but Fast (when driving in EV) to discharge.  I am going to the Dealer in the next few days and will inquiry if there is a dealer preformed test to Test the health of the Battery.  I understand the battery Warranty is 8yrs/100K...but after 3yrs that warranty most likely is Pro-Rated. 

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Paul;

 

Are you saying you think the Cmax if kept below 45mph, level road and remains in EV....that the Cmax might travel 3 to 4 miles before the charge would get down to a level to switch into ICE?  My Cmax is 26 mos old...6K...and it just seems like the Battery symbol is slow to display a high charge but Fast (when driving in EV) to discharge.  I am going to the Dealer in the next few days and will inquiry if there is a dealer preformed test to Test the health of the Battery.  I understand the battery Warranty is 8yrs/100K...but after 3yrs that warranty most likely is Pro-Rated. 

No, I said a couple of miles. :)  If you keep it below 35 mph with full charge you could get 3 - 4miles.  There is nothing wrong with your HVB. You need a OBD II gauge like ScanGuageII to monitor the SOC of the HVB, under normal driving it is hard to get above about 53% SOC.  The HVB will start supplying power to the electric motors to assist the ICE to  improve MPG's. Smart Gauge full scale is only about 33% of the capacity of the HVB. With the ScanGaugeII you can see the whole capacity of the HVB. To get above 53% charge you need to force the ICE to stay on or use Regen Braking to charge the HVB to 65%, top of HVB gauge. Most of the time I run EV between 50% to 38% SOC which equals about .5 miles at 65 mph in EV. :)

 

Paul

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Paul;

 

Are you saying you think the Cmax if kept below 45mph, level road and remains in EV....that the Cmax might travel 3 to 4 miles before the charge would get down to a level to switch into ICE?  My Cmax is 26 mos old...6K...and it just seems like the Battery symbol is slow to display a high charge but Fast (when driving in EV) to discharge.  I am going to the Dealer in the next few days and will inquiry if there is a dealer preformed test to Test the health of the Battery.  I understand the battery Warranty is 8yrs/100K...but after 3yrs that warranty most likely is Pro-Rated. 

You will not see 3 miles at 45 mph under "normal" condtions and flat road (not slightly downhill).  You will be lucky to get  2 miles because there will be slight upgrades and the power requirements will likely be more than the EV algorithm allows as the HVB is being depleted and ICE will come on.

 

Watch the EMPOWER display and you will see the EV blue bar threshold decline as the HVB SOC declines to the EV level being used (solid blue when using EV and white when using ICE).  You would need to lower your speed so that the EV power stays below the blue bar.  Eventually, ICE will start up as the blue bar continues to drop.

 

Again, your battery symbol climbs very slowly once SOC reaches low 50s% unless there is significant regeneratative braking to simulate engine braking or physical braking with brake pedal.  Watching EMPOWER, you will see the blue bar rise as SOC increases. 

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I have a non-Energi model and I tend to let ICE kicks in before driving off....

 

Typically the ICE doesn't start until you are moving and keeping below 35mph isn't putting much stress on the trans or they would program it to start sooner. :headscratch:

 

Paul 

Funny, you both talk like you have a choice... software upgrades don't allow it. 

 

Every time you drive off in a cold C-Max, you can only use EV power. The ICE cannot be forced to provide torque under any circumstances, even though it is running. After about 15 seconds, the start-up mode ends and ICE begins to make motive torque. I first noticed it after the 2014 PCM upgrade, so I assume it's part of Ford's attempt to lengthen tranny life. 

 

The easiest thing to look for is the charging state; you're discharging with the engine running in start-up mode. I drive uphill from home, so I notice a big increase in engine noise when it starts pulling and EV flips to charging mode. It's always near the top of the hill. 

 

You can see it in one of Paul's video's, too.... 

 

Frank

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I have been displaying a customized left dash display....and did change to EMPOWER to look at it.  Wish I knew how to interrupt what I see?  I mean I see the left side is labeled KW (no numbers) and the right side MPG...and shows in numbers MPG.  I do see the Open Blue Bar...that appears in 2 parts.....but other than seeing this, I cannot figure out how to use what I see to be understandable......  Is there a Video or detailed narrative that would teach me how to use EMPOWER beneficially?  


 


SOC used in a reply above must mean something regarding the Charge...State Of Charge?  


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I have been displaying a customized left dash display....and did change to EMPOWER to look at it.  Wish I knew how to interrupt what I see?  I mean I see the left side is labeled KW (no numbers) and the right side MPG...and shows in numbers MPG.  I do see the Open Blue Bar...that appears in 2 parts.....but other than seeing this, I cannot figure out how to use what I see to be understandable......  Is there a Video or detailed narrative that would teach me how to use EMPOWER beneficially?  

 

SOC used in a reply above must mean something regarding the Charge...State Of Charge?  

 

SOC is for HVB(Hybrid vehicle battery) here is my video that explains Empower. http://fordcmaxhybridforum.com/topic/6568-how-to-drive-a-cmax-hybridffh-to-get-great-gas-mileage/page-1

 

Paul

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My concern; and I wrote this is another Thread.....is that my battery Symbol....until about 60 days ago.....with my driving style, the display would show a Charge that averaged half or better....for the past 60 days this display averages below half.  Occasionally it might get to 75%...but quickly will discharge back to below half.  Watching Paul's' Video, his Battery display averaged higher.....   Now i realize not everyone's drive is the same....more hills, faster speeds, etc...but, as I have written, prior to 60 days ago, my display always averaged higher...and now its averages much lower....   I just seem to find myself driving more to get the battery charged up, ie, invoke ICE more.....   I did speak with my dealer who has said that there is a Diagnostic Test that will determine the health of the battery....guess its time to setup an appt.  Nice to know the battery is covered at 100% replacement for 8 yrs.......

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My concern; and I wrote this is another Thread.....is that my battery Symbol....until about 60 days ago.....with my driving style, the display would show a Charge that averaged half or better....for the past 60 days this display averages below half.  Occasionally it might get to 75%...but quickly will discharge back to below half.  Watching Paul's' Video, his Battery display averaged higher.....   Now i realize not everyone's drive is the same....more hills, faster speeds, etc...but, as I have written, prior to 60 days ago, my display always averaged higher...and now its averages much lower....   I just seem to find myself driving more to get the battery charged up, ie, invoke ICE more.....   I did speak with my dealer who has said that there is a Diagnostic Test that will determine the health of the battery....guess its time to setup an appt.  Nice to know the battery is covered at 100% replacement for 8 yrs.......

I don't think this is a HVB problem, but it would be nice if you had a OBDII gauge of some type to get actual values for SOC, charging and discharging rate. Just to clear up some confusion most of the time my HVB SOC is about 50% or less on the Smart Gauge. Your goal shouldn't be to charge up the HVB, only do it if you have extra energy like going down hill or coming to a stop.  So don't run the ICE to just charge up the HVB, It's only about 80% efficient. :)

 

Paul

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... I just seem to find myself ... invoke ICE more....

"Invoke" how?

 

If you're giving it more pedal, you'll see worse mileage. 

 

If you're giving it more time, less pedal, so less power and longer to reach speed... it also has longer to charge the HVB.  This made a big difference. 

 

Have fun,

Frank

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Paul.....I live in West Central Florida....originally from Maryland.  Its a good thing it doesn't snow in Florida, if it did, the kids wouldn't be able to Sleigh Ride....Not many hills and those that are hills to speak of, nothing like the Hills I remember in Maryland. So the majority of my regeneration is slowing down and Braking.  Most of any Hills I drive on are over passes.......   

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