Jump to content

SnowStorm

Hybrid Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    1,234

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    185

 Content Type 

Everything posted by SnowStorm

  1. SnowStorm
    Thanks for pointing out the power split role which requires the motor to have a higher rating than what the battery can put out. So under a maximum power condition the HVB puts out 47 HP (35 kW) and the ICE puts out 141 HP giving the advertised 188 HP total. The electric motor, however, is getting 35 kW from the battery and some additional amount from the generator. (BTW, units here are kW, not kWH) It would be interesting to see battery, generator and motor power under full throttle acceleration from 0 to 70 mph starting with a "full" battery.
  2. SnowStorm
    A real pity because the C-Max's "never-shift" drive train is so much nicer than conventional automatics (that just keep adding more and more gears to shift through)! Forget the great mileage for a bit, I'd buy this car just to get that "no-shift" driving experience. Most people who've never had a hybrid probably think its just about saving gas and hugging trees! I also love sitting in traffic (did I really say that!) with the engine off and making short trips without it even starting. I never thought this car would go 25,000+ out of 62,000+ miles with the ICE off! It flips me out every time I think about it. And brakes getting only 6% of normal wear. And how the ICE is pampered so after a cold start (by using more battery). If folks were more knowledgeable about all the advantages, they would buy more hybrids! Even with cheap gas.
  3. SnowStorm
    OK, the title is a "joke" but the rest of this post is not. Here's what happened. I'm sitting in the house one evening and started hearing an occasional faint sound I hadn't heard before. It would last maybe 30 seconds then repeat a half hour or so later. After about the third time, I start walking around and note it gets louder near the garage. I open the door and there's The Enterprise purring along like a nice little kitty! Good grief! I know it never totally "goes to sleep", but starting up the engine? What new failure mode is this? I go get a key (thinking I'll have to cycle power), hit the garage door button and head for the car while trying to remember the symptoms of CO poisoning. Getting in, I find the other key already in the ignition and the green "ready to drive" light on! So that was it. Car left "ON" after parking in spite of the warning chime. It may have sat for an hour or more before starting the first time. It would run a bit to charge the HVB and shut off. I bet it could do this for months, left unattended! I doubt there was much CO with all the air leakage around our garage doors (and short run time) but I'm still thinking of putting a CO monitor out there. But that 12 volt battery would sure stay charged!
  4. SnowStorm
    Has anyone had a problem with these covers popping loose? We lost the right one while driving (heard something but didn't know what at the time) went back later and couldn't find it. This was the same side that received a "minor" deer hit a year ago so thought that might have weakened it causing it to finally let go. Recently, however, I noticed the left cover was loose at the front corner. It looked like one of the plastic clips might have broken but it snapped back so it looked OK but I don't trust it. Back to color - has anyone painted them? I'm thinking about it when I get the replacement(s). Could do without "black eyes" on a white car!
  5. SnowStorm
    All this talk about charging - come now. How many places have gasoline? Supposedly about 120,000 in the US (and declining). How many places have electricity? Millions upon millions. And nearly every mile of road. Shouldn't be a problem getting enough charging locations. (Japan already has more charging locations than petrol stations.) An aside: Have been reading Mark Twain's "Roughing It". They're crossing a desert in the "Wells Fargo Wagon" when they come upon a building with water! Water? In the middle of the desert? How did that get there? Well, someone had to haul it there of course. So when you run out, half way across the desert, you can "tank up". (Sounds like how we get our gasoline! :lol2: ) "Roughing It"? Crazy book! If you get bored with the C-Max owners manual, give it a try.
  6. SnowStorm
    Charge time needs to be reduced and you have to charge more frequently but, hey, we're suppossed to stop every two hours anyway plus you can do the food/restroom/walk-the-dog/etc stuff all while charging. Throw a Tesla my way and I'll go Cross Country for FREE (while somehow managing to cope with the new "pain")!
  7. SnowStorm
    Of course. Locked wheels (if no ABS) gives no regen! And with ABS pulsing away, controlling the electrical regen process could be a challenge. On top of that, regen is limited to 35 kW which, even if it could be achieved for the entire 3 second stop, would only get you about 30 watt-hours of energy and a braking score of maybe 18%! Not worth loosing sleep over. :sandman:
  8. SnowStorm
    Weight is a factor for sure but how much range does the typical classic car owner need? 30 or 40 miles seems plenty for some afternoon fun. I doubt many folks drive classic cars long distances. Since small cars can be quite easy to work on, there might be more incentive for converting the big ones. And there's lots of room under those long hoods! BTW, the Tesla is almost 5000 pounds and goes 270 miles. So its just a matter of how many batteries you want (or can afford!) to fit in there.
  9. SnowStorm
    "ICE will be around for a very long time."Horses will be around for a very long time."The ICE-Age is ending."All true!
  10. SnowStorm
    Very cool to have a classy "old" car with efficient trouble-free electric power. That insane power has its place to make a point but "normal" power would be just fine. Maybe a '59 Ford Fairlane (Skyliner anyone?), 1961 Lincoln Continental (no, the back door doesn't open like a minivan!), 1966 Olds Toronado (front wheel drive is back), or, um, perhaps a Nash Metropolitan (bet half you guys never heard of it). But my personal choice would be a Citroen DS Pallas! By comparison, todays cars are so boooorrrrring! We no longer have: Hood Ornaments - I think I know what belongs on The EnterpriseChrome - where did it go - do they use it to make batteries?Bumpers - real ones with a real purpose"Sealed Beams" - I'm getting real tired of the endless swoopy, squinty things"Dogleg" Front Doors - OK, I'll pass on that oneSuicide Doors - "Shotgun!"Hardtops - safer than a convertible!Bench Seats - even coil springs - sit anywhere and be comfy. (Now we get "one shape fits all" - not)Fender Skirts - who said aerodynamics has to look bad?Spare Tires - imagine that! Even mounted on the back bumper under a chrome coverFins! - I remember a cereal box ad claiming "fins save gas" - no kidding! (Who needs grill covers?) Well, with those old cars you need all the help with saving gas that you can get and that's right where the electric conversions come in. Along with saving all that maintenance and pollution!Yeah, we need more conversion kits!
  11. SnowStorm
    This article says that battery costs are already down to $300 per kW-kour and "...within five years, electric cars will be cost competitive with ICE-age automobiles." Spring is here! The ICE-Age is ending!
  12. SnowStorm
    Great info - thanks for the links! Some thoughts: Wonder what kind of fleet driving it is - 37 mpg - most of us do a lot better. Maybe not too bad for a :noobie: ??? Love the data for mpg versus speed (did they use E0 gas?). Says I should get 56.7 mpg at 55 mph. I get about 53 or so. Maybe they used grill shutters! Also shows you could do 1000 miles per tank (13.5 gal) if you putter along at 40 mph! Anyone up for a 25 hour drive? :drop: Max speed of 117 mph! :arrive_alive: (and 100 miles per tank?) Can we really do 22.7 mph (All Electric) up a 25% grade? That's pretty steep. Then look at that urban cycle - 60.4 mpg at 72F versus 28.9 mpg at 20F (cold start)! Come on now - no more short trips in winter! :nonono: Peak power into battery (braking) of only 0.62kW? Doesn't make sense. It can go to 35 kW. Bet they got a lousy score! Peak power coasting of 10 kW - that's consistent with what I've seen. Have these cars had the mileage "upgrade" from Aug 2014? Everyone seemed to think the battery was being worked harder after that time. Battery resistance about 0.23 ohms. I guess my crude measurement of 0.10 to 0.15 ohms from OBDII data was at least in the ballpark - sort of.Absolutely wonderful data. In the end I bet it will show that the battery will last 100s of thousands of miles without enough degradation to really matter in a hybrid. Can't wait for the next data set to arrive.
  13. SnowStorm
    Have you taken off the black plastic cover that goes all the way across the back (see this post)? You get access to both battery posts that way. I haven't powered anything directly from the battery though, so can't advise.
  14. SnowStorm
    The motor itself might be capable of 118 HP if you had a big enough power source but the hybrid battery can only do 35kW (47 HP) and the Enerrgi battery 65 kW (87 HP). (You know - chain is only as strong as its weakest link.) So the hybrid has 188 total HP (141+47). The Energi can apparently do 87 HP in EV mode but, for some unknown reason, is limited to a total of 195 (not 141+87=228 HP). Note that the 35 amps I mentioned above is only about 10 kW. Flooring it will pull 135 amps (I've seen it) which gives 35 kW at 260 volts from the HVB. My point is that the car seems to limit HVB current to 35 amps (10 kW of power) as much as possible. BTW, the "kW" bar graph looks to be 10 kW per line - I was able to check the first two.
  15. SnowStorm
    Years ago I heard of a certain foreign car operator's manual which in the troubleshooting section under something like "engine running rough" it said: "Improper using unrighteous fuel."
  16. SnowStorm
    More observations of OBDII battery data show: Maximum charging current from ICE is about 35 amps. Maximum charging current while "coasting" (foot off accelerator) is also about 35 amps - even down hill.Moderate regen braking or hard acceleration will send the charge/discharge current past 100 amps easily. So for maximum battery life we should avoid "flooring it" :cry: and "coast" as long as possible before braking :) . (You can get nearly 100% brake scores and be hitting 100+ amps every stop.) How significant is high current to shortened life? Without data we can only debate (but I still plan to floor it once in a while!) :shift:
  17. SnowStorm
    From OBDII/Forscan data (see this post) the relationship is: Actual SOC = 0.38545*(Displayed SOC) + 26.4% so bottom of display should be 26.4% and top is 65%. However, I have observed that the actual SOC goes on up to 70% and stops there. I have no idea if the actual SOC will go below 26.4% but it certainly might.
  18. SnowStorm
    But at $2.22/$2.23 average Georgia/Virginia prices versus $3.27 for Califonia, 47.1 mpg is equivalent (cost wise) to 32 mpg for us! I think east coast wins. Sorry, just had to calculate it. :stirpot:
  19. SnowStorm
    Have heard a whistle a few times but IIRC only at high fan speed. Don't use that speed much so it hasn't really been a problem. Tried it just now at max speed in combinations of Recirc ON/OFF and floor/dash vents - no whistle.
  20. SnowStorm
    Another check? Oh boy! Whats this one for? Not having enough fun driving? :shift:
  21. SnowStorm
    Looks to me like the "equation" should be: (((signed(A)*256)+B)*(9/5)+320)/10 since it appears that the internal value is degrees C X 10. The A*256+B gets the internal number, then *(9/5)+320 to get degrees F X 10, then divide by 10 for final degrees F. However, I really have no experience with these equations or Scangauge's secret codes.
  22. SnowStorm
    Well, actually, the numbers do add up. 141hp + 35kW/0.746kW/hp = 141 + 47 = 188hp just like Ford says. I would think that the battery/inverter/motor combination can do 35kW at any speed above, who knows, maybe 45 mph. So, once the ICE is at its peak of 141hp there should be no problem having the full 35kW electric. (Of course that is ignoring the slight power losses in the inverter and motor.) As a cross check one could always floor it :shift:, measure the acceleration, take the weight of the car and calculate the force and then the power at the given speed. ("This calculation is left as an exercise for the reader"! :thumbsup: )
  23. SnowStorm
    You can see A/C power on the MyView screen if you select Climate/Accesories (or whatever its called). I want to check sometime when its warmer to see if the MyView gauge agrees with OBDII data. Power on MyView can vary from 3kW (after first turn on) down to 300 watts once cooled down with recirc and a relatively high temp setting.
  24. SnowStorm
    Marketing numbers usually don't add up! Actually, I believe the motor is good for 88kW but the battery and/or inverter are not. The NRG with its bigger battery but same motor has a slightly higher total at 195hp. Perhaps Ford is planning a future model with more power but the same transmission. I suspect its easier to test/qualify a new battery than a new transmission. I have logged more data and, sure enough, there are no charge or discharge peaks beyond about 34,700 watts.
  25. SnowStorm
    Paul, more driving this weekend. TFT went up to 163F with 65-70F ambient after driving for over an hour at 55 mph. (ECT was also up to 190-210F range.) Similar temps after another hour+ at 60-65 mph. When ambient dropped into the 40s, TFT stabilized at 145-150F range. Sure seems to be influenced by ambient temperature.
×
×
  • Create New...