EV+ Question

[AndrewWho]

How does the EV+ mode actually save gas over the life of the car?  I just started using it a couple of weeks ago, and it seems that running down the battery just gives the ICE more work to do on the next trip. I can see how this would work on a plug-in (about to get home to charge the battery), but on the hybrid?  I hope there is something I'm missing here, because EV+ does seem rather cool - just hoping it's useful as well as fun.

[LizM]

You actually bring up a good point.  Because when I get home in the late afternoon and my battery is really low...sitting in the garage all night and get up the next morning on these cold, cold winter mornings...the engine is running quite a bit long.  Could be just because it's cold, but wonder if it would warm up faster if the battery was more charged?  I am new to the hybrid world, for sure.

[valkraider]

I think the theory *may* be that since the engine has to run anyway initially when the car and battery are cold that it could charge more in conjunction with that...

 

I do agree it seems like really only a true benefit for the Energi plug-in version. :)

[Jus-A-CMax]

IMO, yeah - but as you both will learn - sometimes it is not necessary to use all of the EV power up to the threshold.

 

In the EMPOWER mode, you will see a double blue bar and in the EV+ mode, this double bar will be a little "higher" than normal (as compared to the non-EV mode when you will see a smaller double bar). 

 

Now - the trick is to "feather" touch the accelerator pedal with just enough EV to move the car at a slow speed. Not burn it at high speed and most probably at a very slow speed. I have to climb 2 gradients back to my house and my EV+ bar is typically a tad over 1/2 to 2/3. By feathering the pedal, I have just enough speed, typically 15mph, to go up the 2 gradients and into my garage. EV+ typically kicks in 1/4 mile or less from your home.

 

However, if you have someone behind you, you may want to change and burn some gas but as its a residential with lots of kids, I go slow - stuff the guy in the back.

 

PS Using minimal EV also helps at higher speeds in non-EV mode as well. The mistakes I made when I got my hybrid at the start was to burn the EV at its maximum - so the battery did not last and it took forever to recharge. By using just enough to keep you at the speed (and you will learnt to feel this with your driving), you conserve the EV and again, IMO, keeping the batteries high has much more beneficial (aka bang for your bucks) use than say 1/4 battery. As a side note, I discussed this with the Ford engineers at the Irvine pow-wow and they had a big smile.

Edited February 26, 2013 by Jus-A-CMax

[rmcmast]

Now - the trick is to "feather" touch the accelerator pedal with just enough EV to move the car at a slow speed. Not burn it at high speed and most probably at a very slow speed. I have to climb 2 gradients back to my house and my EV+ bar is typically a tad over 1/2 to 2/3. By feathering the pedal, I have just enough speed, typically 15mph, to go up the 2 gradients and into my garage. EV+ typically kicks in 1/4 mile or less from your home.

 

However, if you have someone behind you, you may want to change and burn some gas but as its a residential with lots of kids, I go slow - stuff the guy in the back.

 

PS Using minimal EV also helps at higher speeds in non-EV mode as well. The mistakes I made when I got my hybrid at the start was to burn the EV at its maximum - so the battery did not last and it took forever to recharge. By using just enough to keep you at the speed (and you will learnt to feel this with your driving), you conserve the EV and again, IMO, keeping the batteries high has much more beneficial (aka bang for your bucks) use than say 1/4 battery. As a side note, I discussed this with the Ford engineers at the Irvine pow-wow and they had a big smile.

I use this method with EV also on my 200ft driveway which is uphill coming home. Another example is in between hills on the highway. I gain speed going downhill (sometimes gliding in N if I have quite a bit of charge in the battery). It usually doesn't take too much pressure on the pedal to maintain speed until the next hill. I try to keep the blue bar 1/2 the size of the EV potential or less.

[valkraider]

Our hills are too steep. :)

[HannahWCU]

My opinion on EV+ mode is that it is useful in the winter or colder days. When the CMax is cold, it will run the ICE to warm up the engine for emission purposes or to warm up the cabin (depending on climate control settings). Sine the ICE is running anyway (even when stopped) at least it is doing some work (charging the battery). In warmer climates the usefulness is reduced. At least that is my thinking.

[roninsd]

For the hybrid, as opposed to the Energi, I think it's really just a fun perk.  When I come home, up a long hill, and then to the flat road, my EV+ will come on, and the battery will usually be less than 1/2 charged when getting home.  When I go to work in the morning, ICE comes on (cold engine) for about 1/2 mile, and I travel DOWN that same hill.  By the time I'm at the bottom the battery is close to full, if not at 100%.

[nsteblay]

IMO, yeah - but as you both will learn - sometimes it is not necessary to use all of the EV power up to the threshold.

 

In the EMPOWER mode, you will see a double blue bar and in the EV+ mode, this double bar will be a little "higher" than normal (as compared to the non-EV mode when you will see a smaller double bar). 

 

Now - the trick is to "feather" touch the accelerator pedal with just enough EV to move the car at a slow speed. Not burn it at high speed and most probably at a very slow speed. I have to climb 2 gradients back to my house and my EV+ bar is typically a tad over 1/2 to 2/3. By feathering the pedal, I have just enough speed, typically 15mph, to go up the 2 gradients and into my garage. EV+ typically kicks in 1/4 mile or less from your home.

 

However, if you have someone behind you, you may want to change and burn some gas but as its a residential with lots of kids, I go slow - stuff the guy in the back.

 

PS Using minimal EV also helps at higher speeds in non-EV mode as well. The mistakes I made when I got my hybrid at the start was to burn the EV at its maximum - so the battery did not last and it took forever to recharge. By using just enough to keep you at the speed (and you will learnt to feel this with your driving), you conserve the EV and again, IMO, keeping the batteries high has much more beneficial (aka bang for your bucks) use than say 1/4 battery. As a side note, I discussed this with the Ford engineers at the Irvine pow-wow and they had a big smile.

I am curious regarding your statements.  Are you saying when driving at higher speeds - above 55 - it is best to keep the battery as fully charged as possible?  Did the engineers talk about how the ICE and EV combine at higher speeds to help mileage?

[Jus-A-CMax]

I am curious regarding your statements.  Are you saying when driving at higher speeds - above 55 - it is best to keep the battery as fully charged as possible?  Did the engineers talk about how the ICE and EV combine at higher speeds to help mileage?

Yes, my experience seem to show that you get way more use of the juice when the batts are 70% or above as versus below 50%. I did discuss this with the engineers and they verbally confirmed my thoughts on the high battery status. P&G to build your battery and keep it as high as possible and you can still run EV from whatever level you want and let it go down to say no less than 50% and start the EV regen again.

 

One caveat - in the extreme cold, which to me sings mid 20s and below, you may have high batts but you will struggle to keep up the high mphs, for example 55 mph. What you see is that even at the full EV power in EMPOWER, your speed of 55mph cannot be sustained long, much, much shorter than say at 40F or 50F. That is what I observed as I approach Mammoth Lakes in these cold or snowing conditions.

 

Here is another advantage, when your batts are high, say 80% and you want to crank the CMax above 65 mph, go for it, you can see even with the eco cruise set to 68 mph, it will use the batts and keep your instant MPG above 40MPG (as versus 20MPG when there is low batts). This is on flats or down gradient roads but not up hill. I am calling it ICE High MPG, theres a thread about this somewhere and others have seen this happen to their cars at these speeds as well. IMO, batts high is always good - works excellent for the way I drive with Maxine  :) 

Edited March 3, 2013 by Jus-A-CMax