EV+ disappointment and question

[djc]

I bought a used 2013 C-max hybrid SE 2 months ago.  Really like the car overall.  Fun to drive.   Getting just over 45mpg in mostly suburban driving with some 55-65mph freeway driving.

 

BUT the EV+ feature is truly disappointing.  First it comes on just 2 short blocks from home.  So near as I can tell it is totally ineffective.  Is that normal?

 

The gap between what EV+ does and what it could do is what irritates me every time I leave the house.  Like many of us I drive the same routes again and again.  I live a relatively flat mile from a long steep decline.  As I leave home with a mostly charged battery (and climate control off) my C-max insists on running the engine and charging the battery to near the top.  Hence when I arrive at the long down slope, one full of potential energy, the battery is fully charged!  What a waste.  I go down hill riding the brakes or using "hill assist" engine braking, wasting energy - including energy used gnashing teeth. 

 

This is how it could be:  the car knows the local terrain and takes the hills into account to optimize energy conservation.  In particular it should run on EV as much as possible before descending hills. (Likely before ascending on my return trip also, as the engine will be need to run to ascend and might as well be charging as it runs.)

As an alternative, why isn't there (or is there one I am missing?) an "EV-now" option on the hybrids, so one could manually keep it running EV as one approaches a large downhill run or an extended decelleration?  It is interesting to have a car that decides when/if to run the engine, but then it needs to be really smart about it or else give the option of a bit of control to drivers that want that.

 

And why isn't there (or is there?) a button to get it to accelerate at the max rate the battery can do without causing the engine to start?  It is difficult, and maybe dangerous, to feather the throttle while watching the Empower display trying to stay just under the power demand threshhold that causes the engine to kick in.

 

[plus 3 golfer]

I bought a used 2013 C-max hybrid SE 2 months ago.  Really like the car overall.  Fun to drive.   Getting just over 45mpg in mostly suburban driving with some 55-65mph freeway driving.

 

BUT the EV+ feature is truly disappointing.  First it comes on just 2 short blocks from home.  So near as I can tell it is totally ineffective.  Is that normal?

 

The gap between what EV+ does and what it could do is what irritates me every time I leave the house.  Like many of us I drive the same routes again and again.  I live a relatively flat mile from a long steep decline.  As I leave home with a mostly charged battery (and climate control off) my C-max insists on running the engine and charging the battery to near the top.  Hence when I arrive at the long down slope, one full of potential energy, the battery is fully charged!  What a waste.  I go down hill riding the brakes or using "hill assist" engine braking, wasting energy - including energy used gnashing teeth. 

 

This is how it could be:  the car knows the local terrain and takes the hills into account to optimize energy conservation.  In particular it should run on EV as much as possible before descending hills. (Likely before ascending on my return trip also, as the engine will be need to run to ascend and might as well be charging as it runs.)

As an alternative, why isn't there (or is there one I am missing?) an "EV-now" option on the hybrids, so one could manually keep it running EV as one approaches a large downhill run or an extended decelleration?  It is interesting to have a car that decides when/if to run the engine, but then it needs to be really smart about it or else give the option of a bit of control to drivers that want that.

 

And why isn't there (or is there?) a button to get it to accelerate at the max rate the battery can do without causing the engine to start?  It is difficult, and maybe dangerous, to feather the throttle while watching the Empower display trying to stay just under the power demand threshhold that causes the engine to kick in.

Welcome aboard.

 

Couple of comments as virtually all has been discussed before.

 

1) First you have to recognize that the usable range of the HVB is about 37% of the 1.4 kWh storage capacity from around 33% SOC to near 70% SOC.  That amounts to about 0.5 kWh of the 1.4 kWh HVB or at 4 miles / kWh about 2 miles of distance.  However, under normal driving the operating range is generally between about 38 /40% and 57%.  The capacity above 57% to 70% is "reserved" for regenerative braking.  My guess is the capacity below 40% is reserved  for use when in EV+.which will allow one to travel about  0.4 miles = 7%*1.4 kWh*4 miles / kWh.  I ran tests approaching my house from 3 directions and EV+ comes on about 1/3 mile (as the crow flies) from my house.

 

2) Battery life (capacity degradation) is based on a number of factors including cycles and range of operation.  So, operating within the constraints of comment 1) ensures long life.   Allowing too much operation beyond the normal operating range up to the usable range (increase cycling at an expanded range) will likely shorten the HVB life.  

 

3) I believe active predictive control of hybrid operation for driving conditions is still years away.  Ford indicated that EV+ is a first step in such control.

 

4) Overall efficiency is achieved by burning the least amount of fuel over a given distance.  This may or may not be by accelerating at just under the ICE threshold level.   All energy consumed comes from ICE.  When we have an autonomous vehicle with adaptive, predictive controls, the car will know what's "best".  Now, the driver knows what's "best."   I can think of buttons for a lot of things.  Use of one's foot is the magic button for now.

[raadsel]

One other thing to consider, part of the reason for EV+ working the way it does is actually to prolong battery life. The idea is that a Lithium Ion battery, when in "storage", does best between a 40-50% SOC. Part of the idea of EV+ is to lower the battery charge to prepare it for "storage", since the HV battery is disconnected while the car is parked.

 

There is also the idea that much of the time, the engine is going to run when you start the car cold -- and typically when you go home you are going to be parking the car for a few hours. So by depleting the battery when you go home, it allows the battery to charge more once you start the car cold, when the ICE comes and stays on to get to normal operating temperatures.

 

It does appear that hybrids will, eventually, use navigation to plan for the terrain -- such as discharging the battery before a long hill when it can charge the battery. BMW has the technology in some of their cars, at least early forms of it; I'm sure this will start filtering down to "lower end" cars as the technology matures -- and I'm guessing Ford already has plans to develop the technology. At this point, however, it is still to costly to add the technology without adding a few thousand dollars to the price of our cars.

 

As for trying to accelerate in EV mode, I wouldn't worry about it. How hard you can accelerate without turning the ICE on is based on the battery SOC. As you have noticed, if the SoC is low, then you have to accelerate very slowly to keep the car in EV mode. Instead, I wouldn't worry about it that much. Despite the obvious issues with terrain, the car largely does a good job of staying efficient. Instead of worrying about staying in EV when you accelerate, my recommendation is to find a rate of acceleration you feel happy (and safe) with that provides the level of acceleration you want, but is low enough to provide some extra fuel efficiency; then let the car worry about how to get the best fuel economy. Just because the ICE turns on when accelerating is not necessarily less efficient.

[SnowStorm]

Welcome and some more comments:

1. As mentioned, don't worry about acceleration - let ICE run.  I like using ECO Cruise acceleration where, once a cruising speed has been set, you can accelerate manually to 20+ mph, tap Resume and let the car accelerate smoothly back to speed.  It will do so at "2 bars" on the gauge.  The rate is descent and its probably about as efficient as you can get.
2. Totally agree that many of us would like some manual control in certain terrain.  However, the car is so far ahead of conventional ICE that we shouldn't get frustrated when we know more than the car does.
3. Practice makes perfect.  I often go over a mountain - 3 miles up, 5 miles down.  If I don't have a low SOC at the top, there won't be room for the excess energy going down.  At first I tried dropping back to EV too early - car would slow too much, would have to speed back up with ICE, SOC goes back up, etc - got quite frustrated with the whole thing.  Eventually learned to wait to almost the top - it only takes a few tenths of a mile to burn off the excess SOC by riding the EV limit - car slows down some - then burn a bit more SOC getting back up to speed as I start down.  Can now do it fairly well (traffic permitting).  You may be  able to develop the techniques to get to the top of that hill with low SOC.
4. Smart algorithms to leverage elevation data shouldn't cost "thousands".  The car already has a GPS receiver (even without "navigation" option).  All it needs is a "map" of altitude data and some programming.  A complete stand-alone GPS with receiver, processor, maps, even a display doesn't cost $100.  In the end though, the improvement in overall MPG would be very small.  But I agree, a "Drain HVB" button would be nice.  The mode could drop out automatically with the right algorithm.

[djc]

Thanks to Golfer, Raadsel and Snowstorm for helpful replies.  I am with Snowstorm in being skeptical that it would cost much to make the car smarter about terrain.  As far as I can see it is entirely a software issue - gps is in the car, along with an angle sensor.  Microprocessors cost next to nothing and there are tons of them in the car already.  The car doesn't need altitude info - as I mentioned, many including me  travel the same 2-3 routes (commute, shopping) again and again.  So the car just needs to remember where the slopes are on routes it has already traveled.    And even if the car couldn't detect inclines and declines with a dedicated sensor it can be  calculated from the hp needed to achieve / hold a given velocity.

 

I will try to be patient, but I am not getting younger.  And tempering optimism about the probability of Ford innovating here is the thought: who would you expect to be the leader in driverless car technology, Ford, the car company, or an internet search and advertising company?  

 

Again, I really like the C-max.  I wanted a big bump-up in technology from the first generation Subaru Forester I had been driving for years and I got it.  But that whets the appetite for fully realizing the possibilities.

[hybridbear]

BUT the EV+ feature is truly disappointing.  First it comes on just 2 short blocks from home.  So near as I can tell it is totally ineffective.  Is that normal?

 

The gap between what EV+ does and what it could do is what irritates me every time I leave the house.  Like many of us I drive the same routes again and again.  I live a relatively flat mile from a long steep decline.  As I leave home with a mostly charged battery (and climate control off) my C-max insists on running the engine and charging the battery to near the top.  Hence when I arrive at the long down slope, one full of potential energy, the battery is fully charged!  What a waste.  I go down hill riding the brakes or using "hill assist" engine braking, wasting energy - including energy used gnashing teeth. 

 

This is how it could be:  the car knows the local terrain and takes the hills into account to optimize energy conservation.  In particular it should run on EV as much as possible before descending hills. (Likely before ascending on my return trip also, as the engine will be need to run to ascend and might as well be charging as it runs.)

 

And why isn't there (or is there?) a button to get it to accelerate at the max rate the battery can do without causing the engine to start?  It is difficult, and maybe dangerous, to feather the throttle while watching the Empower display trying to stay just under the power demand threshhold that causes the engine to kick in.

EV+ is designed to cause you to end at a low SOC at a frequent destination, like home. However, based on your description of where home is you may want to try to end with a high SOC at home. If you arrive home with a high SOC you can leave with the ICE staying off until you reach the long, steep decline. If you arrive home with a nearly full HVB icon then you should be able to make it that first mile to the hill with the ICE off as long as you're gentle on the throttle. Then you could reach the start of the descent with a relatively discharged HVB and charge it up going downhill. 

 

Note: leaving the HVAC on when you shut down the vehicle can cause the ICE to start immediately when you turn it on again due to the demands of the HVAC system for heat from the ICE or for lots of current from the HVB for the A/C. Turning off the HVAC before turning off the car will allow you to more often start the car in EV mode without the ICE starting right away.

 

We kept EV+ turned off for most of the time we owned the Fusion Hybrid because I also wanted to leave home with a relatively high SOC because there are two lights that are pretty much always red within the first half mile of leaving home. I wanted to arrive home with a high enough SOC that I could drive without the ICE coming on until I got through those traffic lights. Then I'd press hard enough on the accelerator to turn the ICE on where I knew it could run during a longer stretch of acceleration until it reached the temp threshold to turn off again. It allowed me to make better use of the ICE.

 

Back in 2012 when these cars were first introduced the Ford engineers responded to the question of why doesn't the C-Max/Fusion Hybrid have an EV button like hybrids from Toyota. Their answer was that they viewed it as a gimmick and not something that owners wanted. The EV button in a Toyota hybrid is no better than accelerating gently in a Ford hybrid by watching the Empower screen. In fact, the Toyota hybrids will not allow you to press the EV button if you're going faster than 25 MPH and if you press it while going more slowly and then exceed 25 MPH the ICE kicks on automatically. I think that the Ford design is actually a superior overall design.

Edited June 7, 2015 by hybridbear

[plus 3 golfer]

IMO, the problem is the algorithm.  Ford indicated that EV+ is a step towards showing that they can use GPS data to alter the performance of the car since most people like to see EV operation. ;)  But many owners complain about EV+ and the benefit.   My guess it would be the same for altering operation for hills.  Some would see virtues in such while others would see it as worthless.  I don't know what will be next for Ford but perhaps modifying operation around hills would be worth trying.

 

In a truly adaptive algorithm for minimizing fuel use, there are: 1) many variables (many change from day to day, hour to hour, minute to minute) that would affect fuel use, 2) a very limited amount of energy storage, and 3) only control of the use of ICE / EV / and the HVB to meet the driver's throttle input.  IMO, the algorithm would need an extremely large data base of the "same" trip data and have the ability to run simulations to minimize fuel use over many segments of the trip.  The algorithm would adapt use of ICE / EV / and the HVB continually in real time to minimize fuel use based on real time inputs.  Would this be any better than the driver altering their driving style for current conditions?  It might be worse. :)  The driver may do better as the driver controls the throttle and thus the use of ICE / EV and the HVB.

[fbov]

... I live a relatively flat mile from a long steep decline.  As I leave home with a mostly charged battery (and climate control off) my C-max insists on running the engine and charging the battery to near the top.  Hence when I arrive at the long down slope, one full of potential energy, the battery is fully charged!  What a waste. 

First off, congrats on the purchase and welcome to the asylum. Lots of good stuff to be had here.

 

I'm going to back up to your arrival home. You drive up this long, steep hill, ICE running, battery charging, and can't bleed off the HVB in the 1 mile to your house. In the AM, you therefore start out with a high SOC on the HVB, but can't keep the ICE from coming on during that 1 mile drive to the hill.

 

One option is to lose charge on your way up, a la SnowStorm, so your EV+ kicks in and gets you home with lower SOC. It'll recover overnight, but still have more capacity than it does now.

 

Another is to drive more gently leaving home, so ICE doesn't come on. That's part foot learning, part set-up. Keeping ICE off requires shutting it down in a configuration that won't start ICE immediately. I leave the heater set to 60, AC off. That's about it; the dash-cam is always plugged in.

 

Lately, mine has been behaving differently. It runs on HVB with ICE on when I start up... odd to have the ICE going, but see a big blue bar, even though I park with low SOC. No problem EV'ing up the hill out of my house, albeit with the ICE on. Things return to normal in a minute or so. Perhaps it's part off a recent update (I'm current up to 15B04).

 

Have fun,

Frank

Edited June 8, 2015 by fbov

[SnowStorm]

.... and welcome to the asylum.

 

Lately, mine has been behaving differently. It runs on HVB with ICE on when I start up... odd to have the ICE going, but see a big blue bar ....

"welcome to the asylum" :lol: Hey, I'd rather be a "crazy" C-Maxer than a "sane" (a.k.a brain-dead!) ICE-ager! :lol2:

 

When I 1st saw the "EV ICE Warn-Up" happening I thought something was wrong!  SOC kept dropping to almost "zero" (didn't know about display versus actual back then) with a down arrow.  This was a long time ago - don't know that it was associated with any upgrade.  Now I think it is a fantastic feature - keep load off the ICE when it first starts (cold) in order to let everything get oiled up before the load hits.  I've always heard stuff about how most engine wear happens on cold starts and how you should drive real easy at first, etc.  Now our cars do it for us!  Should go a long way to extend engine life.  Thank you Ford!

[djc]

Perhaps it is very sensitive to temp?  Yesterday was the first time in a while that I left the house with temps over 70.  No ICE.  Whereas previous several first trips when it was cooler the ICE started immediately or soon.  I don't think there was any interesting difference in charge state.

 

I don't suppose Ford actually tells customers how it is supposed to work?  The only tiny bit of info on the control system that I have come across is the max mph on EV, which was apparently raised from 62 to 85 by a software update (?).  But I haven't seen any other details on how the system works.  And even with the 62 to 85 bump, I saw no info from Ford on why it was set to 62 to begin with, and what the trade-offs are with various set-points.  I am _guessing_ the trade-off in allowing a much higher EV mph is motor and maybe transmission life.  I for one would appreciate being given more information and more control over the trade-offs as they apply to my particular situation and goals.  

 

Does the Ford workshop manual contain information on how the control system works?  (For example, what triggers ICE operation and cut-off, what exactly eco-cruise does, etc.)   Is there somewhere else to look (assuming I can't get into the vast store of Ford technical documents that the Chinese doubtless have)?

[kostby]

Since that horrible nasty evil mean old EV+ feature seems designed and configured just to prevent you from truly enjoying your car, why not just turn it off???

 

It's the left driver information screen, Settings Menu level 2, Driver Assist, EV+ Mode, on/off

 

Page 187-8 of the 2013 C-MAX Owner's manual has a consumer-oriented description of EV+, and a few relevant Frequently Asked Questions about when or if the Internal Combustion Engine runs, and for how long, at vehicle start-up.

Edited June 9, 2015 by kostby

[djc]

Kostby,

Thanks for the manual pointer.  I read through it when I got the car; will revisit.

 

I just wanted EV+ to do something interesting.  Running on EV for the last 2 low speed level blocks as I return home isn't interesting.  Hence the disappointment.

I also like to know how the things I buy work.  Some companies provide a lot of useful information; others don't.

 

I did find a useful (to me) description of hybrid start-up operation at the Prius wiki:

 

http://prius.wikia.com/wiki/Hybrid_Synergy_Drive_%28HSD%29

 

Some of that likely applies to Ford's simlar drive system.  I'll pay more attention to the noises and stages of C-max startup and try to understand it better.  Of course, Ford could just make the info available.  Maybe they do, for their techs.

[raadsel]

Kostby,

Thanks for the manual pointer.  I read through it when I got the car; will revisit.

 

I just wanted EV+ to do something interesting.  Running on EV for the last 2 low speed level blocks as I return home isn't interesting.  Hence the disappointment.

I also like to know how the things I buy work.  Some companies provide a lot of useful information; others don't.

 

I did find a useful (to me) description of hybrid start-up operation at the Prius wiki:

 

http://prius.wikia.com/wiki/Hybrid_Synergy_Drive_%28HSD%29

 

Some of that likely applies to Ford's simlar drive system.  I'll pay more attention to the noises and stages of C-max startup and try to understand it better.  Of course, Ford could just make the info available.  Maybe they do, for their techs.

 

I get the impression that a lot of companies tend to be very protective of the details of their hybrid systems -- they are happy to give overviews and the basics, as they want to "wow" people with their technology, but don't want to share the details (particularly the software portions).

 

On top of that, I find Ford's Owner Manuals rather weak. While there is some good information, they seem to lack organization and miss some information. For one example of something missed, I wish they had a simple overview of the various lights and controls on the dash and console, showing a drawing of the dash and pointing out where each is located. It is a pain trying to figure out what some things are, such as the light showing the doors are locked.

[kostby]

Kostby,

Thanks for the manual pointer.  I read through it when I got the car; will revisit.

 

I just wanted EV+ to do something interesting.  Running on EV for the last 2 low speed level blocks as I return home isn't interesting.  Hence the disappointment.

I also like to know how the things I buy work.  Some companies provide a lot of useful information; others don't.

 

I did find a useful (to me) description of hybrid start-up operation at the Prius wiki:

 

http://prius.wikia.com/wiki/Hybrid_Synergy_Drive_%28HSD%29

 

Some of that likely applies to Ford's simlar drive system.  I'll pay more attention to the noises and stages of C-max startup and try to understand it better.  Of course, Ford could just make the info available.  Maybe they do, for their techs.

 

So, many, many messages later, and we're still stuck on "BUT EV+ STILL DOESN'T DO WHAT I WANT"?

 

Well since Ford has not YET asked you how fix it to MAKE it do what you want it to do, and since Ford won't tell you precisely what it is designed to do, or precisely what it actually does, or precisely when it does what it does, or precisely how it does what it does, or precisely why it does it what it does when it finally decides to do whatever it is that it does or doesn't do, or precisely anything else about it to satisfy your intense curiosity or do anything else you find interesting, why not just turn it off, and pick another critical C-MAX flaw to comment about...

 

The tires are not tired enough.

The tires are too tired.

The glass is not glassy enough.

The glass is too glassy.

The paint is not painty enough.

The paint is too painty.

The air vents are not airy enough.

The air vents are too airy.

The oil is not oily enough.

The oil is too oily.

There are not enough doors.

There are too many doors.

The wheel wells are not soft enough.

The wheel wells are too soft.

The steering wheel is not pretty enough.

The steering wheel is too pretty.

There is not enough chrome in the engine compartment.

There is too much chrome in the engine compartment.

The wheels do not have enough spokes.

The wheels have too many spokes.

The rear license plate screws are not shiny enough.

The rear license plate screws are too shiny.

The Ford logo is not oval enough.

The Ford logo is too oval.

[DaveofDurham]

So, many, many messages later, and we're still stuck on "BUT EV+ STILL DOESN'T DO WHAT I WANT"?

 

Well since Ford has not YET asked you how fix it to MAKE it do what you want it to do, and since Ford won't tell you precisely what it is designed to do, or precisely what it actually does, or precisely when it does what it does, or precisely how it does what it does, or precisely why it does it what it does when it finally decides to do whatever it is that it does or doesn't do, or precisely anything else about it to satisfy your intense curiosity or do anything else you find interesting, why not just turn it off, and pick another critical C-MAX flaw to comment about...

 

The tires are not tired enough.

The tires are too tired.

The glass is not glassy enough.

The glass is too glassy.

The paint is not painty enough.

The paint is too painty.

The air vents are not airy enough.

The air vents are too airy.

The oil is not oily enough.

The oil is too oily.

There are not enough doors.

There are too many doors.

The wheel wells are not soft enough.

The wheel wells are too soft.

The steering wheel is not pretty enough.

The steering wheel is too pretty.

There is not enough chrome in the engine compartment.

There is too much chrome in the engine compartment.

The wheels do not have enough spokes.

The wheels have too many spokes.

The rear license plate screws are not shiny enough.

The rear license plate screws are too shiny.

The Ford logo is not oval enough.

The Ford logo is too oval.

 

Kostby - I love the lyrics, but I can't figure out the tune.  Must be a problem with the sound system.

[plus 3 golfer]

Kostby,

Thanks for the manual pointer.  I read through it when I got the car; will revisit.

 

I just wanted EV+ to do something interesting.  Running on EV for the last 2 low speed level blocks as I return home isn't interesting.  Hence the disappointment.

I also like to know how the things I buy work.  Some companies provide a lot of useful information; others don't.

 

I did find a useful (to me) description of hybrid start-up operation at the Prius wiki:

 

http://prius.wikia.com/wiki/Hybrid_Synergy_Drive_%28HSD%29

 

Some of that likely applies to Ford's simlar drive system.  I'll pay more attention to the noises and stages of C-max startup and try to understand it better.  Of course, Ford could just make the info available.  Maybe they do, for their techs.

I posted a link in this post of the press releases from Ford before on EV+ but it appears the link is broke.  So,  I've pasted the press releases.below.  As you can see Ford only claim is EV+ gives consumers what they want: "more driving time in electric-only mode" and bragging rights - “No other automaker seamlessly integrates global positioning and propulsion system control as we have with EV+.”

 

Also, there's a lot of information on Ford's Hybrid system.  I don't see anything in the Prius link that is not already know about Ford's system (similar to Prius system).  Start with the OBDII Ford document in this link.

 

Ford Hybrid's EV+ Feature Learns and Automatically Adjusts Powertrain to Deliver More Electric-Only Driving

 

Patent-pending EV+ allows vehicles to learn frequent destinations and as a result, changes the way power is used in vehicles such as C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid and Fusion Hybrid

Leveraging GPS data from Ford SYNC®, Ford engineers developed a proprietary, predictive software algorithm that automatically adjusts powertrain controls based on location to deliver more electric-only driving

New Ford innovations have led to a 50-fold increase in hybrid patents to nearly 500, which have helped the automaker's lineup of electrified vehicles set benchmarks in areas such as fuel economy, performance and range

 

DEARBORN, Mich., Nov. 8, 2012 – Ford is taking the smarts and performance of its electrified vehicle lineup to a whole new level with EV+, a patent-pending feature that actually helps vehicles learn frequent destinations, and delivers to hybrid drivers what they love – more driving time in electric-only mode.

 

EV+ is part of SmartGauge® and is a standard feature on the Ford plug-in hybrids, C-MAX Energi and Fusion Energi, along with the hybrid versions of Fusion and C-MAX.

 

"We know from our research that hybrid drivers want to drive as often as they can in electric-only mode, especially near their home or frequently visited locations," said Kevin Layden, Ford director of Electrification Programs and Engineering. "EV+ not only delivers that capability, but also demonstrates how Ford puts customer needs and wants above everything else."

 

EV+ combines the built-in GPS of Ford SYNC® with proprietary software algorithms developed by Ford engineers to learn frequent destinations.

 

Once frequent destinations have been learned – such as your home parking location – EV+ adjusts how the electric power stored in the vehicle's high-voltage battery is used to power the vehicle. If EV+ determines the vehicle is nearing a frequent destination, it has the capability to remain in electric-only mode.

 

"We already have a GPS unit in every Ford with SYNC, so really it was just a matter of tapping into that the right way," said Layden. "This is one of the first examples of how we're looking to make the car smarter, by leveraging on board data to provide features and services that add value to the driving experience."

 

EV+ joins a growing list of roughly 500 hybrid-specific patents Ford has accumulated in the last 20 years. Patents include everything from the leaves on the cluster screen of SmartGauge and the hands-free liftgate of the C-MAX Hybrid and C-MAX Energi to an available EV-only mode button that allows customers to access electric power on-demand.

 

Enhancing performance

EV+ was developed by two Ford employees: Ken Frederick, HEV powertrain calibration engineer, and Matt Smith, product design engineer. They are the authors of the patent application that was recently published by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office.

 

When engaged, EV+ uses onboard GPS equipment and predictive software algorithms written by Frederick and Smith to learn the latitude and longitude of a vehicle and identify locations that are visited on a frequent basis, such as home and work. The feature can be disabled and the data erased at the push of a button.

 

When the feature identifies frequent destinations, the way electric power is used changes. Specifically, when within a radius of 1/8 mile, or 200 meters, of a frequent stop, the vehicle has increased capability to stay in electric-only mode, the internal combustion engine stays off, and an "EV+" light appears on the dashboard.

 

"One of Ford's biggest strengths is the quality of our controls and calibration. We do all of that work in-house and it shows when we deliver a feature like EV+," said Rob Iorio, Ford Electrified Propulsion Systems Manager. "No other automaker seamlessly integrates global positioning and propulsion system control as we have with EV+."

 

Big data, big challenge

Originally, the plan was to develop a way for vehicles to collect and digest vast amounts of information to predict and adjust to different driving demands.

 

"We wanted a vehicle to perform in a certain way when it hit a certain spot," said Smith.

 

The team quickly discovered that collecting and analyzing the vast amounts of data needed to make such predictions would require an immense hardware and software system – one that would demand too many resources, both in terms of initial development and inside each vehicle.

 

A breakthrough came, say Smith and Frederick, when they developed a way to reach their goal without the need to collect and store droves of information. Instead, their answer was to engineer a way to analyze incoming GPS information and control distribution of a vehicle's power based on those data.

 

"We realized that harnessing data already available was the way we could achieve our goal of improving the entire hybrid vehicle driving experience," said Frederick. "Once we had access to the data, we applied machine learning principles to predict frequently visited locations that would determine what powertrain controls should be applied to achieve our goal."

 

...

 

[SnowStorm]

Here's the EV+ patent.  Read away to your heart's content!  No more questions need be asked!

[djc]

Snowstorm,

Thanks for the link to the patent!  It is interesting, and funny to see the usual vague and general claims (since patent holders always want the broadest possible application, even though they are using the technology in a very specific application).  Thus the constant use of "may" - the vehicle may have an engine, may have a motor, etc. etc. 

 

Here's a relevant passage:  "... light pedal applies may cause the engine 12 to start because, in the EV mode, future vehicle operating conditions may be unknown. Moreover, the vehicle 10 may not know the time or distance to a final destination. Thus, the engine 12 may start due to relatively light pressure applied to the accelerator pedal 60, with relatively little time or distance remaining until the final destination is reached (e.g., ignition is shut off). For example, a relatively light pedal application may cause the engine 12 to start despite the vehicle 10 being in a parking lot or driveway of the final destination, or otherwise within a relatively short distance from the final destination. A driver may perceive starting the engine 12 in a parking lot as a poor or inefficient use of fuel."

 

So Ford's goal, according to the patent app, is to avoid driver perception that the vehicle is inefficient because (their examples) it cranks up the engine in a parking lot or in your driveway.

 

But the key larger idea, in the first quoted sentence, is that an EV system "may" (= will) operate suboptimally if the system does not know what power demands will be needed in future on the current route.  So you need a forward-looking system.  Ford's EV+ just remembers frequent "key-off" places, and so can avoid starting the engine just prior to a known stop  (within 200 meters, says a late 2012 Ford press release about Ken Frederick's design).   That's a tiny distance compared to what we drive, and really is just parking lot situations.   My C-max does fine in my driveway.   No complaints.

 

But much bigger savings are possible from anticipating hills.  A 3600lb weight rolling down a long hill = free energy.  For a 1000 ft hill the energy is about 1.4 kwh, which happens to be the full capacity of the C-max battery.   That will be wasted if the control system, in its ignorance, charges the drive battery fully on the way to the edge of the descent.  

[ptjones]

This is why driver input is important to maximize the efficiency of the system.  It does take time to train yourself to take advantage of the driving environment around you. In reality we only have minimal control of traffic and no control of terrain, but we can take advantage of it.   This is why some members get 40mpg and others 47mpg. :)

 

Paul

[fbov]

This is why driver input is important to maximize the efficiency of the system....

+1

 

I love EV+, it's true, partly due to the stuff in Plus3's excerpt, partly because it fits my situation.

 

Coming home, I crest a hill within the last half mile. My goal is to crest that hill with minimum SOC, just enough juice to make it close enough to home and sustained EV+.

 

Arriving at work, I have a long gentle downhill slope the last few miles. I try to minimize SOC as I get close, knowing EV+ will let me maneuver through campus to a parking spot.

 

In both cases, EV+ allows me to tack on EV miles at the end of regular trips that would be very hard to access otherwise due to the ICE threshold at low SOC. That it also gets the HVB in a very stable charge state for long term storage is icing on the cake.

 

But I'd still like to have that EV button, so I could "+" whenever I wanted to.

 

HAve fun,

Frank

[Smiling Jack]

....

....

........

 

But I'd still like to have that EV button, so I could "+" whenever I wanted to.

 

HAve fun,

Frank

 

FWIW:

 

Energi does have the EV button, but that does not mean you can go EV+ whenever you want to. 

 

Once the SOC is low enough for EV+ to do any good, EV mode will not come on when the EV button is pushed to select EV-now.  One still needs to wait for the EV+ rules to be satisfied before EV will be forced.

Edited June 10, 2015 by Smiling Jack

[plus 3 golfer]

FWIW:

 

Energi does have the EV button, but that does not mean you can go EV+ whenever you want to.

 

Once the SOC is low enough for EV+ to do any good, EV mode will not come on when the EV button is pushed to select it. One still needs to wait for the EV+ rules to be satisfied before EV will be forced.

Isn't that EV now? Edited June 10, 2015 by Plus 3 Golfer

[Smiling Jack]

Isn't that EV now?

 

Yeah, edited.

[plus 3 golfer]

Yeah, edited.

If there was a button like EV now in the Hybrid like in the Energi and the button would allow control of the 1.4 kWh HVB in the Hybrid, the Hybrid HVB could be subjected to cycling in an expanded operating range that then would shorten the "life" of the HVB (my comment 2) in post 2).  

 

I'll bet that EV now low SOC is around the low end of the normal operating range of the 1.4 kWh HVB (say 38-40%)  Someone with an Energi and OBDII adapter and APP should be able to easily determine how EV now operates once operation is in the last 1.4 kWh of HVB capacity.

[SnowStorm]

Life would be so simple - with a pure BEV!