new to PowerBoost - how to drive it.

[Tripdaddy95]

After reading about the PB, I bit the bullet and ordered the PowerBoost. Since I am new to the whole hybrid thing, is there a place to get good info on the best way to drive or work with the particulars of the PB.

I can't wait. I feel like a kid that been good all year waiting for Christmas. (build date 8/17/22)

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[wayfarer556]

There are two ways to drive this truck:

1. Like you're escaping the cops
2. Like you're escaping poverty

If 1, then:
-Turn knob to sports mode
-Advise passengers to lay back and strap in
-Apply your whole foot liberally to your gas pedal
-Smile
-Have a plan to not crash, pre-collision assist and blind spot monitoring is pretty helpful on these accounts


If 2, then:
-Set your dash to EV Coach and try as often as you can to keep it in the electric zone...this is the best way to teach you to be efficient...you won't really need it after you get the hang of it
-Learn to use momentum to maximize electric mode....accelerate briskly to 40 mph - 55 mph and then get the gas back by riding it out in electric mode (if you're off highway). 40 - 55 on flat ground is the sweet spot for electric mode.
-Coast and/or ride your break lightly and early as often as you can to help charge the battery for "free"
-Be mindful of mods and tires...heavier tires, level kits, lifts, anything that negatively disrupts airflow will have a huge impact on mpg
-Tonneau cover isn't just a practical mod, it also improves airflow, use that excuse for the potential wife unit to buy a super sweet tonneau cover
-Play around with Normal/Eco modes...there's different schools of thought on which is better, personally I get overall better mpg with Normal but I find Eco gets better mpg on the highway using cruise control

Congrats on your purchase, you'll notice there's way more traffic in the powerboost subforums than the other models of this truck, and that's because we're all huge geeks for this awesome drive train. You're going to love it.

 

[Tripdaddy95]

There are two ways to drive this truck:

1. Like you're escaping the cops
2. Like you're escaping poverty

If 1, then:
-Turn knob to sports mode
-Advise passengers to lay back and strap in
-Apply your whole foot liberally to your gas pedal
-Smile
-Have a plan to not crash, pre-collision assist and blind spot monitoring is pretty helpful on these accounts


If 2, then:
-Set your dash to EV Coach and try as often as you can to keep it in the electric zone...this is the best way to teach you to be efficient...you won't really need it after you get the hang of it
-Learn to use momentum to maximize electric mode....accelerate briskly to 40 mph - 55 mph and then get the gas back by riding it out in electric mode (if you're off highway). 40 - 55 on flat ground is the sweet spot for electric mode.
-Coast and/or ride your break lightly and early as often as you can to help charge the battery for "free"
-Be mindful of mods and tires...heavier tires, level kits, lifts, anything that negatively disrupts airflow will have a huge impact on mpg
-Tonneau cover isn't just a practical mod, it also improves airflow, use that excuse for the potential wife unit to buy a super sweet tonneau cover
-Play around with Normal/Eco modes...there's different schools of thought on which is better, personally I get overall better mpg with Normal but I find Eco gets better mpg on the highway using cruise control

Congrats on your purchase, you'll notice there's way more traffic in the powerboost subforums than the other models of this truck, and that's because we're all huge geeks for this awesome drive train. You're going to love it.

Thanks for the info. Not planning on any drive train mods. May add some appearance mods like vinyl appliques to enhance or breakup the color, maybe a Raptor grill (that grill is just bad ass), a tonneau cover, etc..

 

[PBXL]

The 570 lb ft of torque is no joke. I had to re-learn how to make a fast turn onto oncoming traffic. Too much gas and the rear tires just spin.

 

[klvanzu]

I'm up to 12,000 miles and in my experience, if you want best fuel economy just put it in normal or eco mode if you're in town, and don't drive like you stole it. On the highway, keep your speeds below 75 MPH. I'm averaging about 21 MPG w/ about an equal mix of city/highway driving and I'm lifted 1.5 inches, rolling on 33 inch all-terrains (not ideal for MPGs, though mine are SL-rated, not E-rated).

 

[SuperRaptor]

After putting a couple K miles on mine I'm thinking that normal is better for mileage.
I do like Eco when its on cruise control, it doesn't get as aggressive with acceleration.

The eco coach does a good job helping to keep it in E mode and gain some extra time with it (or how much you can brake while recapturing).

 

[Jus Cruisin]

I drive in "normal" all the time now. I have found that in town, I get up to the speed limit pretty quick then ease off and maintain speed. I let it go back and forth between electric and gas as it wants
I don't force it to run electric. The LOM shows 21 - 22 mpg ave all summer. Winter is another story. I don't think I get much better than a regular 3.5l Ecoboost.

 

[Jimi]

There are two ways to drive this truck:

1. Like you're escaping the cops
2. Like you're escaping poverty

If 1, then:
-Turn knob to sports mode
-Advise passengers to lay back and strap in
-Apply your whole foot liberally to your gas pedal
-Smile
-Have a plan to not crash, pre-collision assist and blind spot monitoring is pretty helpful on these accounts


If 2, then:
-Set your dash to EV Coach and try as often as you can to keep it in the electric zone...this is the best way to teach you to be efficient...you won't really need it after you get the hang of it
-Learn to use momentum to maximize electric mode....accelerate briskly to 40 mph - 55 mph and then get the gas back by riding it out in electric mode (if you're off highway). 40 - 55 on flat ground is the sweet spot for electric mode.
-Coast and/or ride your break lightly and early as often as you can to help charge the battery for "free"
-Be mindful of mods and tires...heavier tires, level kits, lifts, anything that negatively disrupts airflow will have a huge impact on mpg
-Tonneau cover isn't just a practical mod, it also improves airflow, use that excuse for the potential wife unit to buy a super sweet tonneau cover
-Play around with Normal/Eco modes...there's different schools of thought on which is better, personally I get overall better mpg with Normal but I find Eco gets better mpg on the highway using cruise control

Congrats on your purchase, you'll notice there's way more traffic in the powerboost subforums than the other models of this truck, and that's because we're all huge geeks for this awesome drive train. You're going to love it.

There are two ways to drive this truck:

1. Like you're escaping the cops
2. Like you're escaping poverty

If 1, then:
-Turn knob to sports mode
-Advise passengers to lay back and strap in
-Apply your whole foot liberally to your gas pedal
-Smile
-Have a plan to not crash, pre-collision assist and blind spot monitoring is pretty helpful on these accounts


If 2, then:
-Set your dash to EV Coach and try as often as you can to keep it in the electric zone...this is the best way to teach you to be efficient...you won't really need it after you get the hang of it
-Learn to use momentum to maximize electric mode....accelerate briskly to 40 mph - 55 mph and then get the gas back by riding it out in electric mode (if you're off highway). 40 - 55 on flat ground is the sweet spot for electric mode.
-Coast and/or ride your break lightly and early as often as you can to help charge the battery for "free"
-Be mindful of mods and tires...heavier tires, level kits, lifts, anything that negatively disrupts airflow will have a huge impact on mpg
-Tonneau cover isn't just a practical mod, it also improves airflow, use that excuse for the potential wife unit to buy a super sweet tonneau cover
-Play around with Normal/Eco modes...there's different schools of thought on which is better, personally I get overall better mpg with Normal but I find Eco gets better mpg on the highway using cruise control

Congrats on your purchase, you'll notice there's way more traffic in the powerboost subforums than the other models of this truck, and that's because we're all huge geeks for this awesome drive train. You're going to love it.

???? My wife and I crying with laughter at your answer.

 

[Jimi]

I'm up to 12,000 miles and in my experience, if you want best fuel economy just put it in normal or eco mode if you're in town, and don't drive like you stole it. On the highway, keep your speeds below 75 MPH. I'm averaging about 21 MPG w/ about an equal mix of city/highway driving and I'm lifted 1.5 inches, rolling on 33 inch all-terrains (not ideal for MPGs, though mine are SL-rated, not E-rated).
[/ does your setup with the lift and the 33-in tires affect your warranty at all

 

[FrankThompson]

For me, it's not to use electric too much unless you are driving really slow (i.e. 25mph in your neighborhood or a parking lot). For me the best results for trips > 2-3 miles are

1. Use the electric to help you accelerate up to speed in hybrid mode, not electric only.
2. Don't drive too fast. I find the optimal is 55-60, but others have good luck as long as they stay under 75mph
3. Coast as long as you can when coming to a stop, and take advantage of regenerative baking and engine braking (you'll see your MPG shoot up to the 40 line if your battery is charged and you're not on electric only)

Using the above what I've found is that the electric motor helps when the gas engine is least efficient (acceleration) (1).

When up to speed, once your battery is charged and you are at 55-60, I get around 28-30MPG (2). When charging the battery I never see above 25mpg. If you ask me, it's inefficient to swap between gas and battery when holding a constant speed. There will always be loses when charging the battery. I would rather have 28-30mpg using gas then get ~1mile of electric occasionally and cap my MPG on the ICE to 24-25mpg while it charges the battery. Gas engines are most efficient at a constant speed, so no need to depend on the battery here (IMO)

Learn to anticipate traffic light cycles and how long it will take to go from green to yellow, to red and back (3). At some point you'll learn at what distances you can start coasting and maximize your efficiency when a light turns yellow. Sometimes I'll even coast a bit knowing it will go green before I get there, but I'll know if I maintain speed I'll have to hit the brake. To me it's better to coast in that scenario. In start stop traffic this is important because you can recharge the battery to use on acceleration when the light turns green again

This is just my experience with my PB. I only have 1400 miles on it, but once I started doing the above (on longer trips... 2-3 miles or longer), I can get 28-30mpg on a trip with out having to depend on constantly be trying to force it into electric. I will say that if you are under about 45mpg, the 3.5L suuuuucks at MPGs. Most of my trips are 1-2 miles or less and are at 25-30mph and I average 16-18mpg even with using the electric mode for 33% of my miles. I'm good with that because efficiency was not my #1 concern. For me it's the generator

 

[klvanzu]

I’m sure it could if anything suspension-related failed Ford could try and deny a warranty claim.

 

[HammaMan]

You'll eventually figure out the truck's logic and how best to use it. The one tip to add to everyone elses is that you will eventually understand you'll know better than the truck if it should be running or not, ie: areas you frequent, going home for instance, you might want to make sure the battery is full for pulling into the driveway or backing in, thus making the ICE run instead of electric coasting will charge you up so you're not suddenly needing the ICE because you used up the batt before approaching your destination.

You'll probably be one of the many that 'fix' the speaker. It's obnoxious. I like to creep into and out of my destinations, and it takes battery to do it. Might not make sense now, but it will in 2k miles or so.

Oh, replace your tag lights with LEDs else you'll burn up the bulb retainers in short order.

Here was mine at only 2400 miles

 

[thudnblunder]

You'll eventually figure out the truck's logic and how best to use it. The one tip to add to everyone elses is that you will eventually understand you'll know better than the truck if it should be running or not, ie: areas you frequent, going home for instance, you might want to make sure the battery is full for pulling into the driveway or backing in, thus making the ICE run instead of electric coasting will charge you up so you're not suddenly needing the ICE because you used up the batt before approaching your destination.

You'll probably be one of the many that 'fix' the speaker. It's obnoxious. I like to creep into and out of my destinations, and it takes battery to do it. Might not make sense now, but it will in 2k miles or so.

Oh, replace your tag lights with LEDs else you'll burn up the bulb retainers in short order.

Here was mine at only 2400 miles

What are the part numbers for the tag led bulbs?

 

[Snakebitten]

AUXITO 194 LED Bulbs 168 175 2825 W5W T10 24-SMD 3014 Chipsets 6000K White for Car Dome Map Door Dash Instrument Courtesy License Plate Lights Pack of 2 https://a.co/d/2VbyZgh

 

[Jimi]

AUXITO 194 LED Bulbs 168 175 2825 W5W T10 24-SMD 3014 Chipsets 6000K White for Car Dome Map Door Dash Instrument Courtesy License Plate Lights Pack of 2 https://a.co/d/2VbyZgh

On Amazon, it says these will not fit 2023 f150. It says they'll fit 2022. Are they mistaken?

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