No electric mode once engine is warmed (Powerboost)

[PPEng15]

Since my last post, I have not noticed any issues with the electric mode.
I have also received the 10.1.1 (battery) update during this time.
Thinking I might be in the clear, the truck failed to go into electric today.
It was an interesting situation. I was in one city, everything working fine. Drove an hour to another city, everything still working fine. Then, while trying to get through a stop light, the truck went electric, gas, electric in short order. No more electric only driving afterwards.
As long as it stays intermittent, I will wait until my next service and have the dealer look at the generator motor (or whatever it is called).

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[UGADawg96]

I can get 6-7 miles of electric only near my house

We need to see a video of this behavior. In 3+ years, I've never seen more than 1/8 mile in electric only from a start or 1/3 mile once warmed up and coasting in the 35-45mph range.

 

[rado]

We need to see a video of this behavior. In 3+ years, I've never seen more than 1/8 mile in electric only from a start or 1/3 mile once warmed up and coasting in the 35-45mph range.

Like I stated in an earlier post, it will get 6-7 miles of electric only before the engine gets to temp (meaning the engine will kick on to recharge and then the back off when able). I can, however, get about 4 miles straight on electric only on a major section of my travel to work, as it is almost completely downhill (almost no electric on this section on the way back).

I have a appointment with the dealer on Monday to diagnose this issue (along with some wheel bearing grinding I've been having).

 

[Snakebitten]

I honestly don't see how a 1.5KW battery that operates in a very narrow range of SOC could possibly propel an F150 for even 1 mile. 42%-63.% operating SOC is equivalent to 20% of the capacity of the HVB.
20% of 1.5KWH = .3 KWH
In the Ford Lightning that would at best propel the truck just a bit more than 1/2 mile.
In my Mach-E, I could squeeze 9/10 of a mile.

I'm sure that I am misunderstanding what you are describing.

 

[Davexxxx]

Next time I take the trip, I'll be careful about measurements but there is a creek bottom I travel that is about 2 miles long, after a big down hill. Speed limit of 35, with just enough gentle hills to recharge, while staying in electric only.

If you're in really flat country, your not gonna get that but yes, electric only, can be measured in miles, depending on speed, terrain and the terrain's frequency.

 

[HammaMan]

I could see a helluva long down hill being in electric only. The conditions have to be just right though. I've had a 6 mile down hill stretch on cruise control before and it was only able to do 4 miles before the slope was such that I could gravity-accelerate beyond the cruise set point just from the hill itself, and the truck started up and downshifted for engine braking (slope varied, gradually increasing). HV SOC was 72.x% and in normal mode using cruise control (which will use the brakes/regen)

If conditions are just right it's certainly possible. I have no idea how many variables came into play, but the truck was braking which was using regen. Not sure if non PB trucks on extended down hills will also begin downshifting in cruise control or not. Never thought to start a discussion on the topic

?‍

As for how far can the PB go on E alone, dunno. I've accelerated from a stop to ~43mph covering 1/4 mile before. Have it on vid too somewhere.

 

[Davexxxx]

Next time I take the trip, I'll be careful about measurements but there is a creek bottom I travel that is about 2 miles long, after a big down hill. Speed limit of 35, with just enough gentle hills to recharge, while staying in electric only.

If you're in really flat country, your not gonna get that but yes, electric only, can be measured in miles, depending on speed, terrain and the terrain's frequency.

Otherwise, I have no idea what is happening described in this thread..

Cold affects how long, how early etc. electric mode comes or stays on but in moderate temps, on mine, its all dependent on speed and terrain. It has never not cycled, during any part of a trip sub 45 mph, unless very cold and then, only in the first 10 mins?

 

[HammaMan]

When the batt is warm, it will open up that extra 10% or so of capacity above its 'cold' range.

 

[Xman]

Interesting to see the variation in PB operation. I have a 2024 Lariat PB with 12,000+ miles on the odometer. I once drove 3 hours at 80 mpg and the PB refused to go into electric mode when I got off the highway in city driving conditions. It finally did when I put it in reverse to back into a parking spot. Next morning it ran fine. I'm often confused as to why it will not go into EV mode when I expect it to.

Is there some way to know the hybrid battery state of charge in a 2024 PB? I feel like that would be useful information, e.g., state of charge being too low to enter EV mode. The only way I assume the hybrid battery is fully charged is when the EV Coach shows the hydraulic brakes being used on a normal stop where regen braking typically does it all.

 

[Snakebitten]

Interesting to see the variation in PB operation. I have a 2024 Lariat PB with 12,000+ miles on the odometer. I once drove 3 hours at 80 mpg and the PB refused to go into electric mode when I got off the highway in city driving conditions. It finally did when I put it in reverse to back into a parking spot. Next morning it ran fine. I'm often confused as to why it will not go into EV mode when I expect it to.

Is there some way to know the hybrid battery state of charge in a 2024 PB? I feel like that would be useful information, e.g., state of charge being too low to enter EV mode. The only way I assume the hybrid battery is fully charged is when the EV Coach shows the hydraulic brakes being used on a normal stop where regen braking typically does it all.

On my 2022 (Fully updated software), if you were traveling at 80mph in "Normal mode", it wouldn't matter how many hours you did so, your HVB SOC would be at the lower allowed SOC.

If you were in Sport mode, it would be at the higher allowed SOC.

 

[Xman]

if you were traveling at 80mph in "Normal mode", it wouldn't matter how many hours you did so, your HVB SOC would be at the lower allowed SOC.

If you were in Sport mode, it would be at the higher allowed SOC.

Thanks, Snakebitten. See, knowing what the HVB SOC would be helpful!

 

[Snakebitten]

Thanks, Snakebitten. See, knowing what the HVB SOC would be helpful!

I agree. I HAVE to know these things. Not knowing is pure torture. ?

 

[rado]

UPDATE:
Brought the truck to the dealer where they tried diagnosing the problem for 2 weeks. They said they could not reproduce the issue (which is difficult to believe as this issue had happened on every single drive), and to continue driving it and see if it goes away. Well, I was doing the first oil change early today and while backing out from under the truck, a little glint caught my attention. I rolled back under and saw this little wire just hanging from a wire harness. I took a closer look, and realized that this wire looks like it goes to the Starter Motors middle terminal (as there was no wire connected to it, it was the exact length needed, and was the right size terminal) and decided to bolt it on and see what happens. Turns out, it fixed the problem!

Somehow the other starter (generator) was doing all the engine starting. I find it very odd that there was no DTC being thrown when the truck realized the external starter was not working, but nonetheless, I'm glad I got this issue fixed. Not sure how this passed the build plants QC, but I'm guessing the somewhat redundant starters on the Powerboost were able to hide the faulty (or incorrectly wired) starter motor.

 

[HammaMan]

Wow, that could have been much worse. They left a loose hot wire with no fuse just flopping about?

Traction motor was doing all of the starting, rolling starts on the 24s are done by the flywheel which makes sense it wasn't operating in hybrid mode.

 

[rado]

Wow, that could have been much worse. They left a loose hot wire with no fuse just flopping about?

Traction motor was doing all of the starting, rolling starts on the 24s are done by the flywheel which makes sense it wasn't operating in hybrid mode.

Yea I'm going to contact the dealer just so they're tracking. I'm sure this is a one-off issue but that wire was hanging near a couple metal contact points.

This also explains my rough shifts from electric to hybrid mode when at lower speeds as the internal motor was having to do the start instead of the starter motor.

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