PowerBoost MPG - WTH??

[RossRR]

Dead of winter perhaps? Because if I could muster the self control to drive 55mph for 300 miles here in Florida I would be pushing 30mpg no question. This morning at 66mph with the cruise control on the truck used the HVB to maintain speed. It would charge to slow then discharge to speed up (alternate green then blue) over and over while RPM remained constant and the boost gauge never moved off zero.

You might be on to something if your HVB is primarily charging it drags your ICE down via the traction motor.

Not just winter, I have all fuel data since I took delivery of the truck in June of '22, 40,000 miles worth, and it is pretty consistent; with my cumulative average over the 40,000 miles being 18.6 mpg. I've consumed 2145.5 gallons of fuel over 40033 miles of which less than 2000 miles is towing miles. Factoring 10 mpg when towing (being generous) gives me 1945 gallons over 38000 miles for 19.5 mpg when not towing.

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[Samson16]

19.5mpg beats your 3.5EB and it’s smoother, quieter, more powerful, idles in comfort, and has 240V /30A in the back. I don’t understand the problem. I average 20mpg lifetime.

 

[SteveP150]

19.5mpg beats your 3.5EB and it’s smoother, quieter, more powerful, idles in comfort, and has 240V /30A in the back. I don’t understand the problem. I average 20mpg lifetime.

It does get very good mileage for a vehicle this big. And I like the generator for camping.

BUT...I'm also in the 19-20mpg lifetime ballpark. Without towing much and without a lift. And one of my primary reasons for purchasing was seeing that 24mpg number when I bought it back in '21. The difference between 19.5 and 24 is pretty significant. The power it has is nice, but I rarely use all of it. I'd rather have traded 10-20% of that for better fuel economy. So yes, I've been a little disappointed.

 

[Samson16]

It does get very good mileage for a vehicle this big. And I like the generator for camping.

BUT...I'm also in the 19-20mpg lifetime ballpark. Without towing much and without a lift. And one of my primary reasons for purchasing was seeing that 24mpg number when I bought it back in '21. The difference between 19.5 and 24 is pretty significant. The power it has is nice, but I rarely use all of it. I'd rather have traded 10-20% of that for better fuel economy. So yes, I've been a little disappointed.

Perhaps it's just me, but the vehicles I have owned fall short of the EPA MPG estimates due to my driving habits. My Outback gets 23 instead of 26 etc. My wife and I are both spirited drivers. 10mph over the limit is the norm.

So getting 20 instead of 23 or 24 (depending on the year lol) comes as no surprise to me especially with generator use and increased idle time.

 

[RossRR]

19.5mpg beats your 3.5EB and it’s smoother, quieter, more powerful, idles in comfort, and has 240V /30A in the back. I don’t understand the problem. I average 20mpg lifetime.

Not complaining, just stating the fact that it doesn't get the rated fuel mileage. I really can't say that I expected it to given the Max Tow, FX4, large towing mirrors, and other 502A niceties (although there are Platinum trim levels that do make the rated mileage). I've been driving it for almost 2 years and have been following the forums and YouTube videos about the Powerboost since it was introduced so I know that there are folks that get the rated fuel economy and others who don't; so when someone suggests that the poorer mileage is the result of driving habits I just want to say that is not necessarily the case. That said, I also appreciate not having to lug my generator in and out of the back end of the truck when I hook up the travel trailer for a camping outing.

 

[Samson16]

Not complaining, just stating the fact that it doesn't get the rated fuel mileage. I really can't say that I expected it to given the Max Tow, FX4, large towing mirrors, and other 502A niceties (although there are Platinum trim levels that do make the rated mileage). I've been driving it for almost 2 years and have been following the forums and YouTube videos about the Powerboost since it was introduced so I know that there are folks that get the rated fuel economy and others who don't; so when someone suggests that the poorer mileage is the result of driving habits I just want to say that is not necessarily the case. That said, I also appreciate not having to lug my generator in and out of the back end of the truck when I hook up the travel trailer for a camping outing.

You say that it doesn’t get the rated fuel mileage. I’m saying it can and does, but our individual daily habits play a huge role in the overall average. Here’s my morning commute still driving slightly over the speed limit and my current overall average.

 

[Samson16]

Somebody please take the stick away. I keep beating this horse...

 

[RossRR]

You say that it doesn’t get the rated fuel mileage. I’m saying it can and does, but our individual daily habits play a huge role in the overall average. Here’s my morning commute still driving slightly over the speed limit and my current overall average.

I have no doubt that yours and many others can and do make the numbers and I also have no doubts that mine and many others can't and won't make the numbers during normal commutes and it is the result of normal distribution of mechanical and electrical performance characteristic of the vehicles, not the driving habits of the individual owners.. In 2 years of driving, and I am not an aggressive driver, my truck met Ford's numbers a total of one time and it was a 600 mile round trip in one day when I left home at 6 AM and drove northwest and had a trailing SE wind the whole distance. I reached my destination, conducted my business for about an hour and a half and during that time a weather front went through so as I headed home I again had a trailing wind out of the NW. I managed just under 24 mpg that one trip. My speeds during the drive were 55, 60 and 65 mph managed by the cruise control, except when I had to slow to 30 going through rural communities.

Of course I'm never going to be able to drive your truck and you are never going to be able to drive my truck, so it will never be proven one way or the other and you seem unwilling or unable to maintain an open mind that there might be statistical variations between vehicles, therefore to carry on the conversation is certainly pointless and I also see no value in beating dead horses..

 

[Samson16]

I have no doubt that yours and many others can and do make the numbers and I also have no doubts that mine and many others can't and won't make the numbers during normal commutes and it is the result of normal distribution of mechanical and electrical performance characteristic of the vehicles, not the driving habits of the individual owners.. In 2 years of driving, and I am not an aggressive driver, my truck met Ford's numbers a total of one time and it was a 600 mile round trip in one day when I left home at 6 AM and drove northwest and had a trailing SE wind the whole distance. I reached my destination, conducted my business for about an hour and a half and during that time a weather front went through so as I headed home I again had a trailing wind out of the NW. I managed just under 24 mpg that one trip. My speeds during the drive were 55, 60 and 65 mph managed by the cruise control, except when I had to slow to 30 going through rural communities.

Of course I'm never going to be able to drive your truck and you are never going to be able to drive my truck, so it will never be proven one way or the other and you seem unwilling or unable to maintain an open mind that there might be statistical variations between vehicles, therefore to carry on the conversation is certainly pointless and I also see no value in beating dead horses..

I was referring to myself being unwilling to let it go not you for describing it. What does your fuel economy screen show?

 

[m_bt54]

Love the warm weather efficiency of the Powerboost. I get about 22 mpg all winter on this almost daily ride to my son’s practices but the last few weeks I’ve been closer to the 27-30 mpg range.

My truck has a lot of extra weight ( bed cover, heavier tires, lots of junk stored under the back seat) but I always get the efficiency I expected when I purchased it.

 

[Kshort62]

I frequently see mid to upper 20s (27 ish?) on day to day running around., including speeds of 72. Usually lower to mid 20s (23-25) but except for when temps were 20F and below, not usually below that. Mileage did take a hit in winter, frequently seeing just 18+.

I played around with Eco mode and honestly, didn't see any difference. Certainly not worth having to tell the truck at each startup, that yes, I did want to stay in eco mode.

While I drive, I guess you could say generally conservatively, I do put my foot in it on occasion. I mean, whats the point of having 400+ HP, if you don't use it once in a while.

Never seen anything remotely close to that …

 

[Kshort62]

Love the warm weather efficiency of the Powerboost. I get about 22 mpg all winter on this almost daily ride to my son’s practices but the last few weeks I’ve been closer to the 27-30 mpg range.

My truck has a lot of extra weight ( bed cover, heavier tires, lots of junk stored under the back seat) but I always get the efficiency I expected when I purchased it.

I used to be able to get that many miles on electric but now it’s a huge effort to get it to switch over …

 

[scott011422]

Fuel mileage is a state of conditions. With the conditions for the EPA test, Truck is rated for 24. Ever take the truck somewhere and get a trip MPG of 25? Guess what? Do nothing but that trip and you now have 25 MPG lifetime. Drive a block down to the Taco Bell and back and that trip is 9MPG? Get a job there. Now your MPG is 10MPG. The rated MPG goes not mean it gets 24 wherever it goes. Takes 45 min to go see me sister. On that trip I'm always in the 22-25MPG range. But on my daily im only driving 10 miles from one town to the other. Then once i'm in either town all my stops are within a few min of my destination. I get usually 22-24 on my way, but then all the short trips once I get to work or home kill the average. Hell, I sit in my truck to eat lunch and I'll watch the Average MPG for the tankfull drop .1 every time the truck starts to recharge the HVB. If I only drove to work, no idling, no eating, Start the truck, drive to work, shut it off, same going home, I'd have a MPG of 23ish? But I only average 18-19 because of the other factors.

Its all about the conditions.

 

[Samson16]

Absolutely. The EPA is useful when comparing models. For my driving habits/conditions I post overall averages about 3mpg less than EPA regardless of vehicle, but I still get better mileage with the Outback than the truck.

 

[Aron]

I can often get 25-26mpg on longer trips (which I'm defining as 100+ miles), even on the interstates with speeds above 65mph. On secondary 55mph speed limit roads, that can push to 26-28mpg. However, over the past ~6 months or so, my average mileage seems to have gotten worse. In the past 6 months, I've been averaging 21 or 22 mpg for the entire tank of gas, where it used to be higher. The last tank of gas has started to reverse this trend, though, so maybe it's primarily related to winter fuel mixes?

I agree with others that it's primarily a function of specific driving usage, which is not only about how you drove during the last trip, but also the last number of trips, since it seems to adjust how the vehicle responds to typical driving habits, fuel type, and maybe other factors (average temperature?).

I guess at the end of the day, my recommendation is to keep driving it and see if the numbers improve on their own. Maybe fill up a few times with premium gas? I know that I use 93 octane when I'm towing, and when I have 93 gas left in the tank after towing, it does seem to improve the fuel efficiency a noticeable amount. It's possible that for me it's using a few of those 93 octane tanks to average into the calculations (I'm trusting the onboard computer; I'm not going to bother with hand-calculating this). According to the computer, I have a lifetime fuel efficiency at about 18 mpg, which includes about 25% of my total driving while towing a 6500lb, 11' tall trailer (8-12mpg).

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