Powerboost not designed for use below -40C?!

[Burlworld]

Are Hybrids common in the arctic?
I really don't know. I live in the tropics.

Most of the inhabited Yukon is a fair ways south of the Arctic, but yeah they're becoming more and more common here like anywhere else.

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[alkoser]

...not informing potential customers of it is grossly negligent.

Agreed. Just pointing out that they're not gonna give reasons not to buy their truck--see:
1. Brand new trucks with rust-covered undercarriages
2. Defective rear axles/bolts 2021-2022
3. Rough-shifting/defective 10R80 trannies

I bought my 2022 brand new and now that it's totaled and gone, I'm probably not gonna get a new truck until I feel they earned my business back. So far--nope.

 

[OneFiddy]

Mine worked in -37C this winter but the issues i had weren’t battery related but sensors on front and back of the truck that reset themselves the next day.

At that temp I got around 14L/100km if I remember right.

 

[HammaMan]

Agreed. Just pointing out that they're not gonna give reasons not to buy their truck--see:
1. Brand new trucks with rust-covered undercarriages
2. Defective rear axles/bolts 2021-2022
3. Rough-shifting/defective 10R80 trannies

I bought my 2022 brand new and now that it's totaled and gone, I'm probably not gonna get a new truck until I feel they earned my business back. So far--nope.

Yeah, I was looking at getting a dark horse 24 mustang. Ford has a lot of work to do before I'd buy another -- I currently own 3.

 

[Porpoise Hork]

I wouldn't doubt that there is more than just that simple coolant temp sensor in that line. So you are probably right.

I can tell you that there a big cache of Hybrid Battery Pids available for you to monitor though.
At least you might be able to get a fair warning that the trigger-temp is being approached.

I'll look regarding temperature pids specifically and see if there isn't a direct pid for that "thermistor"

I don't currently monitor any of the temps, but do monitor the various current, loads, charging rates of the Hybrid side of the truck.

I really need to get a better OBD adapter for my phone.. Mine will not show many of the PID's yours does.

 

[imnuts]

Your cell phone isn't rated to be used under 32°F/0°C most likely. Go complain to Google/Apple/Samsung about that too.

You say Ford has a poor design, but list add-ons to warm certain things that I don't recall seeing in any literature before. As someone else mentioned, why can't you just add a small heater or some insulation to the battery to keep it above freezing?

 

[Jimi]

People weren't made for -40C. Why in the hell would you have your truck in a place that isn't made for people???

?

 

[Big Cam]

Heater garage maybe? If you live where it gets that cold.

 

[RuggedGoods]

Parking in a garage would make this mostly a non-issue. Quite rare that it is still only -40C/F by mid-afternoon..... no matter where you live. And if it is -40 in the middle of the day.... just stay home, for real.

I got frost bite on my toes trying to snowboard at Searchmont in Canada when it was -40F overnight... but it was still a balmy -5F during the day. I was wearing tube socks in a set of rental snowboard boots, just a dumb 20yr old without a concern in the world.

 

[HammaMan]

Interesting to see the temp floor for the PB's batt. That's actually pretty decent considering how EVs batts get murdered below 0c while getting progressively worse the colder they get. Granted they can hold heat longer, but also take an equal amount of time to heat up. It's mitigated by leaving it plugged into a charger and it will keep the batt at a good temp.

Also interesting that ford doesn't offer a plug-in option that'd keep some heat in the block and the batt. I'm personally not rated below -15c myself, so the truck won't find itself in such a situation.

 

[Gros Ventre]

The first Escape Hybrids (NiMH Batteries) had a block heater setup that also warmed the traction Battery (the block heater power supply had a 120VAC to 28VAC transformer circuit). In that car the Traction Battery started the engine. I found out that later on Ford dropped the connection to the traction battery heater although they didn't change the design of the traction battery itself (ie it still had the heater circuitry and you could plug it in if desired). I infer from that, that Ford decided it wasn't necessary. I observed that out here in Western Wyoming, where we do see -40ºF or below, the Escape Hybrid started just fine all winter long...

 

[Pelican]

Hey all,

First post here. This was a great resource for researching the purchase of my 21 XLT Powerboost. Now I'm looking for some advice.

First, some context: I live in the Yukon, Canada. It gets extremely cold here, obviously. I was hesitant about getting a Powerboost (1st year model, etc) while living in an extreme climate, and diligently researched this vehicle before purchasing it. I was expecting a marked drop in fuel efficiency during the winter months (check), but figured I could live with that given the other benefits. Nowhere in all my reading, nor at any time during the purchase process with the dealer (dealer was in southern British Columbia - they were fully aware of where I live and the climate here. Claimed to have sold many vehicles to customers from northern territories) was any mention made of any usage limitations based on outdoor temperatures. I've now owned the truck for nearly 2 full winters, and have recently discovered (after a few no-start episodes) through a technical support request put in to Ford Canada through my nearest dealer in Whitehorse, YT, that the the HV hybrid battery is not designed to operate in temperatures below -40C. As in, the truck is locked out and doesn't even attempt to turn over on startup. A quote from the Hybrid/EV tech support in response to the tech support request from the dealer:

"Since we did find the DTC P0AFD (Hybrid/EV battery pack temperature too low) setting when the temperature is below the -40 degree mark, this is suspected of causing the vehicle to be in a no start condition. Within the normal operation and fault conditions of the DTC it does state that the high voltage battery is not designed to operate in temperatures below -40C and that fault sets when the thermistor internal to the HV battery detects it being below -40."

Further context - I have lived in the Yukon for 20+ years and am well aware of how to care for and prep a vehicle for extreme cold starts. This truck has coolant rated to -50C, a battery blanket, block heater, and oil pan heater. All confirmed to be functioning properly.

The Whitehorse dealer suggested I start with contacting the Customer Care line, who can be "quite helpful". Just got off the phone with them, they are apparently just a complaints department with no ability to escalate this or provide anything resembling a solution.

At this point, I am just completely baffled as to how these vehicles are even being sold in Canada (or Alaska for that matter). I realize -40 is an extreme temperature, but this is a temperature reached commonly across the country every winter...are we just supposed to not drive when it gets cold? Can they possibly actually be designed to just not operate below a certain threshold?! How can I be the only one?! This is a work vehicle, and due to the nature of my work, the colder it gets, the busier I get, and the more I need a reliable truck...therefore, it's essentially a $68 000 CAD brick of useless regret sitting in my driveway. Basically I need a fix or I need to sell the truck (to whom though?).

Anyways, I will be contacting the dealer where I made the purchase, and expect a loooong fight, but figured I'd deviate here for a minute in case any of you fellow Ford enthusiasts have any suggestions. Many thanks for reading...

Have u looked into the possibility of reprogramming this threshold temperature using forescan? Just a thought.

 

[Burlworld]

Have u looked into the possibility of reprogramming this threshold temperature using forescan? Just a thought.

I'm not too familiar with the ins and outs of forscan. Have only used it for diagnosing DTCs this far. But happy to hear about the feasibility of such an idea from anyone more knowledgeable...

 

[wayfarer556]

What if you put a buddy heater under the truck that tricked the sensors into thinking it was -39 or above? If this is a value that a sensor is detecting, surely it wouldn't be too hard to simply try to trick it.

Also, these values are pretty hard set. I can't recall if there's a Forscan way to change this sort of thing. Temperature range for the hybrid battery pack are almost 100% set to ensure that they last through the US federally mandated battery warranty range of 8 years/100,000 miles.

 

[MichF150]

I would need a heated garage with that kind of temperature.

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