I thought once we passed 10K miles that battery was suppose to do some sort of re-conditioning routine ? I have around 10,100 miles and my battery is acting perfectly normal just like it did from day one. What exactly is it suppose to do ?

 

It will probably be invisible to most drivers.
Unless you are really paying attention closely, or unless you have an OBDII scan tool such as the ScanGuage, you will miss the process all together.

The battery just charges way up, then depleats back down, so the computer can do calibration calculations along the way.

The process may take 10 minutes to 30 minutes, based on driving conditions.
It's no big deal, and it is rumored to happen at about 10k intervals, since that is what just a few people have seen.

In all likelyhood, there is no set interval, and just like changing your oil and filters, the interval will vary with various driving conditions.

The car tries to behave as normal as possible during the process on purpose.
Ford doesn't want worried, or distracted drivers, even for 10 minutes.

-John

 

My 2006 Mariner Hybrid did this the other day. It is called a recalibration. The battery charged very aggressively for a few minutes, then it discharged for a few minutes. I noticed the recalibration because of the Charge Assist meter on the dash. I have the audiophile sound system, so I use my scangauge II and the Charge Assist meter to monitor my car. You can notice the recalibration if you pay attention to it, but if you are distracted, you won't notice much of anything.

I noticed it much more on my 2003 Civic Hybrid because the 1.3 engine really needed the extra torque that the electric motor supplies.

 

Thanks

 

Information from Clean MPG.
To better understand the automatic battery conditioning system in the FEH , here is something I put together with the help of the Ford patent on this issue. There have been many post regarding strange behavior while driving the FEH , and many times it's normal and caused by the battery conditioning system.

The TBCM (Traction Battery Control Module), controls charging and/or discharging of an Hev battery, in response to battery life and/or performance degrading events, or battery maintenance conditions. The TBCM monitors for four battery life and/or performance degrading events.

First, the TBCM determines if the battery needs to be charged to reverse deactivation. Deactivation is caused by prolonged duration of idle time at low state of charge (SOC). Deactivation results in reduced ability to accept charge.

Second, the TBCM determines if the battery needs to be refreshed to reverse memory effect. Memory effect is caused by repeated shallow discharging and recharging, or cycling, of the battery. Memory effect causes a loss of storage capacity.

Third, the TBCM determines if the battery needs rebalancing. The typical Hev battery, like the battery, is constructed from cells or modules that are coupled together to provide the desired voltage. A typical Hev battery may have as many as 240 modules. The modules of the battery will have different performance characteristics based on manufacturing differences, module age and module temperature, for example. If a module that has diminished charge capacity is overcharged, this can lead to module failure.

Fourth, the TBCM determines if the battery needs state of charge reset. A module can be so deeply discharged that the battery reverses. This reversal can adversely affects battery performance, and can cause long-term damage to the module and the circuitry coupled thereto.

While the TBCM monitors the battery for these four battery maintenance conditions, it is not so limited. The TBCM may monitor the battery for other battery life and/or performance degrading events other than those listed above.

Having determined that one of these four conditions exists, the TBCM communicates with the VSC via CAN to determine if the necessary remedial activity can be conducted immediately, or if the activity needs to be delayed to avoid interference with vehicle operations. For example, to refresh the battery to remove memory effect, it may be desirable to deeply discharge and then charge the affected module. It may also be the case that the vehicle is operating in a state or mode where the battery is already in a state of discharge, or the capacity is not available to charge the module. Alternatively, it may be the case that the TBCM, to determine the state of the battery, needs to perform a diagnostic discharge or charge of the module of the battery , which diagnostic discharge or charge may affect vehicle performance. Consequently, the TBCM preferably first determines if the diagnostic or remedial action would compromise the vehicle's performance by communicating with the VSC and determining a vehicle condition.

 

Since 10K miles, my best mpg went from about 33, to around 38mpg. So something changed at that time apparently.

I saw an increase at around 7K, then 10k. Hoping that if Indiana ever warms up, that I might get a mile or two more.

 

Our 08 FEH AWD has ~8500 miles, and I observed a noticable MPG increase around 7K miles. But then it started getting warmer about the same time, so not positive what the cause. Anyway, 10K is not that far away, so hoping for another boost in FE at that point.

 

Wow! my goodness, that is a smart battery...