I started noticing yesterday that my 08 Escape was switching to EV mode even without the ECON button on. This happened with both my A/C on Auto and Normal. The manual says that "The engine may run continuously to provide A/C operation unless ECON mode is selected".

I take it that the "may" in the sentence may mean that even without the ECON button on the ICE may turn off. Yesterday was pretty mild here in Fort Worth and I am assuming that the cabin could have been at the thermostat setting.

Has anyone else noticed this, or is this normal?

If ECON is on, the vehicle operates normally and EV takes priority over the compressor. If ECON is off, normal EV operation is overridden. In that mode, if your FEH decides the compressor should spin it will force the ICE to run to spin it.

If your car does not think the compressor is necessary in the first place, such as in cooler weather, none of this matters. Compressor priority is discarded from the decision and EV will come and go normally regardless of the position of the ECON button.

Thanks for the reply. I kind of figured this was the case, this is just the first time I noticed it.

I am located NC and the warm days are just starting to get warmer. That said, I have already discovered that I do not like either option of A/C ECON on or off with my 2008 MMH.

I think the climate control would really work better if it were less aggressive about cooling. Since I can't reprogram Ford's climate control, I am instead considering adding a thermostat inline with the "ECON" switch to control turning off ECON mode if the cabin temperature exceeds a certain limit. This would allow it to operate in ECON mode and thus EV mode more often, but not sacrifice a significant amount of passenger comfort. The Ford climate control seems to try to maintain the cabin at a very narrow temperature range, this thermostat would effectively extend that range so the cabin temp could range between (for example), a low of 74 and a high of 82 degrees.

Has anyone else considered this modification? I have read Mark's thread about modifying the AC circuit on a pre-2008 FEH, but his goals were different.