Does anyone know how to verify the capacity of the HV battery? I understand many variables change the HV battery capacity. What are the symtoms of a low capacity HV Battery? Is there Scan Guage info that helps determine HV battery integrity? Does Ford have a test to determine HV battery capacity?

 

They must, because it is used to determine if a warranty replacement is justified.

 

The "normal" range of the battery is 40% to 60% charge.

Yes, it is that narrow, unlike your cell phone that goes 10% to 100% every day. But your cell phone battery will not last 10+ years either.

The car will tell you when the HV battery's useful life is done.
This is a case of "no message is a good message".

The USEFUL capacity of the battery is a very modest 400 watt-hours.
It uses 400 w/h then puts 400 w/h back in. Now repeat 10,000 times.

The beauty of hybrids is, you don't need a huge battery. This is a gasoline car, not an electric car. The battery just makes it a more efficient car.

Does that help?
-John

 

Does that mean HV battery management keeps the HV battery's charge between 50/60% and 100%?

Is there information in the manual about the expired HV battery message?

I expect the 400Wh diminishes as the battery ages. Does this reduce feul economy or performance?

Would a higher capacity HV battery change/improve economy or performance?

10,000 HV battery cycles over ten years = 2.7 cycles per day.

 

No, it means it keeps it minimally charged at 40% and maximum charge at 60%, with all charge depletions within that capacity of the battery, bleeding off any charge above, and recharging at any rate below.

Though, I had read that the charge spectrum was slightly larger, 38-64% John, though I can certainly understand using even numbers for informing users.

It's been a while, but as I recall it would come up on the message center.

Not without the necessary associated programming changes. That's where companies like Hymotions conversion can come into play, or the pack that Ford didn't go with from JCI. (They developed a drool-worthy Li-Ion battery for the FEH that Ford didn't use for some reason.)

Average, yes.

I'm not sure if you're just concerned about the battery pack, or just seeking to learn more about it. If it's the former, let me assure you that the FEH has been somewhat paranoidly programmed to make sure you never have a problem with the battery. I'm talking 15-20 years down the line still having a perfectly good battery pack. If it's the latter, then I'm sure someone like John (GPSman) or Gary (GaryG [should he ever return]) can be great sources of information.

 

Rich, is that the case for the 2008?

I only have detailed experience with the 2005-2007's.
I'm quite certain the normal SOC range for the 2005-2007 is exactly 40% to 60%. It can always drop below 40% if it is not used for a long time, but I doubt even on the longest downgrades it is ever allowed to exceed 60%.

DavidH wrote:
" 10,000 HV battery cycles over ten years = 2.7 cycles per day."

Consider most people drive it less than 365 days in a year, and you get about 4 complete cycles per day. Or 8 "half cycles" such as 45% to 55% which is probably more realistic.

Plus the "10,000 cycles" was just a round number. Nothing is going to quit when you hit 10,001 or 11,000 for that matter, it will simply start to get less effective. You may only notice a 1 MPG hit at 15,000 cycles, and a 2 MPG hit at 20,000 cycles. No one knows for sure, since these cars are so new. And I'm sure most people will be happy to live with a 2 MPG hit since it was soooo good to begin with.
-John

 

Rich, I am trying to get a discussion going so I can learn more about the battery and battery needs.

If the charge is held in the narrow range of 40-60%, is that level determined by battery voltage vs. battery temperature chart?

Also, how does the car (mis)behave when the battery capacity is diminished by age or component failure?

Would a battery capacity test method or apperatus be useful?

 

Just an FYI, the taxi fleets that use the Ford Escapes are reporting that the battery lasts for about 150K and then has to be replaced and it is done for free by Ford. Presumably the replacement would last as long. Thats an ideal for many of us in states with a 10Y 150K battery warranty for the battery.

Heres the article

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...&sn=014&sc=460

 

I wonder how often braking or other energy is available to charge the batery, but the battery is already at full charge? I have noticed that the battery does not always charge when going down hill.

 

Voltage isn't a measure of how much power there is in a battery - amp-hours typically represent the capacity of a battery. I don't know how that is measured in the vehicle however.

Battery temperature is only measured to keep it within the optimal operating range so as not to damage/strain the battery. If the battery gets too hot, the engine will cycle on to run the A/C for the battery to make sure it is operating in the range where it is most efficient and "safest" in terms of protecting the battery.

Presumably, the capacity of the battery would be reduced, and like a laptop the charge would last shorter and shorter. In other words, on a "full" battery you might only be able to drive .7 miles in EV as opposed to .9 miles before the ICE cycles on to recharge. Also, your engine will cycle on more often in every day driving conditions since we rarely drive around with "full" batteries. As a result, your overall mileage will decrease ever so slightly. As the battery ages, this will gradually continue. If there is a failure in the battery I'm pretty sure the complicated electronics involved will throw some sort of code and give a nice dash warning.

Useful how? In determining how much longer yours will last? I guess you could theoretically test the battery every year to see how it is holding up. Clearly Ford has a way of testing it as that is a factor in determining if the battery needs replacing.