And I responded by saying I "think" that when you shift into reverse the ICE is stopped. If, when you depress the gas pedal to actually move backward, the ICE should respond, then the car would not move backward. So as a minimum the ICE throttle MUST remain at idle.

 

Ok, no, it will always run until the car is brought up to operating temperature.

 

Unless you shift into reverse. At least according to the many posts I found about the subject in some of the on line forums.

 

Well, that's one of the reasons I prefer to get my information from people that actually own one.

 

So, let's hear from someone who actually own one.....

 

We did...from Gary, however he owns a 2wd I assume because of where he lives and the mileage he gets, I'm just inquiring if it's a 4wd exclusive thing and since you don't have an Escape Hybrid of any kind, your input isn't what I'm looking for, generic hybrid advice feel free to chip in, but this is too specific for a non owner.

 

What I was able to find on the internet, restricted to the HSD F/awd system, was that the early models ALWAYS turned off the ICE in reverse gear. IMMHO a quite reasonable decision considering that the ICE rotation is ALWAYS in opposition(***) to backward movement of the vehicle.

What appears to have happened in enough cases to matter, owner outcry, was that if the HV battery SOC wasn't high enough then an "SUV" could not back up even a slight incline. So the firmware was revised such that if the SOC was too low to support reversing then the ICE was used to turn MG1 to suppliment the HV battery.

I don't pretend to understand why, but apparently even with this firmware change the level of torque that could be applied in reverse was still less than what could be made available with a full SOC.

The other discovery I came across, is that even today the HSD F/awd "SUV's" cannot serve towing duty since backing up on an incline with the addition of tow weight results in non-function of reverse.

So, the state of the state insofar as HSD F/awd ICE operation in reverse is dependent on SOC of the HV battery.

*** If the ICE is idling, say at 800RPM, with the "gear" selection "neutral", then the "net" input of the electrics must be such that the system output drive is ZERO. The electrics must provide counter-rotation exactly equal to the ICE input to the "gearbox".

 

"..too specific for a non owner.."

Not many owners can, or will, fully understand the HSD operation, and additionally the HSD F/awd system operation, absent having access to the factory technical documentation.

techinfo.toyota.com....fee based.

 

The engine will not shut off in reverse unless everything is warm.
Battery plus ICE plus generator = enough electrical current for ~95 horsepower in reverse.
More than plenty to push a 3500 lb. trailer up a 10% slope in reverse since you have a very low gear ratio. Done it dozens of times.

Ford programmed ~1 horsepower of torque to be applied to the wheels at all times other than park and neutral to simulate the feeling of a traditional automatic. This is referred to as "creep" in many posts. This is also a sub-concious reminder to the driver to always keep a foot on the brake when "stopped". With no torque to the wheels when stopped, there would be many "roll back" accidents by people with lazy feet. You know you are rarely on a completely level surface.

What you feel is 1 horsepower worth of torque ( I measured this as 2.1 amps @ 330v ) moving from forward direction to reverse.

Nothing is perfect. You have tiny slack somewhere... but I would also say, not in the CVT.

John
2005 FEH owner

 

The above statement is FALSE for all Ford/Mercury/Mazda models.

Only a severe (hard) press of the brake pedal removes all torque (that last 1 horsepower).
A mild press, with certainty, does not.

John
(owner with 7 years and 135,000 miles)