Steve, the '05 - '08 2.3L and the '09 2.5L needs to operated differently for the best MPG. Your right, my '05 FEH sucks in MPG charging a low battery SoC but the technique I use with heavy regen in "L" gets me back to EV much quicker. The '08 FEH does not have the strong regen in "L" like prior models, but it might take 3 FS's in "L" to go EV when it takes 2 FS's in my '05 FEH. Understand I operate in my '05 in EV mode most of the time between 40.2% and 42% SoC where the 2.3L drinks gas charging the battery with the small generator. This is why I use "L" regen to quickly recharge the battery to 42% and go EV again. This overheats the battery real quick and is why I learned about shifting to "N" for the double brake tap to go EV in this condition.

I operate the '09 without "L" regen, but the 2.5L gets excellent MPG while charging the battery with a low SoC in Cruise Control. Here again, most of the time I operate in EV with a SoC between 40.2 and 42% SoC. The only difference is I can continue to recharge the battery above 42% in CC and have a longer EV segment later. It's just a slower charge as the battery gets a higher charge and not as efficient overall. Did you know Ford reprogrammed its EV strategy in the '09 FEH to operate between 40.0 and 42% SoC like I've been driving my '05 for years? If you set the CC between 25 and 40mph the '09 will operate and go automatic EV up to 40mph when the SoC gets to 42%. This is on flat roads without strong headwinds but in lower CC speed settings the '09 will go EV with slight inclines and headwinds.

GaryG

 

Recharge rates: depending on how Ford's algorithm is set up the recharge rates may well be higher at lower SOC. If they use a "Constant" voltage methodology then the recharge rate is exponential and each "per cent" will take progressively longer. That's how the math works.

If you read through the links I posted earlier you will see that manufacturers of batteries recommend a voltage difference methodology. This will shorten charge times.

Just depends on how Ford set up their software. You can infer their method by observing a recharge on a SG. From engine on to engine off record % charge versus time (to the second) and plot it. See what you get.

BTW
You can use this same method for discharge by setting up a loop that you can go back to and recording the same info on a discharge cycle.

These will tell you how the battery is performing and if its capacity is changing.

 

I wonder what kind of mileage Gary G could attain if the programming was changed to something a little more aggressive like a 30-40% delta...probably at the cost of battery life??
M

 

I too would like to see that kind of charge-discharge window...

I suspect that on the low end Ford used an absolute minimum number for the weakest possible battery cell (ie the lowest possible fill of chemistry, the longest inactive staytime on the dealers lot, etc), added a buffer, and then added a reserve for starting the engine after sitting overnight in wintertime, and then added a margin for the accuracy of the A to D measuring process. Something like this is where they picked 40%.

On the high end of of charging I think they picked a damaging value (pressure, temperature, no vent fan, etc.) of charging and subtracted a buffer, accuracy of measurement, hot day margin, most susceptible cell to overcharging.

After reading the info sites I posted on NiMH cells I can live with the 40% but the apparent 53% upper limit seems awfully low.

I doubt that Ford will change any of this in older cars. I think they are changing it in newer models as they see more experience and data come in. I am sure they see this as a safety issue and will be reluctant to change.

I think we can only hope they will backdate some software changes.

On the high end

 

Bill,
Maybe our 05-07's can be reflashed to 40-60 by a crafty Hybrid tech.? Or, if someone has an 05-07 out of warranty, a knowledgeable programmer could find a way to raise the upper limit...and get more EV distance...
M

 

I agree. Ford could send out a new software build and update those cars. Not difficult. Hope they are thinking long those lines.

I suspect that they will not lower the bottom 40% number since it is there to make sure the engine starts the first time, every time!

But I believe they can raise the upper limit of charge. I suspect that they have a conservative limit based on not overheating the batteries. As they gain experience with these in service they can, and I think they already have, open up the battery performance.

The only limit to opening up these limits is if they make changes to the battery design that enables these wider limits... they might be reluctant to go back & make changes for the older design battery.

I hop you're right.

 

I have been at the IMS in Boston this week so couldn't post. Awfully cold for June...

There are a couple of PIDs that the TBCM will respond to that give the software version and date and the calibration level. According to my excel spreadsheet these are PIDs E200 and E6F3 and you can code up an xgauge to look at these. When I get home I'll see what values my 2005 that has had the harness work done displays.

I have the TBCM software captured but have not had time to dis-assemble it. Once my FEH is out of warranty I hope to be able to play around with the parameters.

 

This might be an old topic or "off" topic but it can be repeated. Johnson Controls Saft--the company supplying the PHEV lithium ion batteries to the at least 22 "fleet" PHEV Escape Hybrids running loose in this country--did approach Ford Motor Company at or prior to the 2008 Detroit Auto Show about "upgrading" the existing hybrid battery pack. Our FEH Michigan journalist-Rich "Pravus Prime"-reported this and the "basic" details were $3000 for non-plug in upgraded batteries, software upgrade and removal of the "heating and cooling" stuff inside the battery pack. This link from greenhybrid: https://www.greenhybrid.com/discuss/...control-20391/
will rehash part of what I just posted. I understand it as a Johnson Controls Saft FEH --with their non-PHEV hybrid battery pack--was at the 2008 Hybrid fest and I remember reading a 42mpg figure at 65mph for this vehicle.


I was not at either the Detroit Auto Show or HybridFest in 2008. It might be possible I have incorrect information.

 

This should have been John's last post and if I see another it's my last post on GH!

GaryG

 

OK, back to the original question. The E217,E219,E21A PIDs from the battery computer are the software calibration numbers. The last calibration I had done on my 2005 FEH was in October 2007 for the harness work. The calibration level PID is E6F3 but I really don't know exactly what this means. Anyway, here are the results for my 2005:

E200: 09016900 --> Firmware Rev 0, January 9th, 2005 (as built for my FEH)
E217: 100B0687 --> calibration code 10B687
E219: 0200 --> suffix for calibration code (don't know how to decipher this yet)
E21A: 374D3634 -->ASCII code for 7M64 (8M64 is a later calibration that includes blend door)
E6F3: 0B00 -->calibration level 0B

so my calibration code# is 7M64-10B687-xx where the 02 is a coded form of alpha characters that I haven't figured out yet

For the first 4 PIDs, I used an xgauge called CAL coded as follows:

TXD: 074522E200
RXF: 024D146205E2
RXD: 3010
MTH: 000100010000
NAM: CAL

This makes it easy to just change the last 2 characters of the TXD for each PID. Then for the E6F3 PID change the last 3 characters of TXD to 6F3 and the last character of the RXF to 6. For the PIDs with more than 2 bytes, change the RXD to 4010 to get the additional data bytes.