Ford Escape Hybrid Battery Pack Questions
Does anyone know of a way to charge the hybrid battery with a battery charger?
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Comments
Remember, SoC is only one variable that controls when the ICE comes on. I don't know if charging to 80 or 90 percent will get you the benefits you think.....especially if you include the expense of replacing the HVBattery. Likewise, it would be nice to use the electric motor (only) at times over 40mph but there is motor life to be considered as well.
If you wait a few years, some fully engineered and tested plug-in conversion kits may be on the market to get the advantage of increased EV operation.
[The recharge button on the kick panel does not work the way you propose]
Some one is already making a conversion kit but they are not cost effective. I think their around $19,000 or some outrageous amount.
Also my heated seats get hot then cool off, then hot again and so on. Are they on a timer or are they not working properly and a circuit breaker is kicking?
There is no alternator in the FEH. The HVBattery is charged through a motor/generator (MG1) directly by the ICE or when you engage the brake pedal. "Drag" during operation can be felt in MG1 during regenerative braking and can be negated during coasting by shifting into "N" (nuetral).
The ICE operates during "first starting" for several reasons and most of them cannot be avoided to improve FE. The catalytic converter has to get up to temperature. The engine has to get up to temperature (can be accelerated by using a block heater to hasten the engine getting to temperature during/after cold overnights).
There are numerous driving techniques that have been developed by the "hypermiling" community and documented on these forums. Many cases of folks getting over 40 mpg in their FEH consistently. [Without increasing SoC beyond the 40-60% range]
Just a side note. "MG1" is a Toyota HSD term. The Ford system was independently developed; I wonder if Ford uses the same terminology...
www.fordtechservice.dealerconnection.com/vdirs/quickref/guide-escape.pdf
Otherwise, the short answer to your original question is "no", it is designed to keep you from messing with it for your own good.
Full Electric Vehicle or EV mode will only be noticeable on the FEH under certain conditions. The rest of the time the High Voltage HVBattery will drive the traction motor to assist the Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) in propelling the FEH. The ICE stays on for many reasons - not all of them related to propulsion. For instance, only the traction motor (and HVBattery) can propel the FEH in reverse. So when you first start the FEH and back out of a parking spot, you are operating as an electric vehicle even though the ICE is running.
Because of other design limitations the ICE will always run at speeds over 40mph
After several minutes of driving in nominal weather, the FEH should easily operate in EV mode at speeds below 25mph (i.e., parking lots, etc.) as long as the driver is gentle on the "gas" pedal. If this doesn't happen - something may be wrong.
Who can check what is the problem? It doesn't show any failure code on the computer.
Throttle position
HVBattery State of Charge
Brake pedal positon
Heater Controls Positon (and of the red positions)
Gear Shift Lever position
I would try driving in L for awhile to see if it makes a difference. Then it might be worth it to see if someone can see if there are any fault codes registered in the FEH computer.
I'm not sure you want to go to this much trouble, but you might buy a ScanGuage 2 and hook it up. It has setting for hybrid vehicles and you can program it to tell you things like the battery state of charge & etc. If the battery stops taking a charge that would be information to take to the dealer.
Also, I have heared of some people having issues with the battery door not opening correctly, although this is supposed to throw a computer code. If the battery is not receiving air or A/C, it may be too hot. The ScanGuage can tell you a lot of info, plus it can read computer codes if they occur.
I'm currently saving my pennies to buy one...
The next day they called and said it was the battery pack, that it was not recharging properly and they were ordering a replacement. It will be mid next week before it arrives and it get installed but at least this is a step in the right direction.
Luckily the battery pack is still under warranty because they said it was a $10,000 part.
I would really appreciate some feedback.
Before I read your post I was considering 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid for my wife’s next car but after I read your post, I think Volkswagen Jetta TDI is the way to go. :confuse:
I currently drive a 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid AWD with 42,000 miles on it and am having a Reverse Sensing System problem. I also had a Wrench Light issue because of a bad Aux Mode Door Actuator. I’m little disappointed with the quality of my Escape. :sick:
Please keep post what ‘s happening.
Thank you and good luck.
It says "Toyota sells replacement Prius batteries for about $2,300 and the company pays a $200 "bounty" for the goopy old dead ones." :surprise:
FYI.
How was your situation handled?
As I suspected the article points out that the life of the battery is largely dependent on how it is charged and the handling of their temperature. Most of us probably thought that the job of the computer was to handle the balance between the electric and gasoline power sources. While it does do that, more importantly with regard to the batteries, it handles the recharging of the batteries and control of temperature. That said, there should be a method to check to see if the CPU is doing a correct job. There may even be a monitoring program with history that could be viewed.
I will spend some time to see what the IEEE publications report about this since I am a lifetime member.
Check it out.
"according to FORD PR people - I am the first consumer to have a ford escape hybrid battery die on me- I have 120 thousand miles on my car. Its 4 years old. One day last week a triangle with an exclamation mark popped up and the message was- pull over safely- I turned off the car and when I turned it on again the message disappeared- this happened 4 more times for the next 50 miles till I got to my Ford dealer- 165 dollars and an hour later I was told the battery was going and it would cost $8,000.00 to replace."
I second both the last post and the one before it, regarding the recall for the HV battery harness and the necessity for temperature control.
I purchased a 2005 FEH with 37K this past December (becoming its 3rd owner) and it now has just over 40K. Within a month of buying it, I got the message "Stop Safely Now" on the display, and one morning it just plain wouldn't start. We replaced the regular battery (which is a special "low voltage" battery, available only from Ford dealers for over $100). That fixed the problem (but I sure I wish I'd known about the DC-to-DC downconverter that's covered by the 100K warranty - that may have been the problem, and will have it checked Monday to make sure it's working).
Anyway -- two days ago, while driving on (Thank God) a deserted 2-lane freeway with shoulders, 30 miles from my destination, the engine stalled with the aforementioned red triangle and exclamation mark. I coasted off to the shoulder, switched off the engine, sat for 10 seconds, turned the key, it started. 5 minutes later, same thing. Every five minutes, or even less, I was pulling off, turning off, turning on, continuing. SAME SYMPTOMS AS ALICE612.
I noticed that my HV battery charge was pretty low, however. So I decided to try just driving on the shoulder at a lower speed to charge the HV battery, but then the engine got too hot. So I let it cool, went back onto the freeway at normal speed. I made it to my destination after 6 or 8 pullovers, and called the local Ford dealership.
The Ford dealer immediately said, "Were you aware that THERE'S A RECALL for your FEH? STALLING ISSUES ALMOST ALWAYS INDICATE THAT THE RECALL WORK HASN'T BEEN DONE YET." They apparently notified the original owner (see link below), but he either didn't tell the 2nd owner, or 2nd owner failed to inform me.
I made arrangements to take it in the next day (i.e. yesterday), with the understanding that, if the recall work hadn't been done yet, it would take a half-day to do that (they need to pull out the HV battery to replace the harness). The diagnostics would cost about $150, and if my problem was JUST the harness, I wouldn't even have to pay that.
He called me a few hours after I took it in, with "good news and bad news". Good news, the recall work hadn't been done yet, but was done now. Bad news, that wasn't my only problem. I had 2 other issues: 1) the HV battery needs to be vented to keep the temperature down, and the pump wasn't working. 2) there's an "actuator" that senses the system's status and controls the various components, and it wasn't working, either.
So my problem was multi-faceted, maybe more complex than yours.
There's more info and good discussion here:
http://tinyurl.com/l9s3p4
Bottom line: FIND A FORD DEALER THAT KNOWS HYBRIDS, and can give you a knowledgeable analysis of your $165 diagnostic readout. And make sure you get that recall work done ASAP. Good luck!
Does anyone know the aftermarket extended warranties that cover high-voltage battery?
Thanks.
Does anyone know the aftermarket extended warranties that cover high-voltage battery? "
The traction battery carries a federal warranty of a minimum of 8yr/100K, and 10 yr/150K in CARB states. That is longer than the ESP runs under most circumstances. So there is no point in having it covered under ESP.
I've had this same problem, twice. 2005 4WD 56K miles. The first time it was the air conditioning compressor, the second the rear AC line. The compressor was covered under ESP, but the rear AC line was an uncovered $750 repair.
The AC is required to keep the battery cool when outside temps get above 65 or so. When it overheats it goes into a 'limp-home' mode until it cools again. That's what you're seeing, but maybe not for the same reason.
I'm trying to convince Ford that if a part is vital to keep the hybrid operating, it should be covered under the hybrid warranty. Ford won't sell a hybrid without AC, for this very reason.
Wish me luck, I wish you the same.
Other owners have reported on these issues at other forums.
just got back from FOMOCO about the same problem, the vehicle shut down without notice, a stop vehicle safely, message came on. got it to dealer the cooling pump for the ev computer had burnt out (not covered) I asked how can this be, It got to hot was the answer I checked around in the manual to find out about a cooling unit for the pack in the rear. On the outside drivers side rear disguised as part of the rear window is a vent, this give fresh air to the battery what the fail to tell you is that there is a filter about 6x4" that fills with all sorts of stuff, it is located inside on drivers side upper quarter panel there are 2 covers to remove (snaps in/out) and there is at least some of the problem. It is refered to as a cabin filter. The dealer didnt even check it
Something that is overlooked often is a "cabin air filter" that is not really a cabin filter, it is for the fresh air to the bat pac. On the rear drivers side is a vent disguised as part of the window - that gets air to the actuator and to the bat pac There is a filter accessible inside the rear drivers side panel below the outside vent its about 4x6" and must be kept CLEAN this can also lead to the fan failing and also, Im told, the computer pump failing. Most service people ignore it or do not know about it. When you remove the 2 covers it is supposed to slide out, be prepared -be very prepared for what you may find in there. After getting a new one at a local parts store (about11.00) replace it and close up the covers, remove the rug and see if any thing is in the bottom, there is a plastic cover that has to be removed (easy) check its not clogged and replace.I hope this may help many out there from a costly repair Purolator Part number C25571
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FORD’S STRONG HYBRID SALES BUCK INDUSTRY TREND
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Ford Motor Company’s year-to-date hybrid sales are 73 percent higher
than the same period in 2008, fueled by the introduction of hybrid
versions of the 2010 Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan
More than 60 percent of the sales of Fusion Hybrid are by non-Ford
owners – with more than 52 percent of those customers coming from
import brands
Numbers of Ford Escape Hybrid taxis growing on streets of San
Francisco and New York where vehicles in service have exceeded 300,000
miles since their introduction
Ford hybrids help “green” federal government fleets
DEARBORN, Mich., Oct. 14, 2009 – Ford Motor Company’s hybrid
vehicle sales have risen 73 percent this year in sharp contrast to a
14-percent decline in hybrid sales across the industry.
The fuel economy and durability of hybrid versions of Ford Fusion and
Escape, Mercury Milan and Mariner also are winning over large numbers
of conquest customers, many of whom are previous import owners.
Through September, Ford has sold 26,016 hybrid vehicles, up 73 percent
versus the same period in 2008, according to figures from Autodata Inc.
“Hybrid customers increasingly are considering Ford,” said David
Finnegan, Ford hybrid marketing manager. “More than 60 percent of
Fusion Hybrid sales have been from non-Ford owners, and more than half
of those are customers coming from import brands, mostly from Toyota
and Honda.”
Ford’s strong 2009 hybrid sales have been fueled by the introduction
of the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan hybrids, the most fuel-efficient
midsize sedans on the road. Both vehicles deliver a certified 41 mpg
rating in the city and 36 mpg on the highway, topping the Toyota Camry
hybrid by 8 mpg in the city and 2 mpg on the highway.
Durable and fuel efficient
While the introduction of the Fusion Hybrid has spurred sales from non-
Ford owners, Ford’s longest-running hybrid nameplate, the Escape
Hybrid, has proven particularly popular with Ford customers operating
taxi, lifeguard and government fleets due to the combination of fuel
efficiency and durability. The front-wheel-drive Escape Hybrid
delivers 34 mpg in city driving and 30 mpg on the highway, making the
most fuel-efficient SUV on the market.
In 2005, San Francisco became one of the first cities to adopt hybrids
into taxi service, with hybrids accounting for 14 percent of its
current fleet. Each of the original fleet of 15 Escape Hybrids
exceeded 300,000 miles per vehicle before being retired and replaced
with more Escape Hybrids. There are almost 200 Escape Hybrid taxis on
San Francisco’s streets today.
New York has more hybrid taxis in service than any other city in North
America with 13,237, of which more than 2,000 are Escape Hybrids. The
Big Apple recently has begun retiring its original fleet of Escape
Hybrids put into service in the 2005 model year after accumulating
300,000 and 350,000 miles per vehicle.
“We’re extremely pleased with the performance of the Escape Hybrid
in taxi service,” said Gerry Koss, Ford’s fleet marketing manager.
“Not only have they proven very reliable, they’ve also saved taxi
drivers money on gas and contributed to lower tailpipe and greenhouse
gas emissions in the cities that use them in taxi fleets.”
“Greening” the federal government fleet
Government fleets also are seeking cleaner, more fuel-efficient
vehicles and hybrids are filling that need. In 2009, federal agencies
have purchased more than 3,000 hybrids from Ford, more than any other
automotive brand. Included in the sales were 1,900 vehicles acquired
through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for the purpose of
improving the fuel economy of the federal fleet. The U.S. Army was
the single largest purchaser among the government fleets, acquiring
400 Fusion hybrids.
Saving lives and conserving fuel
In 2008, Ford began delivery of a fleet of 45 Escape Hybrids to the
Los Angeles County Lifeguards, a division of the Los Angeles County
Fire Department, for use on rescue patrol along 72 miles of Southern
California coastline. After the first 11 months of service,
lifeguards reported that Escape Hybrids had played a crucial part in
thousands of rescues and more than a million rescue preventions at
L.A. County beaches.
The Escape Hybrid fleet enabled L.A. lifeguards to reduce their entire
fleet’s fuel usage by 25 percent – more than 5,000 gallons of gas
– during the first six months of service. That fuel cost savings has
helped L.A. County to maintain its critical front line staffing
despite the economic downturn.
If you live in a CARB state, the battery has a 150K warranty. If you live in one of these states you are in luck.
Map of CARB states.
aboudskevin@yahoo.com
Thanks
The CARB states are in color on the map. Those states have a longer hybrid system warranty (10 years / 150K miles).