As the owner of a Ford C-Max Energi PHEV, I think I have the answer to why the engine turned on at the start. After a full charge there is nowhere to put the regen energy and Ford runs the engine in that instance. If you brake gradually in the first half mile or so, or use "D" instead of "L", the engine won't come on. After the first minute you can drive normally in EV Now mode.
My Ford Fusion Hybrid does the same. When the battery is full the engine turns on. Then as battery is able to a charge again full ev for 2 or 3 miles 😆
@@stellarblur Not the heater. The C-Max has a resistive heater. Like the C-Max a lot, my 20 year old son drives it and I now drive a full EV, a 2018 Kia soul.
@@bostonlouise I got a Nissan leaf in 2017 but just ordered a new ford escape phev, my wife has the RAV prime, so will see... my Prius i traded in on the leaf would turn on for the heater.... I am wondering how the heater on the ford works
@@stellarblur Ford phev's have a PTC resistive heater which does not need the engine to run, it runs on electricity. The OP issue occurs only when the battery is fully charged and you use regenerative braking. I know the Hyundai and Kia phev's use engine coolant for heat, same as gas cars.
As an owner of a C-Max Energi I can try to explain why the engine kicks on so much. One issue is driving in L. This will kick on the engine a lot more often when you're coming to a stop, especially when the battery is near full. And, since it hasn't been running yet, it will run until it is up to temperature, because otherwise you can run into oil issues over time. Now, you'd think that the heater would cause the engine to kick on, but it usually will not. It will typically heat using the battery, but if your temperature is set high enough, it will kick in the engine as well to provide additional heating ability.
The electric heating unit does drop the range down a bit. Charging the battery in normal weather (60 degrees) to 80% was giving me 35 to 38 miles. Now in the winter it's around 25 miles.
but except the Volt, Rav4 and escape uses power split drivetrain which can’t driving without ICE so they both isn’t good phevs just hev with big battery
The electric auxiliary heater for the Escape PHEV is rated 5.2kW. In this review the heater was running for ~50 minutes. Worst case scenario, it could have consumed 4.3kWh which is approximately 40% of the 11kWh usable charge of the Escape PHEV decreasing it to 60% of its ideal range. It would likely have great range if it were tested in the same manner as Daily Motor's test of the 2022 Hyundai Tucson PHEV without using HVAC heat and just relying on the heated seat and steering wheel.
Engine enables when using L mode when the car isnt up to temperature I found. Also if you have Descent assist activated it kicks in engine too...(I disabled this) The engine will stay on for a bit once its started from cold so it gets a change to heat up abit...
Unfortunate you didn’t know more about the car before reviewing. Engine will come on if battery at 100% and you put it in L mode. It uses engine braking since regen can’t work with full battery. Resistive heat takes an enormous amount of energy. If you have a small battery like in this car and no heat pump, you should preheat while still plugged in.
If it was cold outside and you’re running the heater/seat heater/steering wheel heater then you lose a ton. On my escape, when it’s in the 50s or higher outside then I get around 45 miles on just EV mode.
How the heck did he get only 36mpg I have the hybrid maverick and my average is 42mpg, and I have between 350-500 pounds of tools/material with me 50% of the time that I’m driving Empty, with me actually trying as hard as possible, I can get a 52mpg average If I dip below 39 mpg I get pissed Wdym 36 This man smoking sumtin
On cold morning if you want heat in the cabin the engine HAS TO kick on in order to give you cabin heat. Cabin heat is supplied by the engine water temp
Don't think so. Ford PHEV's have a resistive heater. It does eat some EV range though. The Kia and Hyundai PHEV's all require heat from the engine coolant like you said.
@jmc6000 - Sorry, but that's not correct. According to a Ford Canada tech rep, the 2021+ Escape PHEV is equipped with a supplementary high voltage Positive Thermal Coefficient (PTC) liquid heater that uses the circuit from the traction battery to heat the coolant when the gas engine is off (EV mode) and/or when the engine is running but not yet up to normal operating temperature. This design is not considered a resistive heater or a heat pump, and provides virtually instantaneous cabin heat.
I believe the engine turns on to heat up the car’s systems since the PHEV doesn’t have electrical equivalent heaters needed unlike full electric cars. I could be wrong, but I have only seen this message in PHEV’s in colder conditions
Just commenting to help people in the comments section. Turning Hill hold assist off should help with the engine turning on when the battery is full. I personally do not drive in L mode.
Note that it is not a electric Motor +cvt it is an ecvt why that maters is that other cvts are designed much different the variability on those is a band and pulley system . This system basically one gear with electric motor making up the ratio by spinning to make output faster .
The Engine starts because you are in L ... If you are in slow speeds the car activates the engine to break and have a bigger recupertion. If your engine is on temperatures the engin will automatically turn off everytime after you stop. The L brings not that much more range so mostly you can ignore it or activate it shortly if you want to slow down from faster speed. For example to reduce the speed after the highway... but then turn it off again if you are under 20/25mph And I firue out Eco is good for City but for out of the city and highways (everything over 50mh) normal mode brings you more miles in electric because the engine has not that much focus on the battery and activates more but with bigger support of the battery, so in the end you have a smaller amount of gas used then in eco mode...
True, the unwarranted engine start even with 100% battery in Florida weather is annoying and Ford needs to do something about that. However I consistently get 35-40 miles in all electric when City driving (less than 40 mph). Your driving habits have a lot to do with it as hard starts and stops waste energy and you will not take advantage of regenerated energy.
Engine comes on because of the "L" mode....this is what many report. Keeping rolling is better then regen braking, you should drive the car normally and brake gently the normal way and it's then probably more effiecient as many have shown... L mode is for extra braking and sometimes the engine is needed for that. Ecodriver from AUstria, who puts each vehicle through the same loop, gets better mileage out of the Kuga/Escape than the RAV4, look it up.....
The RAV 4 Prime is a much better car. All wheel drive, pure electric range of 42+ miles, and 38 MPG on gas in hybrid mode. We have a 2022 RAV 4 Prime SE, currently with summer weather over 50 miles on pure electric range and 45+ mpg just on gas in hybrid mode. The RAV 4 Prime also comes with a spare tire, not just a flat tire repair kit that is useless with a sidewall puncture 10 miles away in the sticks with no cell service you would be screwed.
That stupid performance mode seems to come on if the car battery is fully charged and Hill Assist is turned on. I've already complained to my dealer about it. Waiting to hear back from Ford.
I would never buy Ford. Just factory ordered a new Mazda CX 5 and trading in my crappy Ford Escape finally. I had the latest version Escape with way to many problems. Reported that they built them with doors hitting chipping paint in fall of 2012 and they did not care. The last year model years later was not fixed. Clearly Ford does not care about quality.
lol, you rounded MPG down by 0.24 for the Escape PHEV....but then GIFTED the Rav4 a FEW MPG because the car computer told you it might be higher.....bruh, Bias AF! awful reviews/comparison