`10 FFH/MMH Specific Suggestions and/or Best Practices for Better FE

[xcel]

Hi David:

___No problem as my acronyms can get in a way sometime You are leading the pack when it comes to the FFH and I cannot wait to see your progress and achievements as the summer progresses

___Good Luck and thank you for purchasing what I consider to be the second most fuel efficient vehicle available in America.

___Good Luck

___Wayne

[WPWoodJr]

David and Wayne, why does the FFH glide better in neutral? When the ICE is off, is the FFH always doing regen?

[DavidRN85]

Originally Posted by WPWoodJr

David and Wayne, why does the FFH glide better in neutral? When the ICE is off, is the FFH always doing regen?

Easy answer is that when you glide in D it attempts to regen the battery. You lose ALOT of momentum when that happens(at least 25-30%), when you slip it into N you can literally feel the car start to roll better.

Regen is based upon alot of variables, so it is not always recharging. But as a general rule if you are in D, above 15-20 mph, on some kind of good road surface and your foot is off the gas it'll start to regen the battery.

Speaking of which I was preparing some thoughts of a good info packed update for tomorrow on some things I learned about the car this weekend.

I'll give a little hint, 57.1mpg over 87.4 miles. Highway driving.

[WPWoodJr]

So, if you feather the throttle can you keep it from going into regen mode? Or would that be less efficient than going into neutral because you are still providing power to the electric engine(s)?

[DavidRN85]

Well now you've run upon a catch-22 that I've encountered myself.....

You can feather the TPS to keep it from regen at the expense of burning battery...and it still feels like it glides better in N

But.....

Dropping it into neutral can drain the battery, but will stop draining at about 40%. But if you are in N going downhill(or uphill) it usually wont drain the battery. Oh its confusing

[WPWoodJr]

Yes that is confusing! I get mine this week so I can play with it. Do you have any idea why the battery would drain in neutral (aside from running AC etc)?

Also, is there any revs matching required when moving from neutral back to drive or do you just shove it into drive?

[DavidRN85]

I've never rev matched and anyways if you try and rev match in neutral it tends to just spin the electric motor(actually push the gas pedal to the floor and nothing will happen or it might even start to regen the battery!!). So no I don't think rev matches are required and usually when you glide in neutral the gas motor is off due to aggressive fuel shutoff

[xcel]

Hi Guys:

___You can glide the FFH in N or by applying a small amount of accelerator to remove assist and regen (the second being harder) but the problem lyes with the way the fields are still being generated even while in N from higher and higher speeds Ford did not drop the MG1/2’s fields out in N like the Toyota’s do. You can see a the pack pull via the Power mimic while in a Glide from 47 down to about 40 mph where it disappears from the mimic but it is still there. Theories about HSD during a Glide in N include a back EMF build which you can remove in N under 41. The FFH unfortunately was not constructed in such a manner and a glide no matter if in N or D with the pedal is drawing current

___Regarding all highway numbers, the FFH can do some damage on the highway as shown in the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid at the May 2009 MiHG - Second 1,000 mile tank in progress.

___Do not try and rev match as the engine is set to pick up to match automatically when it is required. You will feel two distinct shimmy’s as you approach 47 mph from the top or bottom when the ICE transitions.

___Do not try and run EV above ~ 37 mph as the losses are higher than running on the ICE. Do however Glide down from higher speeds and above 47, WS, transition to a glide and hold until you have reached the lower speed target due to traffic, lights and signs or coming to a stop at your destination.

___ The TCH can perform similarly and at higher speeds under its own brand of SHM but we will not know how close until later this year.

___Good Luck

___Wayne

[GaryG]

There are two operating states of neutral, ACTIVE which is above 6MPH and PASSIVE which is below 6mph. Below 6mph there is no charging by regen or the generator when in neutral and the engine will remain running or in EV which ever the state it was in when shifted to neutral. Above 6mph the generator can charge the battery but regen is not available. This is what makes neutral coasting 36% further than "D" coasting. Trying to glide with gas pedal pressure in "D" does not eliminate some regen so shifting to "N" is far better. You cannot REV match from "N" to "D" and there is no need to with the Ford eCVT. Engine speed and wheel speed are not directly connected. You can only get DFSO in "D" or "L" but never in "N" because no power or torque will go into or out of the traction motor which is free wheeling with the wheels and gear set. I shift to "N" only when in EV for gliding. The engine is off in EV so the generator cannot charge the battery but you need to shift back to "D" for any regen or brake pedal regen. In other words the brake pedal cannot provide regen in "N" either. The engine cannot be started in Passive "N" under 6 mph but can be key started in Active "N" above 6mph. Ford warns in the owner's manual against key-Off FAS and restarting.

GaryG

[WPWoodJr]

What exactly dis-engages in neutral? Is it the MG2 from the wheels? The ICE from the MG2?

And what happens in Low? Does it limit the top speed? Or just increase regen when you release the gas pedal?