Ford fuel efficiency update guinea pig testers

[MaineFusion]

First day of commuting with PCM update. It was so nice to be able to drive at 65mph and still go into EV mode. Previously I always set the cruise control to 63mph because this was the fastest my car was still willing to cycle in and out of EV mode. On 47 mile commute to work at 65mph (~75%), 55mph (~15%), 45mph (~5%), and <35mph (5%) I was able to get 50.4mpg. This is comparable to what I got when I drive the same route at 63mph max, but better than when I've driven the route at 65mph because of the EV time.

 

On way home I had to stop and make an errand so I don't have a comparable but with AC running (set to 75F with outside temp at 81F) I was still able to get over 50mpg with mostly freeway driving at 65mph and 55mph. After errand I took secondary roads home along a route I do frequently mostly 35mph and some 45mph. I got 62.5mpg over the 11.3mi with AC running (again set to 75F w/ outside temp of 78F). Before, without AC running I would typically get 63mpg for this route.

 

I did notice that the car seemed to have forgotten its EV+ locations but it didn't matter too much because I've learned how to force it into EV mode by just being light on the gas when the batteries are draining down. I'm sure within a couple of weeks the car will remember all of it's key stops.

 

It will probably take a couple tanks of gas to figure out what kind of improvements I see in fuel economy, but being able to drive at the speed limit and still go into EV mode was really nice.

[terryb]

Got another 530 or so this leg. Trip for current is `330mi at 40.2mpg a few miles stop and got near Luiville at 5PM, the rest ws flying with traffic betwen 65 an 75. Saw EVup to 75, have not pushed any harder as out of stater w/CHL.

[David Henry]

Hey guys did some more testing this evening. At no time above 63 mph or so will my car pop into EV. I had over 75% SOC and I accelerated up to 75 or so. I left completely off the gas and the threshold on empower did not show up. Power flow screen showed engine on due to high speed. As soon as I drop to 63 or will pop into EV. I'm thinking something went wrong with my software update. Gonna have to call the dealer again I guess. Slightly frustrating.

[MaineFusion]

Hey guys did some more testing this evening. At no time above 63 mph or so will my car pop into EV. I had over 75% SOC and I accelerated up to 75 or so. I left completely off the gas and the threshold on empower did not show up. Power flow screen showed engine on due to high speed. As soon as I drop to 63 or will pop into EV. I'm thinking something went wrong with my software update. Gonna have to call the dealer again I guess. Slightly frustrating.

Sounds like you did not get the update. My FFH was very happy to go into EV mode on a regular basis at 65mph today when before it wouldn't go into EV mode over 63mph.

[corncobs]

Maybe they did installed another updated but not the one you wanted. Good thing would be that they can't talk themselves out of it. The fact that the EV threshold settings has been raised the 85MPH has been all over the news and Ford news as well so should be easy to proof.

[Da0ne]

Hey guys did some more testing this evening. At no time above 63 mph or so will my car pop into EV. I had over 75% SOC and I accelerated up to 75 or so. I left completely off the gas and the threshold on empower did not show up. Power flow screen showed engine on due to high speed. As soon as I drop to 63 or will pop into EV. I'm thinking something went wrong with my software update. Gonna have to call the dealer again I guess. Slightly frustrating.

what does you paper work say..... i did take a crappy video of me going up to 70 mph then letting off the gas switching to EV and accelerate a little but to many uphills on my commute that it would switch back to gas quickly

 

[keithsm2]

First day of commuting with PCM update. It was so nice to be able to drive at 65mph and still go into EV mode. Previously I always set the cruise control to 63mph because this was the fastest my car was still willing to cycle in and out of EV mode. On 47 mile commute to work at 65mph (~75%), 55mph (~15%), 45mph (~5%), and <35mph (5%) I was able to get 50.4mpg. This is comparable to what I got when I drive the same route at 63mph max, but better than when I've driven the route at 65mph because of the EV time.

 

On way home I had to stop and make an errand so I don't have a comparable but with AC running (set to 75F with outside temp at 81F) I was still able to get over 50mpg with mostly freeway driving at 65mph and 55mph. After errand I took secondary roads home along a route I do frequently mostly 35mph and some 45mph. I got 62.5mpg over the 11.3mi with AC running (again set to 75F w/ outside temp of 78F). Before, without AC running I would typically get 63mpg for this route.

 

I did notice that the car seemed to have forgotten its EV+ locations but it didn't matter too much because I've learned how to force it into EV mode by just being light on the gas when the batteries are draining down. I'm sure within a couple of weeks the car will remember all of it's key stops.

 

It will probably take a couple tanks of gas to figure out what kind of improvements I see in fuel economy, but being able to drive at the speed limit and still go into EV mode was really nice.

I want your car!!

[David Henry]

what does you paper work say..... i did take a crappy video of me going up to 70 mph then letting off the gas switching to EV and accelerate a little but to many uphills on my commute that it would switch back to gas quickly

 

Wow thank you for that. I can confirm that my car does not do that for sure! I never see that threshold.

[David Henry]

Just read on a cmax forum that someone had my same issues with no ev above 63 after update. They had to get dealer to reprogram again. Likely the update didn't stick the first time for some reason. I opened a ticket with ford service on twitter. Maybe they need to revise their update procedure in certain circumstances.

[cwb1183]

Just came back from the install of my update!

I am amazed at the difference in just the trip to and from the dealer, the distance was about 41-42 miles with half at 70 mph 4 lane. I have always noticed how poor my mileage is when I drive above the magic 63 mph.

So my mileage improved by an amazing 6.2mpg! 37.1 going and 43.1 returning same speeds and roads

I got up to 75 mph for a short distance and yes it went into EV going down grades.

The amazing stat is the EV miles, 12.6 going and 20.2 coming home.

 

https://plus.google.com/?partnerid=gplp0

 

Look at google+ "Fusion Hybrid before and after 13bo7 update" pictures are under Charles Black, shows screen shots of the car in EV at 71mph and the two trips at 37.1 going and 43.2 returning.

Edited July 31, 2013 by cwb1183

[aaronj1159]

Just came back from the install of my update!

I am amazed at the difference in just the trip to and from the dealer, the distance was about 41-42 miles with half at 70 mph 4 lane. I have always noticed how poor my mileage is when I drive above the magic 63 mph.

So my mileage improved by an amazing 6.2mpg! 37.1 going and 43.1 returning same speeds and roads

I got up to 75 mph for a short distance and yes it went into EV going down grades.

The amazing stat is the EV miles 12.6 going and 20.2 coming home.

Is there any elevation change between going and coming back?

[cwb1183]

Nope not to speak of up and down small hills both ways.

Edited July 31, 2013 by cwb1183

[aaronj1159]

Awesome, those are promising results then!

[cwb1183]

Tried to post pictures of going and coming home screen shots but the editor will only accept very small pictures, and few of them at that, don't remember having that problem before.

The update took only about an hour.

Edited July 31, 2013 by cwb1183

[neod192]

Tried to post pictures of going and coming home screen shots but the editor will only accept very small pictures, and few of them at that, don't remember having that problem before.

The update took only about an hour.

Each user has a limited amount of space to attach pictures on this forum. Each picture you add will reduce that. As a work-around we all host the pictures somewhere else (G+, FB, etc) and link them here.

[keybman]

Just read on a cmax forum that someone had my same issues with no ev above 63 after update. They had to get dealer to reprogram again. Likely the update didn't stick the first time for some reason. I opened a ticket with ford service on twitter. Maybe they need to revise their update procedure in certain circumstances.

 

Thank you, David Henry.

 

After 90 minutes at the dealer this morning, the PCM was recalibrated and I went on to work, happy that I was now updated. With interstate driving available, I cranked her up to 75 mph...nothing. I let it coast and sure enough, it kicked into EV mode - AT 62 MPH. Nothing different than I had before. I tried several different ways of coaxing, but to no avail. No EV above 62 mph. I got maybe 40 MPG over those 10 miles.

 

I called the dealership back and they assured me that all was well, and that it would take 1500 miles before the system would be recalibrated. I, of course, having the experiences from fellow FFH Forum members here, did not buy that line for even a second. After lunch, I had a chance to visit here, and read the above message (and others). I called the dealership back, talked to a different service advisor, who told me to come back in and they would re-do the update. However, when I got there, there was about 15-20 minutes of me explaining why I knew that the update wasn't working, and them explaining why everything was fine and didn't need doing again. Then, the tech who had done the work this morning interrupted, explaining that he had "found the problem". Apparently, there is a code that must be entered several places in their computer system as a setup and this had not been done with mine for the recalibration. (I'm thinking I am truly a guinea pig at this point) He jumped in the car and went to perform everything all over again. 90 minutes later, I have the car again and drove home, hopefully this time with the update completed.

 

I took the same trip home that I took this morning to the dealer. 15 miles, 35-40 mph, all stop-n-go. This morning, 80 degrees, using only a little bit of A/C, I managed a 50 MPG trip. This afternoon (after update), 99 degrees, I used A/C the entire way, it was a 45 MPG trip. As hot as it is right now, that is a minimum drop-off.

 

I will be traveling later this afternoon, and should be able to test at highway speed. So, I will chime in later tonight. And I trust that there will be good results and that the update has actually happened.

 

[cwb1183]

I will be headed to Houston this weekend a trip of over 200 miles each way, all 70-75 mph 4 lane.

I have made this trip several times with a usual mpg of 36-37.

This will definitely test whether the update improves highway mpg. I will post the results on Monday August 5.

Edited July 31, 2013 by cwb1183

[djminfll]

Thank you, David Henry.

 

After 90 minutes at the dealer this morning, the PCM was recalibrated and I went on to work, happy that I was now updated. With interstate driving available, I cranked her up to 75 mph...nothing. I let it coast and sure enough, it kicked into EV mode - AT 62 MPH. Nothing different than I had before. I tried several different ways of coaxing, but to no avail. No EV above 62 mph. I got maybe 40 MPG over those 10 miles.

 

I called the dealership back and they assured me that all was well, and that it would take 1500 miles before the system would be recalibrated. I, of course, having the experiences from fellow FFH Forum members here, did not buy that line for even a second. After lunch, I had a chance to visit here, and read the above message (and others). I called the dealership back, talked to a different service advisor, who told me to come back in and they would re-do the update. However, when I got there, there was about 15-20 minutes of me explaining why I knew that the update wasn't working, and them explaining why everything was fine and didn't need doing again. Then, the tech who had done the work this morning interrupted, explaining that he had "found the problem".

 

Apparently, there is a code that must be entered several places in their computer system as a setup and this had not been done with mine for the recalibration. (I'm thinking I am truly a guinea pig at this point) He jumped in the car and went to perform everything all over again. 90 minutes later, I have the car again and drove home, hopefully this time with the update completed.

 

I took the same trip home that I took this morning to the dealer. 15 miles, 35-40 mph, all stop-n-go. This morning, 80 degrees, using only a little bit of A/C, I managed a 50 MPG trip. This afternoon (after update), 99 degrees, I used A/C the entire way, it was a 45 MPG trip. As hot as it is right now, that is a minimum drop-off.

 

I will be traveling later this afternoon, and should be able to test at highway speed. So, I will chime in later tonight. And I trust that there will be good results and that the update has actually happened.

 

I got mine back this afternoon, got on I-95 set the Cruise Control at 70mph. The car never went into EV mode until I slowed down to 62mph. I bought gas as soon as I left the dealership, which is 2.5 miles from I-95. After driving 14 miles on the highway, I was only at 38mpg. I got it to 42.3 in the last few miles on surface streets, but the software update definitely didn't work. I'm going to have to call them again tomorrow.

[46stang]

my wife took our FFH in for the update yesterday and it didn't work either. I took the car up to 75mph and coasted downhill and it never went into EV mode. SO now I have to deal with trying to get this done again. urgh.

I took it back down there and they are going to try and do the update tomorrow, again. hopefully the second time is the charm.

Edited August 1, 2013 by 46stang

[MaineFusion]

I want your car!

Some might be the car, but also keep in mind I never go above the speed limit and highest speed limits in Maine are 65mph. On the Interstate, I always use the adaptive cruise control. Also, I have an extremely light foot when it comes to accelerating and braking. Friends accuse me of driving like a grandpa.

 

One trick that I've learned is how to keep the car in EV mode just a little bit longer than it would otherwise. When the car kicks out of EV mode I let off the gas ever so lightly and it will kick back into EV mode for a bit longer. Of course this only works when not on cruise control and at low speeds.

[keybman]

To djminfll and 46stang - it is not you, they did not program it correctly. I will call my dealership tomorrow and see if I can get the details about the "left out step" that caused the 1st failed attempt. If I can get that information, then perhaps others will be able to get the recalibration on the 1st try. It definitely seems like a learning curve situation for Ford Service Advisors and Techs.

[keybman]

The 2nd PCM Recalibration was successful. I was able to take it on the highway and was thrilled to realize that I was cruising at 75 MPH in EV mode. My 23 mile drive in 98 degree weather, with A/C full blast, came in at just over 45 MPG. About 2/3 of that trip was on the highway driving between 70-75 MPH. The same trip back home garnered 51 MPG - the only difference being the temp outside is only 89 degrees.

 

While this update will not likely affect my typical work commute (as I am not able to drive any long stretches above 65 MPG), it should greatly aid my planned Florida trip in August. Sounds like a perfect opportunity to utilize the "set and forget" method. I'm just imagining cruise control at 75 MPH and getting 45+ MPG for 1000 miles. And only 1 gas stop.

 

More to come...

[David Henry]

This is why I love forums like this so we can collaborate. I emailed the dealership last night with the details from kbman. I'm also waiting for a replacement trim piece to come in, so hopefully I can get my 2nd update attempted soon

[Da0ne]

The 2nd PCM Recalibration was successful. I was able to take it on the highway and was thrilled to realize that I was cruising at 75 MPH in EV mode. My 23 mile drive in 98 degree weather, with A/C full blast, came in at just over 45 MPG. About 2/3 of that trip was on the highway driving between 70-75 MPH. The same trip back home garnered 51 MPG - the only difference being the temp outside is only 89 degrees.

 

While this update will not likely affect my typical work commute (as I am not able to drive any long stretches above 65 MPG), it should greatly aid my planned Florida trip in August. Sounds like a perfect opportunity to utilize the "set and forget" method. I'm just imagining cruise control at 75 MPH and getting 45+ MPG for 1000 miles. And only 1 gas stop.

 

More to come...

 

this is why i was happy to hear that ford was upping our EV modes to 85 mph on my trip to FL from NYC in May i got 41.5 mpg going and 42.5 coming back at 70 mph with a/c on auto set to 72 the whole time with 3 people in the car and the truck full of stuff.

 

i have another trip in late sept to Charlotte NC cant wait to see what results in that i will also set my cruise at 75 mph this time just to get there faster

[keybman]

To djminfll and 46stang - it is not you, they did not program it correctly. I will call my dealership tomorrow and see if I can get the details about the "left out step" that caused the 1st failed attempt. If I can get that information, then perhaps others will be able to get the recalibration on the 1st try. It definitely seems like a learning curve situation for Ford Service Advisors and Techs.

 

Something to share with your service dept's tech so that your PCM update works on the 1st try:

 

I was able to talk to the tech that did the PCM recalibration on my FFH yesterday (both times). He said that he read the Ford bulletin re-programming instructions 5 times before he figured out what the problem was. He indicated that while technicians know how to reprogram the IDS, they likely are just doing what they know to do. The bulletin in this case, though, clearly states that they must have Version 85.05 for the reprogramming to work correctly. Once he updated the IDS with the correct version, the recalibration worked like a charm.

 

Hope this helps! :)