Distance to empty wrong?

[Eddie Sessum]

I got a brand new MKZ hybrid with 200miles. I filled it up till it clicked plus another half gallon just now and its telling me 348miles on a full tank. Just doing the tank size times the current average it says next to the DTE is 33.6mpg it should be alot more. Almost 100miles more. I gave it some time on the first tank and sure enough it didnt change from the first full tank till now.

 

Is this something that takes time to adapt? I dont have the new update on my car yet and will get that sometime next week. But thats just MPG improvements not something that would make the DTE calculation wrong.

[jeff_h]

Yes I believe it takes time for the system to have a solid past history in order to make a more accurate estimate... being a new car there is no history, so the system probably calculates pretty conservatively. My car did the same on the first couple tanks.

[Eddie Sessum]

Alright, atleast I know its not just me. Do you know if the gas engine has a break-in period too that better milage comes out of it? It seems like whenever its on when moving im around 20mpg.

[corncobs]

Alright, atleast I know its not just me. Do you know if the gas engine has a break-in period too that better milage comes out of it? It seems like whenever its on when moving im around 20mpg.

Break-in has been said to be anywhere between 4 and 6k I believe it depends a bit on your ICE vs. EV miles.

When the ICE is propelling the car and charging the HVB from a low SOC you won't see much more the 20 MPG more likely you will see less depending on the power demand for the ICE.

[acdii]

I have a whats wrong with this picture about DTE. Trip 2 shows I used 10.03 gallons, but the DTE says I have only 29 miles to empty. Wait, I thought this has a 13.5 gallon tank? Well after filling up it took 11.5 gallons on the second click, 11,1 to the first click.

 

So take what the gauges say with a grain of salt, they are not all that accurate.

[hybridbear]

My theory on the lower range estimates is that we're not actually getting the tank full and thus the DTE estimate says 0 and most owners are only putting in 11-12 gallons when the DTE is past 0, instead of 13+ as would be expected. If you check out the C-Max Hybrid Forum the C-Max owners usually put in 13+ gallons when their DTE hits 0. Ford earlier released a TSB about fuel tank issues with gas powered Fusions, but so far there has been nothing for the hybrid. I've found that if I wait 30 seconds after the pump clicks off before starting it again I can put in a few gallons more before it clicks off again. I wonder if there isn't an issue with our cars of air bubbles getting trapped in the tank and limiting the volume of gas we can put in.

Edited August 12, 2013 by hybridbear

[Eddie Sessum]

The air bubbles comment. If you want to see something crazy in that aspect look at a 2000 vw beetle. There is a little button inside the top of the fuel filler you press (on the diesel atleast). When you press it goes WOOOSH really loud. And if you fill while holding that down it takes ANOTHER 7 GALLONS.

 

 

I did find after giving about a 5 second wait i could put another 0.6gallons in my car. So maybe that is true.

 

Im going wendsday morning for the PCM update so i guess it will have to start learning everything again since i heard the ev+ stuff gets reset. Dont know much about it yet myself.

 

Is there also a break-in period on the battery? I know like some cell phones they seem to work better after a little while before they go downhill.

[acdii]

The air bubbles comment. If you want to see something crazy in that aspect look at a 2000 vw beetle. There is a little button inside the top of the fuel filler you press (on the diesel atleast). When you press it goes WOOOSH really loud. And if you fill while holding that down it takes ANOTHER 7 GALLONS.

 

 

I did find after giving about a 5 second wait i could put another 0.6gallons in my car. So maybe that is true.

 

Im going wendsday morning for the PCM update so i guess it will have to start learning everything again since i heard the ev+ stuff gets reset. Dont know much about it yet myself.

 

Is there also a break-in period on the battery? I know like some cell phones they seem to work better after a little while before they go downhill.

I know why VW did that, they used the same fuel system for the Gas version as the TDI, but since Diesel doesn't vaporize like gasoline does, it doesn't need that huge air gap in the tank. They probably added that valve so you could add more fuel, and diesel pumps tend to fill much faster than gas ones do mainly because they fill higher volume tanks. My F350 was like that, I could squeeze in 6 more gallons after the first click if I trickled it in. Oh if only they had put one of those valves in. There is a mod for that tank to drop it and remove about a foot of vent tubing from inside the tank so you could fill it all the way up.

[Eddie Sessum]

Ive watched my DTE changing and not wanting to give me a real answer. It told me 597 to empty and after about 45miles its telling me 520.. Its moody.. Sounds like the girl ive been talking too lol

[hermans]

It recalculates as you drive according to your driving style. I've tested this out by going to 20 DTE and really slowing down for awhile (from 70 to 55 mph) and watched my DTE grow.

[Eddie Sessum]

But im driving nice and not jammed up in any traffic :\

[hermans]

What can I tell you - this is the way it works....

[MeeLee]

My car shows 600 miles range.
About halfway it shows roughly 300 miles of range.
I would guess I would have driven 300 miles by that time, but stride indicates anywhere from 200-250miles.
Ford is giving me more range than there is fuel!